
Their pathway in begins with a survey of the survey of the nation's leading conservative sorority members: Sheryl Underwood, co-host of the CBS show The Talk, is a noted Republican and past national president of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, and Jennifer Carroll, the recent Republican Lieutenant Governor of Florida is a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha. If the 2016 Republican presidential contenders have any inclination to attract black voters, they need look no further for their initial efforts. And it is no coincidence that Hillary Clinton just hired Maya Harris, a civil rights lawyer and think-tank senior fellow who ’ s published on the power of the women of color voting bloc, as co-lead for her policy team. They know the special role they play in influencing the black vote through the larger black sisterhood, as evinced by President Obama, Hillary Clinton, and Attorney General Eric Holder all finding time to meet with Delta Sigma Theta ’ s sorority leaders and address the entire convention during its centennial celebration two years ago. The importance of the black sorority is not entirely lost on the American political class. was founded on Januby twenty-two young, determined, and educated women on the campus of Howard University. This culturally conservative political stance-for both church-women and sorority sisters-emerged as part of a strategy to combat injustice by being above reproach in their work ethic, conduct, and achievement. These women, as historian Evelyn Brooks Higginbotham notes, were deeply influenced by the "politics of respectability" and the pressure to consistently be twice as good as their peers.


In this way, the black sororities took many of their cues from the personal politics of the turn-of-the-century black church-women. Leveraging their college education and experiences, the sororities focused on the things they could control, like their appearance, behavior, community organization and education. But as the late political scientist and Alpha Kappa Alpha member Jewel Prestage argued, black women have been political activists since slavery and proficient innovators of new approaches to political activities. Sigma Gamma Rho has more than 500 chapters worldwide and is one of nine historically Black Greek letter organizations that make up the National Pan-Hellenic Council.In those early years of their existence, these sororities, like nearly all of black America, were shut out from many economic opportunities and barred from participating in the political process. This year is especially special as it is Sigma Gamma Rhos Centennial We’re getting ready for a busy schedule of social activities, volunteering opportunities and philanthropy.
Friends sigma gamma rho and delta sigma theta full#
A full schedule of events can be found at . A Message From Our President Welcome to another great year at Theta Delta Sigma Chapter of Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc. Current sorority membership and affiliates will also hold events across the city this week including workshops, a swimming clinic, and a day of service. Sigma Gamma Rho has been planning for the Centennial Celebration for years. The monument comes months after the founding members were awarded honorary doctorates by the university. “Jetting out of the ground in kind of a circular fashion, are seven black marble pillars each one to the seven founding sisters with their names and images on them,” Danko said.

Several events took place on campus Tuesday including the unveiling of a monument honoring the founding members of Sigma Gamma Rho – Mary Lou Allison Gardner Little, Dorothy Hanley Whiteside, Vivian Irene White Marbury, Nannie Mae Gahn Johnson, Hattie Mae Annette Dulin Redford, Bessie Mae Downey Rhoades Martin, and Cubena McClure. “By seven courageous ladies who in the face of difficult times back then, frankly, founded one of the only Black sororities in the country right here at Butler,” Danko said.Īll three Black sororities in existence when Sigma Gamma Rho began – Alpha Kappa Alpha, Delta Sigma Theta, and Zeta Phi Beta – were founded at Howard University in Washington, D.C.

Butler UniversityĪn international sorority celebrates its 100th anniversary in Indianapolis this week.īutler University President James Danko said Sigma Gamma Rho started on the campus in 1922. An international sorority celebrates its 100th anniversary in Indianapolis this week.
