Delta Sigma Theta is an international historically Black sorority. It was founded on January 13, 1913, at Howard University and was incorporated in Washington, D.C., on February 9, 1913.[1][2] Below is a list of some of Delta Sigma Theta's notable members
Founder; born in Albany, Georgia. Within the ranks of Delta, Adams called upon her prior leadership experience to aid in the founding of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. In Chicago, Illinois, she was installed as the first president of Lambda, and she served as the grand treasurer of the national organization. She directed the debut of actors Harry Belafonte and Sidney Poitier.
Founder; born in Charlottesville, Virginia; an excellent musician. She was the Alpha Chapter's first Treasurer. In 1914, she graduated as valedictorian of the Teacher's College. She was also the President of the Teachers' Club. Minor taught school in Alabama, South Carolina, and Pennsylvania. She wrote the book Soul Echos, which featured 40 of her compositions. She also became a renowned mezzo-soprano recitalist.
Founder; born in El Paso, Texas. During her years at Howard University, she played an active role in the collegiate chapter of the NAACP. In Delta, she became the Alpha Chapter's first reporter. She was a singer and actress, and for several years she sang for television shows.
Founder; North Carolina native. She was the Alpha Chapter's first Recording Secretary. Upon graduation from Howard University, she moved to Youngstown, Ohio. Later, she taught at Claflin College in Orangeburg, South Carolina. She received her M.A. degree in Biblical Literature from Oberlin College in Ohio. She was also an accomplished pianist.
Founder; Washington, D.C. native. Her father had a prestigious career at Howard University for 31 years as a professor of religion. Many of the first meetings of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. were held in her living room. She was dedicated and studious, and graduated from Howard in 1913 as valedictorian and class president. Upon graduating from Howard, Brown wed Frank Coleman, the co-founder of Omega Psi Phi fraternity. She played a crucial role in the development of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.
Founder; born in Winfield, Kansas, but grew up in Colorado. She entered the Teaching College at Howard. On March 13, 1913, she participated in the March on Washington, Delta's first public act as a sorority. 68 years later, she repeated this walk on August 2, 1981. Even though a limo was provided for her, at the grand age of 92, she refused to ride and chose to walk. Campbell became an educator, and she spent the vast majority of her adulthood working in Seattle, Washington, toward better race relations.
Founder; born in Dallas, Texas. Her family had a substantial amount of financial and social authority. She was enrolled in the Teacher's College. After graduating from Howard University, she took on a brief career as a teacher. She became the first Sergeant at Arms of the Alpha Chapter. In 1926, she helped to create the graduate chapter of Delta in Dallas, which became the first Greek letter organization in the city
Founder; Gonzales, Texas native. Of all the founders of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., she had the most assertive leadership skills. She went from being President of Alpha Kappa Alpha to being president of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. In her daily life, she continued to be a role model through her involvement in the Alpha Phi Literary Society. She acted in Go Down Death: The Story of Jesus and the Devil.
Founder; born in Wilmington, Delaware into a prosperous family. She enjoyed fine arts and expressed this through her involvement in the Howard University Choir. She was continuously involved with community organizations, such as the YWCA, where she became chairperson of the collegiate committee from 1911 to 1912. After graduating, she became a teacher in the New York City public school system. In 1953, she assisted in the creation of the Queens Alumnae Chapter.
Founder; born in Columbus, Georgia. Her unique personality allowed her to flourish in any environment and appeal to many people. Alexander valued education, and upon graduating, became a teacher. Always giving back to the community and her sorority, she became the first social worker for the New York City and County Charities, and she was the Alpha chapter's first Custodian.
Founder; charter member of Lambda chapter; born in Chicago, Illinois. While at Howard University, she concentrated her studies on two foreign languages. After graduation, she returned to Chicago, where she became a French and Spanish Correspondence Secretary. In 1950, as a member of the housing group, Alexander helped the Alpha Nu chapter purchase a sorority house on the campus of the University of Illinois
Founder; Parkersburg, West Virginia native. During the March for Women's Suffrage, Watson's family told her not to march, but she was forced to defy the order as she was selected to hold the banner since she was the tallest. She pursued her teaching career for over 30 years. She then retired and began a second career as a dramatic performer.
Founder; Washington, D.C. native. At graduation from Howard, her diploma and scholarship were given to her by William Howard Taft. She was chosen to present to Lady Eleanor Roosevelt before an audience. Toms collected elephants, which has become a hobby of Deltas all over the world.
