Latest revision: February 21,2025
This pancocojams post explores the performance art of "strolling" by graduates and/or other members of historically Black Greek letter fraternities and sororities "strolling" as it occurs during and/or after university graduation ceremonies.
The impetus for this post is this relatively widely repeated quote from an article about the incident that occurred during a University Of Florida 2018 graduation ceremony in which some Black graduates (and- some allege- also some White graduates) were forcefully pushed off the stage because they "strolled" or performed some other celebratory movements:
..."The University of Florida has suspended a faculty member who rushed mostly black graduates off the stage during a commencement ceremony.
The white employee, described as a chemistry lecturer, has been placed on paid administrative leave, according to AL.com.
Videos of the ceremony show the lecturer pushing and restraining black students who were “strolling,” or celebrating their achievement through actions like dancing, or what one graduate told The Gainesville Sun is "a cultural tradition in historically black fraternities and sororities." http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/387231-university-of-florida-suspends-official-who-pulled-black-graduates
University of Florida suspends official who pulled black graduates off stage during commencement by Avery Anapol - 05/11/18
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Thanks to all who are quoted in this post, thanks to all those who are featured in these the videos, and thanks to all those who published these videos.
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by Azizi Powell, updated February 21, 2025
1. whether strolling (and/or steppin) occurs by graduates and other members of their organization after the completion of the official graduation ceremony
2. whether strolling (and or steppin) occurs during and/or after separate cultural graduating ceremonies for Black university graduates
3. whether steppin or strolling movements are performed by individual graduates when they "walk' across the stage during the official university commencement ceremony or at other unplanned times during the official graduation ceremony
I believe that stepping and strolling are traditional performance movement arts which have been customary for groups (consisting of graduate members and other members) to perform after the official university graduation ceremony. (#1)
I also believe that having graduating members of BGLOs step or stroll into the auditorium may be a custom in some Black cultural university ceremonies. [#2] As is the case with #1, it appears that it may be a tradition in the making for BGLOs to step and stroll after the cultural graduating ceremony for Black graduates has ended.
However, I don't believe that #3 is a BGLO custom or tradition at either HBCU (historically Black Colleges & Universities) or at [historically and present day] PWIs (predominately White institutions).
Instead, I think that Black graduates dancing (or performing stroll-like movements) while receiving their diploma/certificate is part of the celebratory actions that any graduate regardless of his or her race or ethnicity might do at that time (I'm including movements such as doing a "dab", "crip walking", doing some other popular dance movement, and/or doing back flips-all of which [with the possible exception of the back flip) appear to me to have been part of that 2018 University of Florida incident.)
That said, the way that HBCUs and PWIs administrators respond to individuals or groups steppin and strolling during their official graduation ceremony might be different. And the way that the commencement audiences might respond to individual or groups engaging in such activities might be different.
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DEFINITIONS AND HISTORY OF BLACK GREEK LETTER ORGANIZATION ORIGINATED "STROLLING"
Excerpt #1:
Pancocojams Editor's Note: This is a revision of a note that I wrote in 2013 a 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 at other competitive and non-competitive events. 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 ways that stepping was done in the past is mostly different from the ways that steppin is done 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 fraternities are described as pledges "dancing about the campus..." (p.15).
That dancing or marching on campus that is documented in that book didn't look the same as the Black Greek lettered organizations' steppin' styles that developed in the 1980s and 1990s. Elizabeth Fine 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).
-end of quote-
Since at least the 1990s,historically Black Greek lettered fraternities and sororities also perform the movement art of strolling. (strolls).Strolls are competitive or non-competitive movement art that is performed in a vertical line to a particular R&B or Hip Hop record by two (and usually more) members of a Greek letter organization. The An early name for "strolls" was "party walks", since that strutting, dancing, leisurely walking group activity was "spontaneously" performed at parties (dance gatherings). A step team may perform a stroll when they are leaving the stage at the completion of their step performance.
Each historically Black Greek letter organization has their own distinctive ways of strolling. Each historically Black Greek letter fraternity or sorority has particular R&B/Hip Hop songs (records) that are only associated with their organization. In addition, some songs (records) are used for strolls by more than one organization or by each of these organizations,
Like "steppin", "strolls" can be
performed at competitive events (a
"stroll-off") with fraternities competing against fraternities, and
sororities competing against sororities. Strolls (and stepping) can also be
non-competitive ways of "repping" one's organization at university sponsored or non-university sponsored outdoor or indoor gatherings. "Unity strolls" are examples of non-competitive strolling that are performed by members of more than one or all of the historically Black Greek letter organizations. Sometimes unity strolls may also include members of non-historically Black Greek letter organizations. During a unity stroll, these organizations either stroll separately after each other, or stroll together in one vertical line.
Non-competitive strolls may be performed at picnics, at wedding receptions, and at other social events that are attended by a mixed population of members of Greek letter organizations and by people who aren't members of Greek letter organizations.
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 Black American non-religious 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.
This video of strolling is included in that 2015 pancocojams post:AKA Stroll
JeMarcTV, Uploaded on Apr 19, 2009
Albany State Universitys 43 P.E.A.R.L.S of the Gamma Sigma Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha strolling to their old school song after their probate.
-snip-
Here's the comment that I wrote after this video:
"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 "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.
-snip-
That greekster.tv. link is no longer viable.
"Old School" is a usually positive phrase that means something from the past. The AKA probates [new members] and their sorors [sisters] are strolling to the 1984 record "Set It Off" by Strafe.
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SHOWCASE VIDEOS OF BLACK GRADUATES AND OTHER MEMBERS OF THEIR BGLO STROLLING AFTER OFFICIAL UNIVERSITY GRADUATIONS
Example #1: The Grad Stroll #FAMU
Benjamin Evans, Published on May 2, 2012
No better place to graduate than Florida A & M University. Watch all the love from organizations, fraternities, sororities and families after graduation.
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Example #2: Morgan State University Graduation 2014 - Delta Sigma Theta
Michael Parker, Published on Jul 28, 2014
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SHOWCASE VIDEO OF BLACK GRADUATES AND OTHER MEMBERS OF THEIR BGLO STEPPIN AND STROLLING DURING BLACK CULTURAL GRADUATIONS
Jabulani Black Graduation 2014 SFSU
JaRon McReynolds, Published on Mar 7, 2015
-snip-
San Francisco State University
-snip-
Here's information about the word "jabulani" from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jabulani
"Jabulani is a Zulu word meaning "rejoice"...
-snip-
Click from 1:50 to 2:10 in this video to see various BGLOs steppin and strollin into the auditorium of this cultural event.
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SHOWCASE VIDEO OF SPONTANEOUS STEPPIN PERFORMANCES DURING A HISTORICALLY BLACK COLLEGE AND UNIVERSITY'S OFFICIAL GRADUATION CEREMONY
Fall Graduation @ Grambling State University 2013
Patricia Brown, Published on Dec 21, 2013
Grambling State University 2013, CB Brown graduation
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SHOWCASE VIDEO OF A BLACK GRADUATE DOING BGLO STEPPIN OR STROLLING MOVEMENTS DURING HIS "WALK" ONSTAGE AT A PWI (PREDOMINATELY WHITE INSTITUTION OFFICIAL GRADUATION
Iota Stops UF Graduation
Karen Figueredo, Published on May 13, 2013
-snip-
"Iota" = Iota Phi Theta Fraternity, Inc.
"UF" = University of Florida [?]
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