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On January 13, 1913, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated, was founded by twenty-two exceptional women from Howard University in Washington, D.C. This organization aimed to foster sisterhood and academic excellence, as well as to work for social justice and the upliftment of the African American community.
As the mission of Delta Sigma Theta was gradually outlined, it was characterized widely by their mentorship over decades, which strongly bound the sorority together.
The founders of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority are as follows: Marguerite Young Alexander, Osceola Macarthy Adams, Winona Cargile Alexander, Ethel Cuff Black, Bertha Pitts Campbell, Zephyr Chisom Carter, Jessie McGuire Dent, Frederica Chase Dodd, Myra Davis Hemmings, Olive C. Jones, Jewel P. Harris, Nellie Quander, Mabel M. Lee, Margaret Flagg Holmes, Edna Brown Coleman, Mary Church Terrell, Ethel Lyle Smith, Lillian W. Williams, Ruth A. White, Daisy E. Adams, Helen E. Brawner, Minnie B. Smith.
These women were mostly highly educated and committed to public service and were particularly concerned with developments in the African American community in an era witnessing increasing racial and gender inequality.
Historic Context of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority
During the early part of the 20th century, women were working to push for their enfranchisement in the United States, whereas society overall was experiencing creeping racial discrimination and segregation. The oppression was evident at every level in society –– disenfranchisement, economic hardship, and limited access to educational and healthcare facilities for Black people.
The founders of Delta Sigma Theta acknowledged these wrongs and decided to create an organization to address the needs of the Black community.
They wanted to inspire academic excellence among Black women and engage in services that would uplift their communities.
Delta Sigma Theta was created as an organization to address this need for academic, activist-conceived, and activist-implemented community service systems.
The founders were students at Howard University—a historically black college that participated significantly in providing education to African Americans during this time. Their educational experiences shaped the perception of how higher education was supposed to empower Black women.
From the date of formation, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority quickly went about establishing the structure and programmatic infrastructure. In 1930 incorporation gave it a legal structure to expand and go beyond the Howard University campus.
The organization initiated several activities on social issues for education, disparities, and health, developing the economy of the country through political engagement activities.
As women started to demand the right to vote to gain equality and a greater impact on legislation that affected their lives and communities, Delta Sigma Theta's founders became integral to the movement.
Foremost was their participation in the Women's Suffrage March on March 3, 1913, just a couple of months after their founding. It was the point at which they publicly began their work of being a sorority engaged with social justice and civil rights.
Over the years, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority has grown into one of the world's largest African American women's organizations with over 300,000 members and more than 1,000 chapters worldwide. Its founders made a strong, well-rounded basis in sisterhood, scholarship, and service, from which its present mission is spearheaded.
2025 celebration
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The Washington DC Alumnae Chapter (WDCAC) will host a Founders Day Brunch on January 25, 2025, themed "A Roaring 20's Affair," and will feature a panel discussion focusing on the Black Maternal Health crisis—a critical issue that has affected the sorority since its inception.
Notably, one of the founders of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Mary Edna Brown Coleman, died tragically from complications related to childbirth.
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