founders

History

Founders History

On January 13, 1913, on the campus of Howard University, 22 dynamic African-American women founded Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated, founded on the principles of sisterhood, scholarship, and service. At its inception, the founders envisioned an organization of college women pledged to serious endeavor and community service. These young women wanted to use their collective strength to promote academic excellence and provide assistance to persons in need. These youthful students demonstrated a vital concern for social welfare, academic excellence, and cultural enrichment, de-emphasizing the social side of sorority life.

Our courageous founding sorors are:

Osceola Macarthy Adams	Jimmy Bugg Middleton
Marguerite Young Alexander	Pauline Oberdofer Minor
Winona Cargile Alexander	Vashti Turley Murphy
Ethel Cuff Black	Naomi Sewell Richardson
Bertha Pitts Campbell	Mamie Reddy Rose
Zephyr Chisom Carter	Eliza Pearl Shippen
Edna Brown Coleman	Florence Letcher Toms
Jessie McGuire Dent	Ethel Carr Watson
Frederica Chase Dodd	Weartie Blackwell Weaver
Myra Davis Hemmings	Madree Penn White
Olive C. Jones	Edith Motte Young

These students demonstrated a vital concern for de-emphasizing the social aspect of sorority life. Their ideals have withstood the test of time. Surviving on the strength of its sisterhood, today Delta Sigma Theta is a non-profit organization providing programs and services to improve society. Commencing a long tradition of public service, the founders of Delta Sigma Theta represented Howard University in the women's suffrage March of 1913.

Our founders had the wisdom and the foresight to know that there was, and would always be, a need for Black women to be politically aware and involved. The first public act performed by Delta's Founders was the Women's Suffrage March in Washington, D.C. (it was held on the eve of Woodrow Wilson's inauguration) on March 13, 1913. They were the only group of black women to participate in the woman's suffrage march only two months after the sorority's inception.

Today, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. remains a service sorority dedicated to public service, and remains at the forefront of accomplishments for blacks and women. Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. is unparalleled in terms of accomplishments as a whole, as well as those of individual members.

With a growing membership of over 250,000 women, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority continues to attract the brightest college educated women. Delta Sigma Theta has been shaped by its members, who have committed to a lifetime of public service. The Sorority's initiatives are based on its 5 Point Thrust Program. Delta continues to serve the community in numerous capacities providing services and programs to promote human welfare. The Sorority's new initiatives are carried out under the leadership of 23rd National President Louise A. Rice and the National Executive Board.

Chapter History
The Chartered Members of Atlanta Alumnae Chapter, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.

Minnie Lee Perry Bowden
Sarah Brinson-Forbes
Marie Byas
Louise Holmes-Elder
Magnolia Latimer-Coleman
Lila Moore-Brown
Margaret Nabrit-Curry (Spelman)
Mattie Owens
Louise Pace-Harris
Hazel Shanks-Hynson
Altona Trent-Johns

charter

The Atlanta Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated, had its beginning in 1924 when it was chartered as Sigma Chapter. It was the first chapter established in Atlanta and in Georgia, the second in the Southern Region, and the nineteenth chapter in the United States. Eleven young women from both Atlanta University (undergraduate at that time) and Spelman College were inducted as charter members.

A group of graduate students in Atlanta petitioned the Executive Council of the Sorority to establish a chapter independent of the undergraduate chapter. The charter was granted in the fall of 1925, and the graduate chapter became known as Iota Sigma Alumnae Chapter.

The name, Sigma, was transferred to the undergraduate chapter at Clark College in 1929 when Atlanta University became a graduate institution. It remains the official name of that chapter today.

In 1958, the graduate chapters of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated, were changed from designation by Greek letters to the names of the cities in which they were located. Iota Sigma Alumnae Chapter was changed to the Atlanta Alumnae Chapter.

The chapter has provided significant leadership and has conducted public service programs of distinction since it was established. The Five-Point Program Thrust of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated, is the vehicle through which its members seek to project the image of the Sorority as a public service organization. These five areas - Economic Development, Educational Development, International Awareness and Involvement, Physical and Mental Health, and Political Awareness and Involvement - are all integral parts of the chapter's services and programs.

The Atlanta Alumnae Chapter has charted its course in all of these areas by working throughout the community, by speaking out, and by being visible in civic, religious, academic, and political arenas. Chapter members have dedicated themselves to continuing the development and implementation of outstanding public service programs. Today, they stand proud of their legacy and their many accomplishments.

Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. Atlanta Alumnae Chapter Presidents
1st	Magnolia Lattimer	21st	Narvie Jordan Harris
2nd	Mae Proctor Lucas	22nd	Alverna Swanson Greenee
3rd	Ruth Wheeler Lowe	23rd	Harriett Walton
4th	Effie McGhee Brooks	24th	Burnella Jackson-Ransom
5th	Laura Duffey	25th	Beverly Bailey
6th	Irene Wilson	26th	Marian L. Baker
7th	Mildred Burch	27th	Victoria Jenkins
8th	Minnie Bowden	28th	Verdelle B. Bellamy
9th	Mattie Harper Briscoe	29th	Betty J. Blasingame
10th	Mattie Greenwood McCloud	30th	Rubye Harpe Howard
11th	Blanche Adams	31st	Judith Withers-Hanson
12th	Ruth Perry Scott	32nd	Rosalyn Law Heard
13th	Clara Reynolds Johnson	33rd	Judith Withers-Hanson
14th	Irene Wilson	34th	Bobbie Jean Sharp
15th	Cecil Edwards	35th	Mary A. Crumbley
16th	Maenelle Dixon Dempsey	36th	Patricia D. Ross
17th	Sammye Dennis	37th	Patricia C. Summers
18th	Anne Wright Bronner	38th	Nadine Baker-Smith
19th	Valjeanne Taylor Grigsby	39th	Camille Smith Zeigler
20th	Pearlie Craft Dove

Southern Regional History

National Headquarters

History

Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. Atlanta Alumnae Chapter Presidents

Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.
Atlanta Alumnae Chapter Presidents