On April 10, 2026, Southwestern University hosted the annual Step & Stroll event in the Alma Thomas Theatre. An event that was revived by Professor of Education, Dr. Alicia Moore, the Step & Stroll is a showcase and competition for the Greek organizations on campus. The organizations are tasked with creating a step routine for a panel of judges to compete for a cash prize. This year, the contestants included the Black Student Union and a collaboration between Kappa Delta Chi and Kappa Sigma.

Commonly known as a form of dance, stepping carries a much deeper and meaningful history. Stepping is a full body, highly energetic dance that originates from African American culture. Stepping consists of many different elements, including African dances, polyrhythms, and gymnastics; all of which are utilized to hone the body as an instrument. Stepping began in the early 1900s when historically Black students began chartering Greek organizations at different colleges and universities. A total of nine Black Greek-Letter organizations were chartered to form the National Panhellenic Council, now more famously referred to as the “Divine Nine.” 

The Step & Stroll event included representation from all nine fraternities and sororities of the Divine Nine; including the panel of judges, which was composed of one member from each Divine Nine organization. The sponsor, Dr. Alicia Moore, is also a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha. Many times throughout the show, you could hear the designated chants and see the signature hand symbols of each organization, of all conferences and councils, throughout the crowd. This made for a playful, thunderous, and very proud representation of both African American culture and Greek Life culture in the campus community.

The “exhibition groups” were the performances of all organizations that were not affiliated with Southwestern. These groups included the Alpha Kappa Alpha and Alpha Phi Alpha chapters from the University of Texas, the Step Team of Dessau Middle School, and FLAVA Dance Company. Their routines combined elements of stepping, spoken word, music, and even acting portions. All of the performances were absolutely electrifying, but most notably the step routine from the girls of Dessau Middle School’s step team, which had the crowd out of their seats and cheering the girls on! The Megaphone and some audience members even got a little misty-eyed at witnessing this powerful performance.

The winner of the 2026 Step & Stroll ultimately went to the Black Student Union, who gave a clean and coordinated routine to Beyoncé’s Lemonade and Willow Smith’s Whip My Hair. In the spoken work portion of their performance, the BSU shared the history of Southwestern’s Black Student organization. This included its founding in 1972, the naming of the Black Organization for Student Survival (B.O.S.S.), and its renaming to Ebony in 1982. Kappa Sigma and Kappa Delta Chi also gave an impactful performance. The members of both organizations wore black shirts with butterflies attached to them, stating the significance of the butterflies is to show solidarity with those being impacted by the government’s continuous attacks on the Latine community. 

The annual Step & Stroll event was a sight to behold, packed to the brim with gratified displays of culture and community. With the presence of alumni and students in one place, this event also revealed the beauty in finding your community on and beyond your time at Southwestern University.