ABOUT US
Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. is a, non-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
Five Point Programmatic Thrust
Economic Development
Financial Fortitude: Smart Women Finish Rich
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The Delta Challenge: Delta Homeownership Initiative
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Delta Sigma Theta & Habitat for Humanityz
Educational Development
Dr. Betty Shabazz Delta Academy
Delta GEMS: Growing and Empowering Myself Successfully
EMBODI: Empowering Males to Build Opportunities for Developing Independence
International Awareness and Involvement
Mary Help of the Sick Mission Hospital
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Summit VI: Health Issues Impacting Women of African Descent
Physical and Mental Health
The Total Woman: Mind, Body, and Spirit Lifestyle Change Initiative
50 Million Pound Challenge Partnership
Political Awareness and Involvement
Delta Days in the Nation’s Capital
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Delta Days at the United Nations
Founders
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First Row: Winona Cargile Alexander, Madree Penn White, Wertie Blackwell Weaver,
Vashti Turley Murphy, Ethel Cuff Black, Frederica Chase Dodd
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Second Row: Osceola Macarthy Adams, Pauline Oberdorfer Minor, Edna Brown Coleman, Edith Motte Young, Marguerite Young Alexander, Naomi Sewell Richardson, Eliza P. Shippen
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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
Maryse Benedict
Ruth Brice
Loretta Bromer​​
Brenda Calloway​
Cheryl Campbell
Carol Comb
Patricia Gaskin
Paulette Gaskin​
Adrienne Greene
Barbara Headley
Barbara Jackson
Lydia Jones-Nunn​
Patricia Montgomery​​
Charita Pinkney​
Karen Wright​
CHARTER MEMBERS
NOTABLE DELTAS
the first African American female to win three gold medals in track in field at the Olympic games.
the first African American to receive the Ph.D degree in sociology, first African American to receive the Phi Beta Kappa key at the University of Pennsylvania, and the 4th National President of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.
the first female bishop in the African Methodist Episcopal church, National Chaplain of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., and granddaughter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. Founder Vashti Turley Murphy
the first African-American to serve in the U.S. congress from the South since reconstruction; first Black woman to preside over a state senate; and the first Black person to deliver the keynote address at the Democratic National Convention.
10th National President (1947-1956), was appointed by President Carter to the Presidential Commission on a National Agenda for the 1980s. She has served as president of the National Council of Negro Women for over 40 years.
the first African American female elected to the U.S. Senate.
the first Black woman member of the U.S. Congress, was the first African American and first woman to run as a major party candidate for the presidency of the United States.
at age 26 became the first Black woman neurosurgeon in the United States. She specializes in pediatric neurosurgery.
the Chairman Emerita of the Board for the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP).
is an extraordinary actress with performance credits on stage, in film and on television. She has also written a collection of poetry.
the first African American woman general in the United States Army.
is a legal scholar and activist. She currently holds two faculty appointments and Columbia School of Law and University of California at Los Angeles. Her work has been foundational to the theory of intersectionality and the growing discourse on critical race theory. Recently, she has pioneered the movement #BlackGirlsMatter in order to bring awareness to the issues of black girls and women in a variety of areas. Soror Williams Crenshaw is a member of Mu Gamma Chapter.
sculptor and painter recently sculpted a life-sized bust of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. She is the conceptual designer of two major international projects: The International Children’s Peace Park and the Monumental Statue of Nelson Mandela. Ms. Allen has received the Essence Award, the Stellar Award and the Thurgood Marshall Lifetime Achievement Award.
a founding member of Delta, was one of the first Black actresses on Broadway. She was the Director of the Harlem School of the Arts and directed the theatrical debuts of Harry Belafonte and Sidney Poitier.
the first African American chosen to represent the United States Congress of Women and to serve on the board of education of a major city.
1st National President (1919-1923), was the nation’s first woman to earn a Ph.D. in economics (1921). A distinguished attorney, she was among the founders of the National Bar Association (1925) and she was appointed to President Truman’s Commission on Civil Rights (1945).