Groove Phi Groove
Groove Phi Groove Social Fellowship, Inc. (GΦG) is a social fellowship. It was founded at Morgan State College (now known as Morgan State University) as an alternative to mainstream historically black fraternities. It has one sister organization, Swing Phi Swing. History. Groove Phi Groove was founded on October 12, 1962, by a group of young black men who wanted to create an alternative to what was described as the traditionalism of subjectively ascribed established fraternal organizations. Groove Phi Groove is an independent organization whose purpose includes promoting academic awareness, leadership development, community empowerment, preservation of African culture , and working towards alleviating the social and economic problems impacting disadvantaged communities. Groove Phi Groove members hold individuality, self-expression, and creativity in its members to be paramount, as well as a focus on issues related to the empowerment of African American communities. Its members work in a wide variety of career areas, including accounting, education, engineering, human resource services, local and state government, medicine, law, protective services, information technology, religion, real estate, food service, skilled crafts, music, professional sports, the armed services, and business. Founders. The founders of Groove Phi Groove Social Fellowship are: Etymology. Groove. During the 1960s , the word “groove” was popular among young blacks. Webster's Dictionary defines the verb “groove” as “to perform deftly or smoothly.” As a noun, “groove” is defined as a “fixed routine in the affairs of life.” Hence, to go against the “groove” means to work against the current establishment, and “grooving” is associated with “socializing or fellowshipping.” These combined definitions form the definition of Groove Phi Groove. Phi. The "Phi" in Groove Phi Groove preserves the original meaning of the Emetic letter "Phi." In “Secrets of the Great Pyramids” by Pete Thompkins, the Khemit people of ancient Egypt created “phi ” as a symbol of the creative function of the male reproductive system and, more loosely, as “reproduction in endless series,” which is a symbolic representation of “the fire of life.” The Fellowship has incorporated this symbol of fertility into its name to stand for continual growth and development. The “phi” symbol should not be confused with the subsequent Greek numeral representing 500 Φ or the ancient Greek representation of [pʰ]. Governing structure. As a body, the governing structure of the Fellowship consists of: International headquarters. The international headquarters of Groove Phi Groove Social Fellowship, Inc. is located at 2453 Maryland  Avenue in Baltimore, Maryland. The building was purchased on December 26, 2012, and dedicated July 1, 2013. International Presidents. Since Lenwood Harris became the First National President in 1970, 11 men have served as the National President of Groove Phi Groove, including one man serving for a record three terms. They have served tenures as short as 12 months and as long as 12 years.