Founder; active supporter of Delta from Lynchburg, Virginia. She helped lobby Delta Sigma Theta to participate in the March for Women's Suffrage. In 1936, she received her master's degree from Howard University. By 1938, after years of effort, she witnessed her Raleigh Alumnae chapter, Alpha Zeta Sigma, established in Raleigh, North Carolina. In 1944, she was appointed to the Scholarship Board of New York's 22nd Congressional District.
Founder; Galveston, Texas native. She was the first corresponding secretary of the Alpha Chapter. She enrolled in the Teacher's College at Howard University. She became a teacher in the Galveston School District. Dent took on the Galveston School District in court and won equal wages for Black teachers.
Founder; the driving force and inspiration behind Delta Sigma Theta. She is originally from Atchison, Kansas, but moved to Omaha, Nebraska. White drafted the constitution and set of bylaws. She selected the Greek letter symbols and created the initiation ritual. She was the first woman on the Howard University Journal's staff as an editor. She was the founder and President of the Triangle Press Company in St. Louis, Missouri.
Founder; Kansas City, Missouri native. After graduation, she was appointed to teach in East St. Louis. She published the novel The Valley of the Poor, which focused on racism and poverty in the South.
Founder; Washingtonville, New York native. She was involved in extreme activism and civic service. She was appointed to the East St. Louis public school system after graduation by Dean Lewis B. Moore. She also taught in Illinois, Princeton, New Jersey, and New York City. Richardson was the last surviving founder when she died in 1993.
Founder; a Washington, D.C. native. She graduated from M Street High School, later known as Dunbar High School. This was the first public high school for Blacks in the United States. She then attended Miner Normal School, which had a historic association with Howard University and became part of the DC Public School System in 1879. In 1908, she was appointed to teach in Washington public schools. Murphy was an ardent supporter of the major political issues of the day, including voting rights for women.
Founder; Washington, D.C. native. She graduated magna cum laude with a B.A. from the Howard College of Arts and Sciences. She received her M.A. from the Teachers College of Columbia University and her Ph.D. from the University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Shippen was the only founder to receive a Ph.D. and one of the only two founders who never married. She strongly believed in the public service of Delta.
Artist, poet, prose writer, teacher; played an active role in the African American arts community in Harlem; former director of the Harlem Community Art Center of the N.Y.C. WPA Art Project; one of the most revered poets of the New Negro Era (Harlem Renaissance); poetry reflected themes of the New Negro Era – racial pride, rediscovery of Africa, a celebration of blackness
Painter known for her unique portrayals of Black culture in paintings exhibited in home settings of several popular television shows, including The Cosby Show
Executive vice president and chief operating officer of Baranco Automotive Group (one of the first African American-owned car dealerships in the Atlanta area); former Assistant Attorney General of Georgia; first African American woman to chair the Georgia Board of Regents
Founder of the Southeast Tennis and Learning Center; founder and CEO of the Recreation Wish List Committee (RWLC) of Washington, D.C.; former First Lady of Washington, D.C.
President and CEO at Global Policy Solutions; former Chief of Staff/Administrative Assistant at Office of Congressman Charles Rangel; former professional staff at House Ways and Means Social Security Subcommittee
Business executive with Williams Group Holdings; former Executive Vice President and Chief Diversity Officer of NBC Universal; former Chairman and CEO of the Los Angeles Sparks; member of the WNBA Board of Governors; named among Black Enterprise magazine's "75 Most Powerful African Americans in Corporate America"
One of the founders of National Association of Colored Women; founder of the National Training School for Girls in Washington, DC; associate editor of the Christian Banner, a Philadelphia newspaper; civil rights activist
Executive director of the National Coalition of Black Civic Participation; civic leader; civil rights activist who implemented VOTE Election Reform Task Force, Unity Civic Engagement & Voter Empowerment Campaign, and ReBuild Hope NOW; charter member of the Future PAC
Native American activist; founder of Americans for Indian Opportunity; first Native American woman to run for vice president of the United States; founding board member of the National Urban League and National Women's Political Caucus; currently serves on the boards of Think New Mexico and Advancement of Maori Opportunity, and advisory boards for the National Museum of the American Indian, American Civil Liberties Union, and the Delphi International Group
Civil rights activist; first African-American to enroll and graduate from the University of Alabama despite Governor George Wallace's infamous "Stand in the Schoolhouse Door"
Eighth president of the National Association of Colored Women; founder of the National Council of Negro Women; founder of the Literary and Industrial Training School for Negro Girls; civil rights activist; founder of Bethune-Cookman University
Civil rights activist; Wife of slain civil rights leader Malcolm X; former director of the Medgar Evers College in Brooklyn's Department of Communications and Public Relations
Civil rights activist; went to Selma in 1929 with George Washington Carver; inspired and convinced Dr. Martin Luther King to march on Selma in 1965; guest of honor when President Lyndon Johnson signed the Voting Rights Act into law; first African American to run for Congress in Alabama (in 1964)
Writer, civil rights and women's rightsactivist; first president of the National Association of Colored Women; first Black woman to represent the U.S. Congress of Women; first Black woman to serve on the Washington DC Board of Education
Member of the Historic Wiley Debate team as portrayed in The Great Debaters; basis for Jurnee Smollett's character; first Black teacher at Bonner Elementary School
first female president of Alabama State University, engineer, and the assistant for development programs at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory.
