The head of the U.S. Small Business Administration this week forged an alliance with the National Pan-Hellenic Council — a group of historically Black college fraternities and sororities known as the Divine Nine. The goal of the alliance is to help close the wealth gap that has held back Black entrepreneurs and business owners. The strategic alliance memorandum was signed by SBA Administrator Isabella Casillas Guzman and Rueben Shelton III, chairman of the NPHC’s Council of Presidents. The agreement “will bring SBA’s valuable small business resources into reach for many small businesses and entrepreneurs, furthering the Biden-Harris Administration’s commitment to build equity and close historic wealth gaps that have held back America’s Black entrepreneurs, small business owners and their families and communities for generations,” Guzman said in a press release. Iowa State University is home to eight of the nine NPHC organizations. In April, ISU celebrated the dedication of the National Pan-Hellenic Council Plaza at the Memorial Union; the plaza’s nine columns honor the nine historically Black fraternities and sororities of the council.