Delta Sigma Theta

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Delta Sigma Theta
(ΔΣΘ)
Founded January 13, 1913 (1913-01-13) (age 95)
Howard University
Type Social
Emphasis Service
Scope International USA,
Germany,
Bahamas,
Bermuda,
Japan,
Korea,
England,
Virgin Islands
Motto
Intelligence is the Torch of Wisdom
Colors Crimson █ and
Cream █
Symbol Fortitude
Flower Violet
Chapters 900+
Free label Deltas, DST
Headquarters 1703-1709 New Hampshire Avenue, NW
Washington, D.C., USA
Homepage Delta Sigma Theta Website
African American Portal

Delta Sigma Theta (ΔΣΘ) Sorority is a non-profit Greek letter organization of college educated women who perform public service initiatives, placing emphasis on the African-American community. Membership in Delta Sigma Theta is open to any woman who meets the membership requirements, regardless of race, nationality, or religion.

Delta Sigma Theta was founded on January 13, 1913, on the campus of Howard University by twenty-two women. Today, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority is the largest African-American Greek-lettered sorority in the world.[1]

The Grand Chapter has a membership of over 250,000 predominantly African-American, college-educated women. The sorority currently has 950-plus alumnae and collegiate chapters located in the United States, England, Japan (Tokyo and Okinawa), Germany, Bermuda, the Bahamas, Seoul, Saint Thomas and Saint Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands; Haiti and Jamaica.[1] Delta Sigma Theta is a member of the National Pan-Hellenic Council (NPHC) — an organization of nine international Greek-letter sororities and fraternities — the NAACP and National Council of Negro Women (NCNW). The organization's president is Dr. Louise A. Rice.

Contents

[edit] History

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Twenty-two founders of Delta Sigma Theta in 1913.
Twenty-two founders of Delta Sigma Theta in 1913.

In 1912 at Howard University, twenty-two undergraduate members of the first African- American sorority, Alpha Kappa Alpha (AKA), wanted to change the organization's name to Delta Sigma Theta. This new name was to reflect the change in the philosophical underpinnings of the group — a move towards social activism.[2] According to Paula Giddings, the Deltas shared their ideas with the men of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity.[3]

Conflict arose between alumni members who wished for the name to remain Alpha Kappa Alpha and those members who wanted to change the name to Delta Sigma Theta Sorority.[2] Those , and those who wished to change to Delta Sigma Theta formed a separate sorority. The Alpha Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta was founded on January 13, 1913, by the twenty-two former members of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority.[2][4]

The first public service act of the newly established sorority took place during the Women's Suffrage March in March 1913 on Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington, D.C..[5] In addition, JabberwockTM, a variety show consisting of "music, skits, and dance" was initiated by Marion Conover-Hope in 1925 and has served as a fund raiser for many chapters of the sorority.[6] In 1930, the organization's Grand Chapter was incorporated.[7] During World War II, sorority members in Detroit, Michigan, set up the Delta House which accepted juvenile girls who were from detention centers and on welfare.[8] In 1963, President John F. Kennedy and Vice-President Lyndon B. Johnson talked about civil rights at the sorority's convention.[9] The organization also established Delta Towers in Washington, D.C., an apartment building for elderly and handicapped individuals.[10] The sorority published a cookbook entitled Occasions to Savor in 2004.[11]

[edit] Delta Founders

The twenty-two founders of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority are listed below:

Osceola Macarthy Adams Marguerite Young Alexander Winona Cargile Alexander Ethel Cuff Black
Florence Letcher Toms Ethel Carr Watson Wertie Blackwell Weaver Madree Penn White
Vashti Turley Murphy Naomi Sewell Richardson Mamie Reddy Rose Eliza Pearl Shippen
Myra Davis Hemmings Olive C. Jones Jimmie Bugg Middleton Pauline Oberdorfer Minor
Edna Brown Coleman Jessie McGuire Dent Frederica Chase Dodd Edith Motte Young
Bertha Pitts Campbell Zephyr Chisom Carter
v • d • e
Delta Sigma Theta National Presidents[12]
Sadie T. M. Alexander, 1919-1923  • Dorothy Pelham Beckley 1923-1926  • Ethel Lemay Calimese, 1926-1929  • Anna Johnson Julian, 1929-1931  • Gladys Byram Shepperd, 1931-1933  • Jeannette Triplett Jones, 1933-1935  • Vivian Osborne Marsh, 1935-1939  • Elsie Austin, 1939-1944  • Mae Wright Downs Peck Williams, 1944-1947  • Dorothy I. Height, 1947-1956   • Dorothy P. Harrison, 1956-1958  • Jeanne L. Noble, 1958-1963  • Geraldine P. Woods, 1963-1967  • Frankie M. Freeman, 1967-1971  • Lillian Pierce Benbow, 1971-1975  • Thelma Thomas Daley, 1975-1979  • Mona Humphries Bailey, 1979-1983  • Hortense Golden Canady, 1983-1988  • Yvonne Kennedy, 1988-1992   • Bertha M. Roddey, 1992-1996  • Marcia L. Fudge, 1996-2000  • Gwendolyn E. Boyd, 2000-2004  • Louise A. Rice, 2004–present  

[edit] Membership

See also: List of Delta Sigma Theta sisters
Shaped to Its Purpose, a fifty year history of Delta Sigma Theta by Mary Elizabeth Vroman published in 1965.
Shaped to Its Purpose, a fifty year history of Delta Sigma Theta by Mary Elizabeth Vroman published in 1965.

