Sorority History

Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated. is a private, not-for-profit organization whose purpose is to provide assistance and support through established programs in local communities throughout the world.

Founded on January 13, 1913 by twenty-two collegiate women at Howard University, the Sorority is currently a sisterhood of more than 200,000 predominately Black college educated women. This includes over 900 chapters located in the United States, England, Japan (Tokyo and Okinawa), Germany, the Virgin Islands, Bermuda, the Bahamas, and the Republic of Korea.

The major programs of the sorority are based upon the organization’s Five-Point Programmatic Thrust:

1. Economic Development

2. Physical and Mental Health

3. Educational Development

4. Political Awareness and Involvement

5. International Awareness and Involvement

For more information, visit our national website at www.deltasigmatheta.org

Founders

First Row: Winona Cargile Alexander, Madree Penn White, Wertie Blackwell Weaver, Vashti Turley Murphy, Ethel Cuff Black, Frederica Chase Dodd

Second Row: Osceola Macarthy Adams, Pauline Oberdorfer Minor, Edna Brown Coleman,
Edith Motte Young, Marguerite Young Alexander, Naomi Sewell Richardson, Eliza P. Shippen

Third Row: Zephyr Chisom Carter, Myra Davis Hemmings, Mamie Reddy Rose, Bertha Pitts Campbell,
Florence Letcher Toms, Olive Jones, Jessie McGuire Dent, Jimmie Bugg Middleton, Ethel Carr Watson

The original artwork is a life-sized painting on canvas created by artist Tarleton Blackwell. The original hangs in the National Headquarters Office in Washington, D.C.