Wilberforce University Board of Trustees member; former Dean of Allen University in Columbia, SC; President of the Ohio State Federation of Women's Clubs; Vice-President of the Ohio Council of Republican Women
First Black female superintendent of the Philadelphia Public School system (1982-1993); national social action chairman of the Delta Sigma Theta sorority; Visual Artist
First Black female president of Spelman College (1987–199); president of Bennett College (2002–2007); current director of the Smithsonian National Museum of African Art
President of Chicago State University (CSU); W.K. Kellogg Foundation's Consultant on Regulatory health care reform to Lesotho, Botswana, Zimbabwe, and Swaziland
First woman to complete the degree requirements for her Ph.D.; one of the first African American woman to earn a PhD. in the U.S. from Radcliffe College (a total of three were earned the same year, including Sadie T.M. Alexander, another Delta Sigma Theta member)
Founder and former chair of the Department of African American Studies, Northeastern University; former president and CEO of the National Urban Coalition; created the M. Carl Holman Leadership Development Institute and Executive Leadership Program to bring minorities into leadership development opportunities; former member of Presidential Board on Historically Black Colleges and Universities (appointed by Bill Clinton); former executive director of the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation
First female president of Buffalo State College and 7th president of the school; first African American female chair of the United Way Campaign for Buffalo and Erie County
First African American woman in the nation to receive a Ph.D. degree in sociology; taught sociology at the University of the District of Columbia; 4th National President of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.
First President of Norfolk State University; first female CEO of a four-year, state-supported university in Virginia; first African-American woman to head any of the National Association of Colleges and University Business Officers regions
Professor of education and one of the first African-American women to receive tenure at New York University. Presidents Nixon and Ford appointed her to serve on national educational commissions.
Former president of Bethune-Cookman University; 11th president of Philander Smith College (Little Rock, Arkansas); first female president of Philander Smith in 125 years; youngest elected General Secretary CEO
Writer, educator, advocate for women's rights and racial justice; Wilberforce University Dean of Women; a copyist for Frederick Douglass during his tenure as Recorder of Deeds for DC
In the history of Howard University, she was the first African American woman to earn a Ph.D. in Economics and the first woman to be promoted to the rank of Full Professor in the Department of Finance in the School of Business. The first recipient of the Department of Economics Distinguished Alumni Award.
