Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. Strolls With The Lead Stroller Blowing A Whistle (videos & comments)

Darrell Henderson, Feb 18, 2013

Clark Atlanta University Alpha Phi Alpha strolling at Spelhouse Market Friday Spring 2013

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Edited by Azizi Powell

Latest update- January 30, 2026

This pancocojams post presents my editorial notes about the custom of members of Alpha Phi Alpha strolling with the lead stroller blowing a whistle.

This post also showcases video examples of this custom from 2013 and from 2023. 

Selected comments from these videos' discussion thread are also included in this post. Those comments focus on the subject of Alphas strolling with a whistle. 

The Addendum to this pancocojams post showcases a YouTube video of actual members of Alpha Phi Alpha stepping in Spike Lee's 1988 movie School Daze. Comments from that video's discussion thread about Alphas strolling with the lead stroller blowing a whistle are also included in this post.

The comments in this pancocojams post -including those from the discussion thread for the School Daze video in the Addendum- document mixed (positive or negative) opinions about the custom of Alphas strolling with the lead stroller blowing a whistle.  

The content of this post is presented for historical, socio-cultural, entertainment, and aesthetic purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to all those who are featured in these videos. Thanks to all those who are quoted in this post and thanks to the publishers of these videos on YouTube.
-snip-
This post doesn't refer to members of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. or members of any other historically Black Greek letter fraternity or sorority doing a line dance or a stroll to rapper Too Short's 2006 hit record "Blow The Whistle" unless one or more of those strollers actually blow a whistle instrument. The Soul line dance "Blow The Whistle" was widely done in the Soul Line Dance community. However, I've never come across any videos of any dancers (or strollers) actually blowing a whistle while performing that dance.

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This is Part Six of an ongoing pancocojams post on the cultural meanings of and uses for blowing whistles (instruments) in various Black cultures throughout the world.

These pancocojams posts can be found under various tags beginning with the words "blowing whistles" such as the tag "blowing whistles while dancing" for the post entitled "Popping Fans & Blowing Whistles In "Boots On The Ground" And "Follow Me" Soul Line Dance Videos" https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2025/02/popping-fans-blowing-whistles-in-soul.html

Also, click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2025/02/pancocojams-posts-about-historically.html for the pancocojams post entitled "Pancocojams Posts About Historically African American (Black) Greek Letter Fraternity & Sorority Strolling,"

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EXCERPT FROM MY EDITORIAL NOTES ABOUT HISTORICALLY BLACK GREEK LETTER FRATERNITIES AND SORORITIES STROLLING

by Azizi Powell, Feb. 23, 2025

"Strolls" are loosely or tightly choreographed processional  (vertical line) dances that are usually performed by a group of people that are members of the same Greek letter organization, or -in the case of unity strolls- by members of different Greek letter organizations. Strolls originated with and are still mostly associated with members of the historically Black (African American) Greek letter organizations (members of the National Pan-Hellenic Council, informally known as "The Divine Nine") https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Pan-Hellenic_Council).

[...]

Blowing a whistle while strolling
A small subset of non-competitive strolls that I have happened upon in YouTube videos and YouTube video shorts document the custom among members of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity strolling with the lead stroller blowing a whistle. It appears to me that the the lead stroller blowing a whistle is in imitation of the role of a marching band drum major. However, unlike the drum major's whistle blowing, the lead stroller's whistle blowing doesn't appear to signal any movements or directions that he wants the rest of the group he leads to follow. Also, the lead stroller's whistle blowing doesn't signal for people to get out of the way.

My guess is that the sounds of the whistle that is blown by the lead stroller in the Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity videos that I've come across are meant to augment the sounds of the record that he and the other strollers are moving to. But I think that what is most important in those stroll performances that feature the lead stroller blowing a whistle is the image of a drum major type figure rather than the sound of the whistle itself. 

The earliest YouTube video that I have come across for this custom are from 2011. One 2011 video of strolling that includes the sound of a whistle is https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ozCLSYxoX7I "Alphas & AKAs Stroll" published by Charles Sueing, Nov 3, 2011, Morehouse/Spelman Homecoming 2011. That video shows members of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. and members of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. doing separate strolls at the same time in the same outdoor space. The whistle bursts are coming from an Alpha stroller. 

As of the publication date and time of this update* for this pancocojams post (Feb. 23, 2025 at 1:56 PM EST) that video has a total of 192,994 views and 43 comments. None of those comments refer to the sound of the whistle being blown. That might suggest that hearing the sound of a whistle during a stroll-and particularly during an Alpha stroll- wasn't anything new or unique or worthy of commenting about, meaning this custom started before 2011 or was common in 2011.

