Out of the night that covers me: how membership in a Black Greek letter organization shapes the Black student experience

The purpose of this study was to examine how membership in a historically Black Greek letter organization (BGLO) shapes the Black student experience at a predominantly White commuter institution. Students who identify as Black Americans with a membership in a BGLO for at least one year and were full-time undergraduate students at such institutions were the participants for this study. The study included 13 participants who were chosen using snowball sampling. Data were collected using semi-structured interviews and a digital recording device. Data were analyzed using three-cycle coding and NVivo software to identify specific codes and themes in the data. Data collected showed that participants experienced a sense of belonging and connection to campus through membership in their BGLO. This study highlighted the need for more scholarship to differentiate between the BGLO experience and the traditionally White GLO experience at predominantly White institutions.