On Feb. 25, UMKC Black fraternity and sorority members were notified via email about vandalism on several monuments in the Divine Nine Garden.
The Garden, located in the quad, includes granite statues with the names, founding dates and crests of the nine Black fraternities and sororities on campus.
UMKC Police Lt. Tim Maybell described the vandalism as approximately a 1-inch-by-1-inch plus-sign mark, scratched into the faceplate of seven of the nine monuments.
“The crime is under investigation, and we will continue to investigate,” said Maybell.
The National Pan-Hellenic Council (NPHC )President Chamiya Spates found the markings after she stopped on her way to class on the 25th to look at her sorority’s statue, Delta Sigma Theta. After a close inspection, she noticed her monument and many others had carvings resembling a cross.
Spates took photos of the statues and sent them to her council members’ group chat. Together, they filed a police report the same afternoon.
“Tensions were high, and we were very upset that day,” she said. “This feels like a slap in the face.”
She believes the markings were deliberate since they were all similar symbols carved into the statues.
Black Greek organizations have been the focus of an online controversy suggesting that they are “demonic” and anti-Christian because of their focus on Greek letters.
But Divine Nine proponents say most followers are deeply Christian and entry into their groups have historically been an honor, promoting personal growth, racial uplift and civil action
“All of our organizations are founded on Christian principles,” said Spates. “We didn’t know if it was somebody just doing a cross or if there was a message behind it.”
Spates said this is the second incident since the statues were unveiled in September 2023.
Last year, an incorrect plaque with information about Iota Phi Theta, a chapter that does not exist at UMKC, was placed on the Zeta Phi Beta chapter statue. When the NPHC asked the university about it, no one knew who had put it there.
The UMKC campus security checks the statues nightly, but Spates thinks they should observe them more closely, especially at night. She suggested the campus install cameras on nearby light posts to survey the area and ensure the garden’s safety.
“I feel like one thing UMKC can do is to just reassure that they are here for us even in light of the Nine,” said Spates. “We have a lot of fears being a Black organization, [and we want them to be] an ally and make sure that they get it right.”
UMKC Director of Student Involvement Anthony Maly informed the NPHC that they are actively working to get the statues refurbished as soon as possible.