Another 2011 YouTube video of Alphas strolling also features the song of a whistle.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RlsYnyGKw3w  "Alpha Phi Alpha HT ISU Down for my stroll" published by Prettybr0wn3y3z, Oct, 8, 2011. (ISU = Illinois State University)

As of the publication date and time for this update* for pancocojams post (February 23, 2025 at 5:00PM EST), this video has a total of 150,575 views and 26 comments. Here's the only comment that mentions whistles: 

@jameshudson6523, 2017
"keeping a wisle ha ha ha" 

I don't know if 2011 is the earliest date for that custom among Alphas. And I also don't know if any other historically African American Greek letter fraternities or sororities has the same custom of a lead stroller or any other person in that strolling group ever blows a whistle. (I haven't come across this custom in any other historically Black Greek letter organization and I haven't come across any video of anyone but the lead stroller in the Alpha strolls blowing a whistle.)v

The comments that I've read in discussion threads for YouTube video and YouTube video shorts document that there are mixed reviews about the custom of a whistle being blown during a stroll. Some commenters really like it and other comments don't like it at all. 

Please share any information that you know about the early days of historically Black (African American) Greek letter organizations strolling. Please also share any information and/or your opinion about a stroller blowing a whistle while strolling. 

* I updated this essay to reflect the early examples of Alphas strolling with whistles that I found after I had initially published this pancocojams post.

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SHOWCASE VIDEO #3 - MIZZOU ALPHAS | ALPHA PHI ALPHA | V.ISLAND STROLL 

@GrandTourMedia Aug 27, 2023

Vulture Island V2 · Rob49 & Lil Baby
-snip-
Mizzou is an informal name for The University of Missouri (Columbia, Missouri)

This is a YouTube video short. (YouTube video shorts are on a loop which continuously repeats the very brief video.)

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SELECTED COMMENTS FROM THESE VIDEOS' DISCUSSION THREADS
These compilation presents some of the comments from each of these videos' discussion thread that referred to the custom of the lead stroller in Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity strolls blowing a whistle.

I assigned numbers to these comments for referencing purposes only.

SELECTED COMMENTS FOR VIDEO #1
From https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ht5hKgvb1O0

1. @jadeagudosi1170, 2013
"my favorite stroll so far!!!"

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2. @dmedinahh5060, 2013
"they killed this !"

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Reply
3. @divaxbabyy, 2015
"yessss! they did that"

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4. @dominichardaway3472, 2013
"'06 to the Bruhs"

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5. @WHODINI06, 2017
"Good stuff Bros!!!"

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6. @richiehughes9736, 2016
"nostalgia"

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SELECTED COMMENTS FOR SHOWCASE VIDEO #2

WARNING- Some comments in that discussion thread that aren't included in this compilation directly disparaged people who are LGTBTQ. A few of these selected comments may also allude to anti-gay attitudes.
   

2023

1. @amoneylabamba
"🔥🔥🔥"

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2. @MizzLovelyOfMD
"Go head Pham #06/08💞💚🖤💛"

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3. @ItsJustDev321
"🔥🔥"

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4. @vrx5021
"Blacks involved in Greek methodologies 🤦🏾‍♂️"

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Reply
5. @StephanieNiecey, 2024
"It’s sick and I go to a HBCU and I see this junk all of the time."
-snip-
The African American Vernacular English meaning of the word "sick" can be something very positive. However, I believe that "sick" in this comment is more like the standard English meaning of something that isn't healthy (i.e. something that isn't good.). 

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Reply
6. @kylefair14, 2024
"The sphinx is Ancient Egyptian Mythology…"
-snip-
This comment and a few other comments in this compilation alludes to the fact that in the 1960s (if not earlier) to the 1990s members of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. (the Alphas) were known for their use of Egyptian cultural motifs particularly Pharaohs and the Sphinx. 

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7. @cookmup3229
"That dance is so wack 😂"
-snip-
The African American Vernacular English word "wack" means "corny".

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Reply
8. @LIFEWITHFEFE-
"Oh pls like you can do this"

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Reply
9. @latoyanance3815, 2024
"​@LIFEWITHFEFE- they throwing down in sync with each other and on key 🗝"

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10. @cristobalbalenciaga7295, 2024
" @LIFEWITHFEFE- So and everything you can’t do is not wack..? What kind of logic is that?

