A new Pershing is coming, but these 'Greeks' are making an impact on the school today

More than three decades before the iconic Pillsbury Doughboy popped on television screens in advertisements that appeared across America, there were Doughboys of a different kind — boys and girls — that often were doing inspiring things at a school in northeast Detroit.

That school, as anyone who has been in the vicinity of 7 Mile and Ryan Road since September 1930 knows, is Pershing High School. Pershing owes its name and school nickname to General John J. Pershing, whose American Expeditionary Forces troops — nicknamed the Doughboys — came to the aid of Allied armies fighting on the Western Front during World War I.

And today, with a helping hand from a group of educators representing fraternities and sororities with histories that go back even further than Pershing High School's founding, "Divine" occurrences and outcomes have become a regular occurrence in and around the venerable building at 18875 Ryan Road.

"Uplifting and educating the community we serve is the motto of the Divine Nine of Pershing," said Dr. Tracey Baker, who along with her colleague Gregory Gore founded a group launched during the 2018-19 school year that brings together Pershing staff who also are members of "Divine Nine" historically Black Greek-letter organizations for a common cause. "As educators, it is incumbent on us to direct and guide youth to make sound decisions, advocate for themselves, and be civically knowledgeable and engaged citizens in their community and beyond."

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On Thursdays the Divine Nine of Pershing presents D9 Day, when members replace their traditional teaching attire with symbolic clothing representing their respective fraternities and sororities that are all members of the National Pan-Hellenic Council. While each Thursday provides a "history lesson" about Black Greek-letter organizations and the leaders they have produced, the impact of the Divine Nine of Pershing, whose members all are Detroit Public Schools alumni representing Chadsey, Cooley, Cody, Redford and King high schools, is far from limited to one day a week. In fact, working together as a united, positive community force, the eight-member group representing Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. (founded Jan. 15, 1908), Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. (founded Jan. 13, 1913), Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc. (founded Nov. 17, 1911), and Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc. (founded Jan. 9, 1914) provides college scholarships to Pershing students; recognizes high achievement of current students during award ceremonies; sponsors families in the Pershing neighborhood at Thanksgiving and Christmas, and more.

"This school needs some upliftment," Baker, a special education teacher at Pershing, a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority and a 1986 graduate of Cooley High School, said while recalling what was said and felt by her and roughly 20 other educators upon arrival at Pershing after they had transferred from Cody High School to work with Pershing's former principal, Jonathan Matthews, who had held the same position at Cody. "I came here knowing about the history of Pershing High School and the rich legacy. Former U.S. Congresswoman Brenda Lawrence graduated from Pershing (Class of 1971); (Olympic Gold Medalist, NBA World Champion, Michigan Sports Hall of Fame inductee and philanthropist) Steve Smith graduated from Pershing (Class of 1987); and DeShawn Sims (Class of 2006), who starred at Michigan and played professionally overseas has come back to coach the Pershing basketball team.

"We also have Doughboys Give Back, our very strong alumni group that continues to support the school. So, our group wanted to add to that rich history. And when Mr. (Bryant) Tipton followed Mr. Matthews as our principal at Pershing, he was all for what we were attempting to do for the school and community through the Divine Nine of Pershing because he is a member of Omega Psi Phi."

For Baker, the desire to join a Divine Nine sorority and serve her community was first fueled by her cousin, the late Lizbeth Daily-Crawford, a member of Delta Sigma Theta who came home from a holiday break while attending the University of Michigan and inspired a 13-year-old Baker through the community work that she was performing with her sorors. But Gregory Gore, a member of Omega Psi Phi, says the students he works with at Pershing require an extensive introduction about the mission and history of Black Greek-letter organizations, which he is more than happy to provide with patience.

"Many of our students are first-generation kids who start school having no higher goal than walking across the stage here, and some are scared to move forward," said Gore, an attendance agent at Pershing, who also was in the same high school graduating class at Cooley as Baker. "So, when they see our Greek letters, at first they have no clue. They want to know what the letters are? What is this about? And why are they different colors? But our mandate as members of these organizations is service. We want to enlighten and uplift and also show the students that there is a large community outside of Pershing."

Just as Pershing graduate Spencer Haywood (Class of 1967) changed the landscape and fortunes of professional basketball players forever when his 1971 challenge of the National Basketball Association in the Supreme Court paved the way for players to enter the NBA earlier, the recent groundbreaking for a new $77 million Pershing High School — as reported in the Oct. 25 Detroit Free Press and scheduled to be completed by 2027, with a completed athletic complex to come in 2029 — promises to be a game-changer for future students and the surrounding neighborhood. But on the morning of Nov. 15, a week after the Divine Nine of Pershing hosted a Points of Pride Awards Recognition Ceremony to highlight the achievements of current students in the areas of academics, behavior and attendance, Divine Nine members made it clear that they were still laser-focused on affairs taking place in and near what has been Pershing's home for nearly a century.

"Our current building isn't the best, but we still need to respect what we have now and what has happened here in the past and provide a foundation that can be passed along to future students in the new building," said Lisa Washington, a social worker at Pershing, a member of Delta Sigma Theta and a 1981 Chadsey graduate. "It's so important that we use each day to show our students that there is more to life outside the high school and that we care about them."

Washington's statement was echoed by her sorority sister, Baker.

"Change is always now, so why wait to become engaged," Baker said, moments after her fellow Divine Nine of Pershing member and longtime friend, Gore, mentioned an upcoming turkey giveaway that the group will be providing for the Pershing neighborhood. "That's why we started the Divine Nine of Pershing. We do things as a family and when we see a need we're like let's get this done — let's get it! We don't just wear our Greek paraphernalia and stroll, we are a part of this community."

Scott Talley is a native Detroiter, a proud product of Detroit Public Schools and a lifelong lover of Detroit culture in its diverse forms. In his second tour with the Free Press, which he grew up reading as a child, he is excited and humbled to cover the city's neighborhoods and the many interesting people who define its various communities. Contact him at or follow him on Twitter Read more of Scott's stories at www.freep.com/mosaic/detroit-is/ . Please help us grow great community-focused journalism by becoming a subscriber .