Pastor Condemns 'Tap-Dancing Negroes' Quitting Divine Nine Over Faith but Ignoring Donald Trump

Pastor Jamal Bryant rebuked Divine Nine renouncers during a sermon in Stonecrest, Georgia, on Sunday, 18 October 2026.

He called those he criticised 'tap-dancing negroes' and questioned their apparent silence over US President Donald Trump's policies.

The remarks followed years of online videos in which former members of historically Black fraternities and sororities explain why they left. Some say membership oaths and initiation rituals conflict with their Christian faith. Others defend the organisations' traditions and record of community service.

Speaking at New Birth Missionary Baptist Church, where he is senior pastor, Bryant framed his sermon around the theme 'I Renounce'.

He wasn't challenging members to return; he wanted to know why people who publicly rejected Greek-letter affiliations had, in his view, not similarly opposed Trump's policies.

Jamal Bryant Defends the Right to Leave the Divine Nine

During the sermon, Bryant urged worshippers to persevere. 'You gotta stay in the fight. Quitting is not an option for you. Resignation is not an option for you.' He reminded them that 'There are people who are depending on you.'

He later addressed former members who had 'put down their colours' and 'thrown away their paraphernalia'. The references concerned those visibly distancing themselves from the symbols of their former organisations.

'You have a right to do so in this nation and under the doctrine of free will. In no means am I asking you to rejoin. Stay over there,' he said. That qualification was important. Bryant defended their freedom to leave while disputing what he saw as an inconsistency in their public convictions.

He also has a personal stake in the dispute. Bryant belongs to Kappa Alpha Psi, one of the nine fraternities and sororities represented by the National Pan-Hellenic Council. During the sermon, he reportedly described himself as 'a life member of Kappa Alpha Psi.'

The council traces its origins to 1930 and identifies service, scholarship, and leadership as central commitments. It represents organisations whose members have longstanding social, professional and community ties.

The religious objections are not new. In interviews published in 2024, former members described concerns about initiation ceremonies, while others argued that membership did not require worshipping another deity.

Shavon Arline-Bradley, a Delta Sigma Theta member and associate minister, offered a contrasting view in those earlier interviews. 'That doesn't mean we bow down to gods,' she said, defending the meaning of the organisation's commitments. Her remarks were not a response to Bryant.

Jamal Bryant Challenges Trump Policies in Church Sermon

Bryant's criticism sharpened when he moved from fraternity membership to the White House. He asked why those who renounced their affiliations had not shown 'enough Holy Ghost conviction or discernment to renounce not one Trump policy.'

'Trump ask people to pledge allegiance to him and none of you tap-dancing negroes renounce that or ask anybody else to renounce him,' he said.

The reference to personal allegiance was Bryant's characterisation of Trump, not independently established evidence of such a demand. Nor does leaving a fraternity or sorority establish that someone supports the president.

Bryant's sermon was not confined to that exchange. A separate report on the sermon described criticism of immigration enforcement, access to affordable healthcare, wage issues and the treatment of Black farmers. Those details matter because his political concerns were broader than the quoted challenge alone.

Still, Bryant did not identify a particular former member whose statements or voting preferences demonstrated support for Trump. Publicly denouncing an organisation's rituals is not the same as endorsing government policy, however forcefully the pastor linked them.

For some former members, the question is whether religious observance permits participation in Greek-letter organisations. Bryant presented a different question. Should the same public conviction compel Christians to speak against policies they consider harmful?

The reports reviewed did not name the people he addressed. Their prior statements about Trump, and whether they have answered the pastor's challenge, remain unverified.