As a man i’m sure I can’t twerk. So as a man, I now can’t say that twerking as a man is wack? 😅

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2024

11. @beautyupabove4708
"Can you imagine in the days of Pharaoh in Egypt and the fella came in like this. The Pharaoh was blowing the MF whistle ❤❤❤"

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12. @Joker36544
"They getting it"

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13. @2sadto
"Lol i want to do it only for the whistle 😂😂😂😂👯‍♀️👯‍♀️👯‍♀️👯‍♀️👯‍♀️"

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14. @category9cane488
"When did we start dance routines 😠"

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15. @Brifearless5
"Since people decided they don’t want to be boring and just chant and stomp"

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16. @Heyu7her3
"Ummm... it's a stroll"

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17. @basilicamiddlebrooks3293
"Nothing like an Alpha Man ❤"

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18. @Teddy-m4z
"Hope you all graduate!"

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19. @shanteprice6658
"They will!❤"

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20. @Reignsupreme76
"They are Alphas! You best believe

 they will graduate!"

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21. @Heyu7her3
"They party hard, they stay up late; But, most of all, they graduate!"
-snip-
This "We party hard" saying is part of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity culture..

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22. @CBAKEZX80
"Not the whistle!"

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23. @Frank-t4j3l
"Cab calloway😂"
-snip-
Cab Calloway (December 25, 1907 – November 18, 1994) was a famous African American Jazz singer and band leader. Some people consider/ed his demeanor to be somewhat over the top ("extra"). demeanor. 

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24. @Ricksh.1989
"Dem boiz too lit"

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25. @jDunnFIT
"Lost ones."

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26. @christinacarter2518
"🤎💯"

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27. @Logansrae
"That dance corny sorry"

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28. @manuelsmiley7125
"Buffoonery"

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29. @johnholman3200
"SAD.👎🏽 GOT YASHAR'EL IN THE LAND OF THEIR CAPTIVITY DOING EGYPTIAN/GREEK PAGAN DANCES.

#yahudahtruthtribe"
-snip-
"Yashar'el" is a Hebrew Israelite referent for the population (or a man or men) from the population that is commonly known as Black Americans (African Americans). I believe that this commenter is criticizing men for joining Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity since he believes that that fraternity isn't part of Hebrew Israelite culture.

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30. @Jrmabin1
"❤ Okay I see y'all!"

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31. @tiffanydegoya
"I can tell the lead guy is the 1 who made this erratic stroll 😂"

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32. @shannonj.5256
"😂😂😂 Lmaooo this comment got me rolling!!!"

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Reply
33. @Heyu7her3
"😭 Idk where it repeats 😅"

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34. @kpg9806
"don't do my frat like that lol"

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ADDENDUM: SHOWCASE VIDEO FROM THE 1988 MOVIE SCHOOL DAZE

iCE iCE BABY,,,The Black And Gold



Allen C Johnson, July 3, 2014

Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc.

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EXAMPLES OF COMMENTS FROM THIS VIDEO'S DISCUSSION THREAD ABOUT STROLLING WHILE BLOWING A WHISTLE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WfPc8Ia7E20&t=3s

1. @cduone, 2016
"And no dumb whistle sound either."

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Reply
2. @bayarea510, 2016
"i like the whistle lol"

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Reply
3. @shaunastokes1906, 2019
"Most of these guys ain't in shape to step, that's why most of the just stroll now. Laziness has crept in our ranks brothers of Alpha and we must reclaim the art of stepping"

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4. @marqosmarqos1201, 2019
"@shaunastokes1906  Sounds like something that should be discussed in house. You should consider deleting the comment if you are in fact a Alpha. Peace"

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5. @shaunastokes1906, 2020
"@marqosmarqos1201  That is not something that needs to be discussed in house. I have talked to several of the young brothers on the campus about that. I also am speaking in general terms concerning national and international brotherhood. There is nothing I said that in anyway betrayed the bonds of Alpha Phi Alpha. Thank you very kindly my brother."

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6. @taylorwaylor8965, 2022
"Wow! no whistles or anything! This is a real marchdown"

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7. @dontem.8369, 2023
"Wait, no APE steps or whistles back then???"

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8. @anthonypersons7212, 2024
"Remember, this was the heyday of lawsuits and unfortunate deaths from pledging.  So much was underground, just in case. Don't worry, the APE lives!🤙👊💯"
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Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2023/05/alpha-phi-alpha-fraternity-alpha-walk.html Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity - "Alpha Walk" (also known as the "Ape Walk") videos and comments for a 2024 pancocojams post about the relatively new custom of members of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity doing the Ape Walk.

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Visitor comments are welcome.

The History Of Historically Black Fraternities & Sororities Strolling

Edited by Azizi Powell

This pancocojams post presents an overview about historically Black (African American) Greek letter fraternity and sorority strolling that I initially wrote in 2021 but revised on February 22, 2025.