Actress, singer, composer and arts education activist; recipient of an NAACP Image Award for her role in Tap; co-starred in How Stella Got Her Groove Back and The Parent Hood
Broadway actress known for her Tony Award-winning portrayal of Angelica Schuyler in the original Broadway production of Hamilton; originated the role of Nettie in the Broadway production of The Color Purple
Singer and actress; plays Roland's mother on Army Wives; created the role of "Aunt Missy" in the original Broadway production of Purlie; films include Antwone Fisher and Birth
Broadway actress; played Anna Gordy in Motown: The Musical, Nala in The Lion King, and dance captain and fight captain in the Tony Award winner The Gershwins' Porgy and Bess, for which she won the 2012 Fred and Adele Astaire Award for "Outstanding Female Dancer in a Broadway Show"
Dancer and choreographer; Artistic Director of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater; one of 2009 Time magazine's 100 Most Influential People in the World; Kennedy Center Honors (1999) and the National Medal of Arts (2001); Emmy Award winner and American Choreography Award winner for Outstanding Choreography for the PBSGreat Performances: Dance In America special, "A Hymn for Alvin Ailey"
Jazz vocalist, composer, and writer; Grammy-nominee and two-time winner of NAACP Image Award for Best Jazz Vocal Album; first African woman nominated in any of the Grammy jazz categories
Emmy Award-winning casting director (The Tuskegee Airmen & Malcolm X); contributor to the success of over 30 films, including eight with director Spike Lee (Malcolm X); TV credits include Bill Cosby's A Different World and LL Cool J's In the House
Former Secretary of Administration to Virginia Governor Timothy Kaine; second African American and the only African American female cabinet head in his administration; former vice mayor of the Richmond City Council; former member of the Virginia House of Delegates; first African American woman to run for Lieutenant Governor in VA
Policy advisor to President Bill Clinton; Ambassador-at-Large under President Barack Obama; dean and professor of communications at Harvard University; first female senior pastor in the 200-year history of the American Baptist Churches USA
First African American woman to serve as a Chief of State Department Bureau; former Assistant Secretary of State for Consular Affairs for the U.S. State Department; first African American woman to serve as a U.S. Ambassador; former Ambassador to Malaysia (August 20, 1980 – February 1981)
Judge – Eighth District Court of Appeals; first African American woman elected to any Court of Appeals for the State of Ohio; first Night Prosecutor, City of Cleveland
Former Municipal Court Judge (Cleveland); first African American woman in the U.S. to be elected as a city council member; first to serve as an Assistant County Prosecutor in Cuyahoga County
First woman elected by the Democratic Party to serve as a district court judge, 18th Judicial District (Guilford County, NC); first African American female assistant public defender
first African-American woman to receive a Ph.D. in the United States, first Black woman to practice law in Pennsylvania, and the first national president of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority. Chair of the White House Conference on Aging.
First American woman to be admitted into the International Academy of Trial Lawyers; first female Deputy Solicitor General of the U.S., Nixon Administration; Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois under President Dwight D. Eisenhower
Assistant Secretary, Manufacturing and Services, United States Department of Commerce; former Deputy General Counsel, United States Department of Commerce
an attorney from the Eastern District of New York. On April 24, 2015, she was confirmed as Attorney General of the United States of America, making her the first African American woman to hold the position
Director of Intergovernmental Affairs and Public Liaison, United States Department of Justice (under President Barack Obama); former Associate General Counsel, Detroit Medical Center
civil rights activist and attorney, who was the head of the Washington, D.C. branch of the NAACP from 1979 to 1990. The Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Social Action Award is named for her.
Author of A Song of Faith and Hope: The Life of Frankie Muse Freeman. Appointed by President Lyndon B Johnson, she was the first woman to serve on the United States Civil Rights Commission. As president, she was responsible for increasing sorority activism during the Civil Rights Movement.
United States Surgeon General; third African-American woman to be appointed Surgeon General; first physician under the age of 40 and first African American woman named to the American Medical Association's Board of Trustees; former president of the Alabama State Medical Association; recipient of MacArthur Genius Award
United States Surgeon General (1993–1994); first African American, and the second woman, to be appointed Surgeon General; first African American Resident Pediatrician at the University of Arkansas Medical Center
Woods, who received advanced degrees from Radcliffe and Harvard Universities, was instrumental in the development of the Minority Access to Research Careers of the National Institute of Health. She was the first Black woman appointed to the National Advisory General Medical Services Council.
