Edited by Azizi Powell
This pancocojams post showcases a video of and lyrics for a Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. strolling song which includes a reference to the Black consciousness movement.
Information about historically Black Greek letter organization "steppin"[g] and "strolling" is also included in the Addendum to this post.
The content of this post is presented for historical and folkloric purposes.
All copyrights remain with their owners.
Thanks to the composer/s of this song and thanks to all those who are featured in this video. Thanks also to the publisher of this video on YouTube.
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If you know this chant or a similar chant please share that information in the comment section below.
Also, I'm interested in identifying other Black Greek letter organization (BGLO) songs or chants that include Black consciousness movement lyrics and/or gestures. For the historical record, if you know of any examples, please add them along with lyrics and demographic information (organization, year the song/chant was performed and where-city/state) in the comment section below. Thanks!
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SHOWCASE VIDEO: Morgan State University Graduation 2014 - Delta Sigma Theta
Michael Parker, Published on Jul 28, 2014
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The strolling song "No Doubt About It We’re Deltas" can be found at 4:00-5:32 in this video.
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Also, click 1:19 to 3:46 of this video for an example of "Wadin In The Water For DST", an adapted Spiritual sung as a strolling song. My attempt of transcribing that song can be found in this pancocojams post: http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2018/05/historically-black-fraternities.html Historically Black Fraternities & Sororities Steppin And Strolling Songs & Chants Whose Tunes And Lyrics Come From African American Spirituals
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LYRICS- NO DOUBT ABOUT IT WE'RE DELTAS *
No doubt about it- we’re deltas
Sorors
No doubt about it- we’re deltas
Sorors
We got class
[hums do do do dodo - [gestures signifying proper and demure female etiquette] place their right hand on their left elbow, hold their the finger next to their thumb from their right hand in the air and then place that same finger to the side of their chin
We got soul
[hums] do do do dodo[group does the same rhythmic side to side dance step]
We’re so black
[hums] do do do dodo [group raises their left arm in Black power hand salute and bobs it in time to the rhythm]
and we’re mellow from our head to our soles
[hums] do do do dodo [group lower raised arm palm up down near the end of your body]
No doubt about it- we’re deltas
Sorors
{Wooo!)
No doubt about it- we’re deltas
Sorors
{Wooo!)
[repeat entire song]
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*This is my attempted transcription of this song from this video. Additions and corrections are welcome.
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ADDENDUM: INFORMATION ABOUT HISTORICALLY BLACK GREEK LETTER ORGANIZATIONS STEPPIN AND STROLLING
Excerpt #1:
Pancocojams Editor's Note: Most of this excerpt is found in this 2013 pancocojams post entitled "An Overview Of Black Greek Letter Organization Steppin & Step Cheers" http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2013/05/an-overview-of-black-greek-letter.html
"Steppin (Stepping) is a syncopated, choreographed performance art that occurs at competitive "step shows" and other venues. The performance art of steppin originated among historically Black (African American) university based Greek lettered fraternities & sororities.
[...]
I've seen the 1940s given as the date that historically Black Greek lettered organizations began steppin'. I'm willing to accept that 1940s date as long as it's understood that the beginning of what steppin has become didn't look like steppin now.
in her book Soul Stepping Elizabeth Fine quotes a 1924 Howard University student newspaper The Hilltop article entitled "Hell-Week" in which members of Omega Psi Phi and Kappa Alpha Psi fraternites are described as pledges "dancing about the campus..." (p.15).
However that dancing or that marching on campus that is also documented didn't look the same as the Black Greek letted organizations' steppin' styles that developed in the 1980s and 1990s. Elizabeth Fine also wrote that "The shift from the old-style circular stepping of the 1940s and 1950s to the increasingly complex synchronized movement style of the 1980s and 1990s attests to the new role stepping has in asserting black cultural identity" (p. 6).
Since at least the 1990s among historically Black Greek lettered organizations (BGLO), the performance art of strolls (party walks) has been added to most step routines, particularly at the end of those routines. "Strolls" (party walks) are done in a vertical line to recorded music, usually from the R&B/Hip-Hop genres or group songs, often adapted from Spirituals or R&B songs. The terms "strolls" or "party walks" refer to the strutting, dancing walk that the organizations' members informally do at dances/parties. While steppin is almost always a competitive performance, fraternities against fraternities, and sororities against sororities, "strolls" can be either competitive within those gender groupings, or non-competitive."...
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Notice that BGLO originated "strolling" [and steppin] is a group activity. Another name for "strolling" is "party walks" as these strolls were seemingly spontaneously performed at parties (dance gatherings), usually to certain recorded R&B/Hip Hop music. Non-competitive BGLO strolls are also performed at any number of social events such as picnics and wedding receptions. "Stroll offs" are competitive events in which stroll teams from historically Black Greek letter fraternities compete against each other and stroll teams from historically Black Greek letter sororities compete against each other.
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Excerpt #2:
Pancocojams Editor's note: In this 2015 pancocojams post http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2015/04/african-american-examples-of-walk_11.html "African American Examples Of Walk Arounds - Cakewalks And Other Non-Religious Examples", I maintain that historically Black Greek letter fraternity and sorority strolling should be considered as a contemporary example of a non-religious Black American "walk around" (circular dance movement) performance art tradition. Other historical and contemporary examples of walk arounds are "the cakewalk", "Chicago stepping" (dance), and "Detroit stepping" (ball room) dance. The "ring shout" is a historical example of a Black American religious walk around.
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Excerpt #3:
[This is a comment that I added to another video of sorority strolling]
"Strolling" (also known as "stroll offs" and "party walks") are non-competitive and competitive group struts and dancing performances to recorded music. Strolling shares the same history and early sources as historically Black Greek letter[ed] fraternity and sorority stepping and is now performed by Latino Greek lettered organizations, multi-cultural Greek lettered organizations, and others. Like sorority and fraternity "stepping", "strolling" has undergone and is still undergoing considerable performance changes. Click http://www.greekster.tv/page/greek-strolling-history-and for another definition of "strolling" and comments about the history of strolling (stroll offs, party walks). Also click the "African American fraternity and sorority steppin and strolling tab below for more pancocojams posts that about strolling and more pancocojams post that feature examples of historic ally Black Greek lettered organization stroll offs.
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