Delta Sigma Theta was founded on January 13, 1913, by 22 collegiate women at Howard University. These students wanted to use their collective strength to promote academic excellence and to provide assistance to those in need. In March of 1913, the Founders of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. performed their first public act. They participated in the Women’s Suffrage March in Washington, D.C. Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. was incorporated in 1930.

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 Mott 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.

MISSION

Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated is an organization of college educated women committed to the constructive development of its members and to public service with a primary focus on the Black community.

PURPOSE

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:

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 deltasigmatheta.org.