The content of this post is presented for historical and socio-cultural purposes.

I'm publishing this post because I couldn't find any detailed history and/or descriptions online about this subject. Also, it appears to me that there's quite a bit of confusion online between the performance art of fraternity/sorority stepping and the performance art of strolling.

Additions and corrections to this essay are very welcome. 
-snip-
Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2025/02/pancocojams-posts-about-historically.html for the pancocojams post entitled "Pancocojams Posts About Historically African American (Black) Greek Letter Fraternity & Sorority Strolling".

Also, click the tag below to find  pancocojams posts about fraternity and sorority stepping.  .

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AN OVERVIEW OF HISTORICALLY AFRICAN AMERICAN GREEK LETTER FRATERNITY AND SORORITY STROLLS by Azizi Powell, latest revision: February 23, 2025

"Strolls" are loosely or tightly choreographed processional  (vertical line) dances that are usually performed by a group of people that are members of the same Greek letter organization, or -in the case of unity strolls- by members of different Greek letter organizations. Strolls originated with and are still mostly associated with members of the historically Black (African American) Greek letter organizations (members of the National Pan-Hellenic Council, informally known as "The Divine Nine".https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Pan-Hellenic_Council).

The Performance Art Of Fraternity & Sorority Strolls Came From "Death Marches"
Contemporary historically African American fraternity and sorority strolls are derived from those fraternity's and sorority's tradition in the 1940s or earlier of "death marches". Here's an excerpt of a Google search AI (Artificial Intelligence) result for fraternity and sorority death marches (retrieved February 23, 2025)
"AI Overview

In the context of fraternities and sororities, a "death march" refers to a highly demanding and physically strenuous ritualistic march performed by new members (pledges) during the final stages of their initiation process, often involving synchronized steps, chants, and intense physical activity, signifying the "death" of their old selves and rebirth as full members of the organization, particularly within historically Black Greek organizations

[...]

Cultural significance:

"Death marches" are particularly prevalent within the National Pan-Hellenic Council (NPHC), a group of historically Black Greek organizations, where it's considered a crucial part of the initiation process."...
-end of quote-

Here's an excerpt of an online article historically Black Greek letter fraternity and sorority death marches" in the 1980s and 1990s:
https://neworleanshistorical.org/items/show/1515 "Keep Marching On: Black Greek Organizations Performances on Leon C. Simon Drive" By August Darbonne & Kathryn O’Dwyer, Editor
"The half mile stretch of Leon C. Simon Drive, that forms the front boundary of the University of New Orleans’s campus, was a central performance space for Black Greek letter organizations in the 1980s and 1990s. The stretch of sidewalk was the sight of “death marches,” artistic and synchronized marches performed by new initiates of Black Greek letter organizations. These marches took place when new members “came out”, announcing their status as official members of their organizations after weeks of studying fraternity/sorority history, organization, and purpose.

[...]

Marches brought out huge audiences, many of these onlookers belonged to the UNO community, including members of predominantly White Greek organizations. Marches were a rare instance when predominantly white greek organizations interacted with historically Black Greek organizations.Joan Brown-Staidum, a charter member of Zeta Phi Beta at UNO (a historically Black organization, discussed her death march during an oral history interview conducted with her by the author in 2018:
“The only thing they [predominantly White Greek organizations] came to was when we were going over, we had the death march.”

This stretch of Leon C. Simon Drive was a space where members could be unapologetic and celebrate their membership in organizations that forged bonds between members and provided a support system to uphold them throughout their academic career. This performance officiated and solidified their membership, and conferred their membership into a very important and needed bond."
-snip-
The term "going over" (also given as "crossed over"; "crossed over the burning sands") is an old school (beginning around late 1960s or so) term for officially becoming a member of an historically Black Greek letter organizations.

Since at least the 1990s, historically Black (African American) Greek letter strolls may be performed at indoor or outdoor competitive or non-competitive events. Strolls can occur with prior notice or spontaneously. In the case of competitive stroll events (known as "stroll-offs"), members of the Divine Nine fraternities compete against each other and members of the Divine Nine sororities compete against each other.

Certain non-competitive strolls (referred to as "unity strolls") are also performed to recorded music on the yard (a centrally placed university courtyard), or in a university gymnasium during half-time of a basketball game, or at other formal and informal events and gatherings. "Unity strolls" usually consists of multiple fraternities or sororities performing strolls in their own (separate) lines at the same time. Alternatively, unity strolls may consist of members of multiple Greek letter organizations strolling together in one vertical line, in usually staggered placements (such as a member of one organization standing behind a member of another organization). Some historically Black Greek letter organization strolls include members of other People of Color non NPHC fraternities and sororities and/or members of PWI (predominately White)Greek letter organizations).  

