About: The 21 Society

The 21 Society is a secret society at the University of Virginia, which announced its founding on June 21, 1999, citing "direct challenge(s) to student self-governance" and wanting to unify students to engage with the challenges of the 21st century. Since its inception, the 21 Society has contributed philanthropically to a variety of groups, including the Center for Politics and corporate sponsorship of charitable causes organized by students. The group has occasionally offered politically oriented messages centering on issues of student self-governance and the promotion of the university's honor system. Like other Secret societies at the University of Virginia, the 21 Society paints its "mark," a large "21," around the university grounds, such as fraternity and sorority houses.