Many notable Delta members are recognized as leaders in activism, athletics, business, education and scholarship, entertainment and media, government, and literary sectors. Members engage in these roles at the local, national and international level. Many Delta members continue to be active in alumnae chapters after graduating from college and ending their sorority undergraduate experience. Often alumnae and undergraduate chapters will work in collaboration on large projects that affect their community.

[edit] National Headquarters

Delta Sigma Theta's National Headquarters in Washington, D.C.
Delta Sigma Theta's National Headquarters in Washington, D.C.

Delta Sigma Theta created their national headquarters in 1954 in Washington, D.C.[13] The property is located at 1703, 1705, 1707, and 1709 New Hampshire Avenue in the Dupont Circle area and serves as the headquarters of the organization and the Delta Research and Education Foundation (DREF).

In March 2003, Delta Sigma Theta became a Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) at the United Nations (UN). In a presentation by Hanifa Mezoui, Chief NGO Section, Department of Economic and Social Affairs of the UN (ECOSOC), Past National President Gwendolyn Boyd (current president at the time), accepted the credentials on behalf of the sorority, before 150 members of the organization from across the country. Delta Sigma Theta was welcomed to the United Nations by Assistant Secretary General for External Affairs, Gillian Sorensen, who asked the sorority in her keynote address, [to] “use your NGO status to monitor the status of women and children in the world and bind together with other NGOs to insure that the UN honors its commitments.” Delta Sigma Theta was granted Special Consultative Status as an NGO to the Economic and Social Council of the UN as a result of its volunteer services and humanitarian efforts performed to address issues throughout the world.[14]

[edit] Programs

Symbol of Delta Sigma Theta's Torch
Symbol of Delta Sigma Theta's Torch

Since the organization's founding, Delta Sigma Theta has provided assistance to the challenges of people in the United States. Over the years, many programs addressing education, health, international development, and strengthening of the African American family were established. As a part of the organization's mission, Delta Sigma Theta provides public service initiatives through the Five-Point Program Thrust.[15]

[edit] Five-Point Thrust

Delta Sigma Theta established itself as a public service organization and in its stated mission, provides programs that benefit African Americans. These are provided through Delta Sigma Theta's Five-Point Program Thrust:[15]

  1. Economic Development
  2. Educational Development
  3. International Awareness and Involvement
  4. Physical and Mental Health
  5. Political Awareness and Involvement

Program development and implementation is a cooperative function with committees, the national executive board, and headquarters staff involved. Those with direct leadership responsibilities for implementation include members of the Program Planning and Development Committee, Social Action Commission, Commission on Arts and Letters, Information and Communications Committee, Membership Services Committee and Regional Officers.[15]

[edit] References

  • A Life of Quiet Dignity: Naomi Sewell Richardson by Alice Jefferson Marshall, Estella Henderson Boyd, Leola Murrary Mason, and Karen J. Wilson.
  • Delta Memories: A Historical Summary by Robert Ewell Greene.
  • Delta Sigma Theta: Its History and Development by Edna B. Johnson Morris, Grand Historian Delta Sigma Theta Sorority.
  • In Search of Sisterhood: Delta Sigma Theta and the Challenge of the Black Sorority Movement by Paula Giddings.
  • Shaped to Its Purpose: Delta Sigma Theta - The First Fifty Years by Mary Elizabeth Vroman.
  • Too Young To Be Old: Bertha Pitts Campbell by Pauline Anderson Simmons Hill and Sherrilyn Johnson Jordan.
  • Ross, Jr., Lawrence (2000). The Divine Nine: The History of African-American Fraternities and Sororities in America. New York: Kensington. 

[edit] Citations

  1. ^ a b Delta Sigma Theta, "Black Sorority Project reach settlement agreement on film, painting.. Frost Illustrated. Retrieved on 2008-01-01.
  2. ^ a b c Ross, Jr., Lawrence C., The Divine Nine: The History of African-American and Sororities in America, Kensington Books 
  3. ^ Giddings 1988, op. cit., p. 49.
  4. ^ Mason, Skip. THE AFA /DSQ CONNECTION. Retrieved January 5, 2008.
  5. ^ History of Marches and Mass Actions. National Organization for Women. Retrieved October 20, 2007.
  6. ^ Giddings 1988, op. cit., p. 110.
  7. ^ Delta Sigma Theta History. Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated. Retrieved January 4, 2008.
  8. ^ Giddings 1988, op. cit., p. 209-210.
  9. ^ Giddings 1988, op. cit., p. 262.
  10. ^ Giddings 1988, op. cit., p. 304.
  11. ^ Occasions to Savor. Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated. 2004. Amazon. Retrieved on 2008-01-14.
  12. ^ Past National Presidents. Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated (2006). Retrieved on 2007-05-09.
  13. ^ Accomplishments. Pi Mu Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated. Retrieved January 14, 2008.
  14. ^ Delta Sigma Theta as NGO. United Nations. Retrieved July 26, 2007.
  15. ^ a b c Five Point Thrust. Delta Sigma Theta's Pi Theta chapter at Dartmouth College. Retrieved on 2007-11-14.

[edit] External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:
v • d • e
National Pan-Hellenic Council (In order by founding Date)
Alpha Phi Alpha 1906  · Alpha Kappa Alpha 1908  · Kappa Alpha Psi 1911  · Omega Psi Phi 1911 · Delta Sigma Theta 1913  · Phi Beta Sigma 1914  · Zeta Phi Beta 1920  · Sigma Gamma Rho 1922  · Iota Phi Theta 1963