More Descriptions of Strolling 
Strolls (early name- "party walk") are processions (single line formations) in which two or more people move in a circular manner either straight forward or zig zagging while performing  choreographed struts or dance like motions. Unlike Conga lines, strollers don't touch the shoulders or any other part of the body of the person standing in front of them.

The term "party walks" is an early (1990s) referent for strolls. That name reflects the history of that performance movement art. The spontaneous nature of early party walks meant that those processions weren't necessarily associated with a particular record. Although strolls now (in 2025) are usually performed to a specific R&B or Hip Hop record, in the 1990s, strolls might not have had anything to do with what record was being played or even if there was any record being played at all. Instead, a stroll could begin when one member of a specific fraternity, or sorority (or a fraternity's little sister group) spontaneously decided to "party walk". That person (silently or while chanting) started performing steps (movements) that were (are) associated with that organization. Technically, the party walk (stroll) began when another member of that organization joined that first person, thus creating a procession. Other members of that specific organization usually join/ed in the party walk/stroll which continued until the end of the record or (if they were strolling without a record) continued for one reason or another.

Strollers often chant their organization's signature call and "throw" (perform their organization's signature hand sign. Their facial expressions are usually confident, proud, and focused (since they are promoting their organization by these public strolls. Strollers may also chant words or dates that are associated with their fraternity or sorority such as their founding date. 

Strollers represent ("rep") their particular organization by waring clothes in their organization's colors, by throwing their organization's hand sign, and by chanting their organization's founding date and other words associated with their organization. Strollers also "rep" their organization by performing movements and gestures that are associated with that organization such as Kappa Alpha Psi's shoulder shimmy, Alpha Phi Alpha's Ape walk, and Sigma Gamma Rho's "Shake That Monkey" butt twerking.

People who watch strolls may be silent or boisterous, depending on whether the stroll is planned o spontaneous, and/or dependent on whether the stroll is competitive or non-competitive. A cardinal rule regarding strolls is that no one is allowed to cut through a stroll line as doing so would be interpreted as disrespecting that particular organization is strolling. .

Purposes of Strolling
Strolling provides informal and formal opportunities for members of a specific Greek letter fraternity or sorority(or in the case of "unity strolls" for more than one fraternity or sorority) to "rep" (represent, promote, "big up", show off) their organization/s.

Strolling also provides opportunities for people to dance even if a person doesn't have a dance partner. Strolling helps build group esteem and strengthens the connection that strollers have with their organization itself and with other members of that organization. Strolling also helps  reinforce the self-esteem of individual strollers because it provides opportunities for them to  "show out" (show off) their dance (strolling) skills as long as they remain on beat and remain in that stroll line. Unity strolls provide opportunities for members of different Greek letter organizations to get to know each other and engage in activities together. 

In addition, party walking (strolling) provides serious, but also fun opportunities for strollers (party walkers) to enjoy themselves. The seriousness of strolling is suggested by the rule mentioned earlier about how cutting into a stroll line is viewed as a definite breach of etiquette.

Blowing a whistle while strolling
A small subset of non-competitive strolls that I have happened upon in YouTube videos and YouTube video shorts document the custom among members of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity strolling with the lead stroller blowing a whistle. It appears to me that the the lead stroller blowing a whistle is in imitation of the role of a drum major. However, unlike the drum major's whistle blowing, the lead stroller's whistle blowing doesn't appear to signal any movements or directions that he wants the rest of the group he leads to follow. Also, the lead stroller's whistle blowing doesn't signal for people to get out of the way. Nor does the lead stroller's whistle blowing appear to me to be musical (i.e. augmenting the sounds of the record that he and the strollers who follow him are moving to.) Indeed, I can't determine any meaning for the addition of the whistle in the APHIA strolls except for the visual connection to a drum major.

The earliest YouTube video that I have come across for this custom is a 2013 video of members of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. I don't know if this is the earliest date for that custom among Alphas and I also don't know if any other historically African American Greek letter fraternities or sororities has the same custom of a lead stroller or any other person in that strolling group blows a whistle. Please share any information that you know about that custom of blowing whistles while strolling as well as any information that you know about the early days of historically Black (African American) Greek letter organizations strolling.
-snip-
Fraternity and Sorority Strolls aren't the same performance art as The Stroll, an African American originated line dance that began in the 1957. "The Soul Train Line" from the 1970s on television dance show Soul Train is the most well known example of The Stroll (R&B dance).  

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