From Howard to Johannesburg: the HBCU and Divine Nine connection to South Africa
The road from Howard's campus to a free South Africa runs through Massachusetts Avenue. Here's the connection, and why it matters to us.
October 10, 2026 · Christopher Isaacs, Founder & Partner · 2 min read
Sydney and I are both Howard men. So when people ask why we built a trip to South Africa, part of my answer starts on a campus in Washington, DC.
DC's fight against apartheid
On 21 November 1984, Eleanor Holmes Norton, Walter Fauntroy, Mary Frances Berry and Randall Robinson refused to leave the South African Embassy until Nelson Mandela was freed. They were arrested, and a movement began. For about two years, protesters marched on Massachusetts Avenue almost daily. (GW Today)
Howard students were part of it. In April 1985 they joined students from GW, American University and the University of Maryland in a march to the embassy. (GW Today) In 1986, Congress passed sanctions on South Africa over President Reagan's veto. In 1990, Mandela walked free.
Mandela at Howard
In 1994, the year he became South Africa's first democratically elected president, Mandela received an honorary doctorate at Howard's commencement. He spoke to graduates about the power of education. (Howard University)
For me, as a Howard student, that history meant being conscious of the need to strive for equality, and having pride in myself and in our people.
The Divine Nine are already there
The connection didn't stop in the 1990s. Sydney is a member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., Rho Phi Lambda Chapter, which is based in South Africa. Black Greek-letter organizations have members living, working and serving there today.
Why it matters for your trip
When you travel with us, you're not visiting a place you've only read about. You're walking into a story Black Americans helped write. You'll stand at Constitution Hill and in Soweto knowing that students on Howard's campus marched for the people who lived there.
And if you're bringing your chapter, your alumni association or your church, we'd love to host you. We handle rooming, arrival and payments directly with your organizer.