18th Chief of the U.S. Army Nurse Corps; first Army Nurse Officer to be appointed as Director of Personnel for the Surgeon General of the Army 1987–1991; held the rank of brigadier general, 1991–1993
First African American female general of the United States Air Force; first United States Air Force female aircraft maintenance officer; first female Deputy Commander for Maintenance; one of the first two female air officer commanders; Personnel Staff Officer and White House Social Aide
Highest ranking African American female in the U.S. Air Force Reserve; first African American woman to fly the Boeing 747 aircraft, the world's largest commercial aircraft
Founder and CEO of National Stop the Violence Alliance, Inc., a national organization geared to the promotion of nonviolence and to end violence in communities
President and founder of the Children's Defense Fund; established and directed the NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund Office in Jackson, Mississippi; first Black Woman admitted to the Mississippi Bar
First African-American female speaker pro tempore for the Tennessee House of Representatives; former president emeritus of the National Black Caucus of State Legislators
U.S. congresswoman from Ohio's 11th congressional district; former mayor of Warrensville Heights, Ohio (2000–2008); past national president of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. (1996–2000)
State representative for 19th District of the Alabama House of Representatives since 1993; first African-American woman to represent the 19th District; former chairwoman of the Governor's Commission on AIDS
U.S. Congresswoman from Ohio's 11th congressional district; first Black woman to represent Ohio in the House; former chairwoman of the House Ethics Committee (since 2007); first Black woman to serve on the House Ways and Means Committee
Former U.S. Congresswoman from Florida's 17th congressional district (1993–2003), first African-American elected to Congress from Florida since Reconstruction
First Lady of Denver, Colorado; former member of the Colorado Legislature; the first woman of color to serve on the Colorado Joint Budget Committee; first woman to serve in the U.S. Department of Labor as the primary official for Colorado, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah, and Wyoming
Colorado state senator; former Colorado state representative; first African American woman to serve as Majority Caucus Chair, chairwoman of Colorado Black Democratic Legislative Caucus
First black person elected to the City Council of St. Petersburg, Florida; first black female attorney in Pinellas County; third black female attorney in the State of Florida
First woman to become a bishop in the African Methodist Episcopal Church; National Chaplain of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated; granddaughter of Delta Sigma Theta founder Vashti Turley Murphy
Assistant Coach of Women's Basketball at Auburn University; former ABL and WNBA player; member of the 1996 Women's Basketball Olympics team that won gold in Atlanta
Two-time individual NCAA Champion; former captain of Alabama's NCAA Gymnastics Championship squad; former member of U.S. national gymnastics team; extra in the movie Stick It
Harris, Jessica (2008). "Women of Vision, Catalysts for Change: The Founders of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority". In Parks, Gregory S. (ed.). Black Greek-Letter Organizations in the Twenty-First Century: Our Fight Has Just Begun. Lexington, Kentucky: University Press of Kentucky. p.77. ISBN978-0-8131-2491-9.
"Bios – Melanie Campbell". The National Coalition of Black Civic Participation. Archived from the original on August 28, 2007. Retrieved April 17, 2007.
"Mary Futrell Biography". Education Makers. thehistorymakers.com. Archived from the original on August 18, 2007. Retrieved June 29, 2008. Retrieved June 29, 2008.
Brooks-Bertram, Peggy; Nevergold, Barbara Seals. "BIOGRAPHY: Muriel A. Howard, Ph.D."Uncrowned Queens: African American Women Community Builders of Western New York (Volume I). Uncrowned Queen's Institute for Research and Education on Women, Inc. Archived from the original on July 15, 2010. Retrieved February 5, 2010.
"Joyce Ladner Biography". Education Makers. thehistorymakers.com. Archived from the original on September 26, 2007. Retrieved August 4, 2008. Retrieved August 4, 2008.
"Judge Patricia Ann Blackmon". Court of Appeals of Ohio, 8th Appellate District. Archived from the original on April 23, 2008. Retrieved July 13, 2008. Retrieved April 7, 2008.
"Famous Deltas". Alpha Tau Chapter, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. August 20, 2007. Archived from the original on July 16, 2011. Retrieved March 1, 2008. Retrieved March 7, 2008.
"Noteworthy NYAC Members". New York Alumnae Chapter – Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. Archived from the original on January 17, 2008. Retrieved July 7, 2008.
Varner, Kimberly. "Unity Day March Brings Out the Divine Nine". Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. – Centennial Chronicles. Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. p.2.
"Wilma Webb Biography". The HistoryMakers. June 20, 2002. Archived from the original on June 17, 2011. Retrieved November 9, 2008. Retrieved November 4, 2008.
"You Go Girl!!!"(PDF). Southern Gazette, The Voice of the Southern Region – Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. Archived from the original(PDF) on August 20, 2008. Retrieved November 3, 2008.
References
Fine, Elizabeth C. (2007). Soulstepping: African-American Step Shows. Illinois: University of Illinois Press.
Giddings, Paula (1988). In Search of Sisterhood: Delta Sigma Theta and the Challenges of the Black Sorority Movement. New York: HarperCollins Publishers.
Hairston, Jr., Otis L. (2007). Picturing Greensboro. North Carolina: The History Press.
Ross, Jr., Lawrence (2000). The Divine Nine: The History of African-American Fraternities and Sororities in America. New York: Kensington.
Vroman, Mary Elizabeth (1965). Shaped to Its Purpose, Delta Sigma Theta, the First Fifty Years. New York: Delta Sigma Theta & Random House.
.jpg)
