They’ve supported one another through celebration and tragedy. Others, he talks with two or three times a week. It’s not unusual for Durrett to talk with three fraternity brothers at least once a day. Since graduation, his Omega brothers have remained a fixture in his life. He’s also pursuing a PhD in urban education at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis. Professionally, Durrett serves as president of Above All Else, a nonprofit he founded in 2011 to enhance the mental, physical and spiritual well-being of others through education and human services, and Urban Excellence, an educational consulting firm that provides culturally relevant programming and training for organizations in the Indianapolis area. I had just joined as a senior, so I wanted to preserve that community and stay connected.” “That helped me to develop a continuity of community from my undergrad experience. ![]() ![]() “I immediately transitioned to the graduate chapter and sought out leadership roles as an alumnus,” Durrett says. He recently was elected as district director of public relations in Omega Psi Phi’s 10th district. While in the graduate chapter, Durrett served as the adviser for Rho Sigma, the chapter chartered on Purdue’s campus in 1942, as well as an Indiana state representative overseeing five chapters throughout the state. I knew what I was signing up for.”Īfter graduation, Durrett became involved in his fraternity’s graduate chapter in Lafayette, which consists of alumni members from across the country. ![]() Going in, I was informed that joining this organization was a lifelong commitment. I cherish friendship like no other because of my involvement in the Rho Sigma chapter. Now I rarely use that word because I hold it in such high regard. “Once I got into the fraternity, I realized the meaning of the word friend. “I was looking for friends, someone who would have my back,” Durrett says. By his senior year, he began actively seeking an organization where he could belong. On a campus where only a small percentage of the student population identifies as Black, it was challenging to connect with students who didn’t share his experiences or cultural identity.Ĭommitted to excelling in academics and earning his degree so he’d have the means to raise his family up from poverty, Durrett focused on his studies and didn’t have much time to form friendships outside the football team. Despite his status as high school valedictorian and a three-sport athlete, he found himself on academic probation after his first semester of college.Ĭoming from a diverse, urban setting in Indianapolis, he’d never been exposed to a predominantly white environment. Recruited to play football on an academic scholarship, Durrett, who earned a Bachelor of Science in computer graphics technology in 2008 and a Master of Science in education and leadership in 2011, acclimated to the team before he acclimated to campus life. I looked at that and thought, ‘They’ve got each other’s backs.’” Representatives of Purdue’s NPHC community gathered at the Class of 1950 Diversity Tree. ![]() If they were getting food, they were doing it together. “At the Class of 1950 Diversity Tree, they were together. “The brothers of Omega were always together,” Durrett says. Without official campus housing, the Omegas lived together in a two-bedroom house. Though small in number, the close bonds formed between the men intensified through their shared experiences. The chapter had just been reactivated in 2005. For many Black students, membership in the NPHC offers an opportunity to celebrate Black excellence and a space where they can express their authentic selves, forging friendships that last well beyond their undergraduate years.Īt the time of Durrett’s initiation, there were only four Omega brothers on campus. The nine organizations are governed by the National Pan-Hellenic Council (NPHC). The motto, from which its Greek letters derive, sums up a core characteristic of the Divine Nine organizations - lifelong, sustaining friendships. These words compelled Michael Durrett to pledge Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc., one of the “Divine Nine” historically Black fraternities and sororities founded in the early 1900s. Members tell their stories of lifelong friendship and support
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