DAT Flashcards
Mission Statement
Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated is an organization of college educated women committed to the constructive development of it’s members and to public service with a primary focus on the black community
Sorority Pin
- Designed by Founder Madree Penn White
- Comprised of the three greek letters for D, S, and T for Delta Sigma Theta
- The middle letter Sigma has 9 Jewels that represent the 9 Cardinal Virtues that are the foundation of Delta Sigma Theta
- Each corner of the Sigma contains a pearl dedicated to the Founders of DST
9 Jewels (Cardinal Virtues)
- Compassion
- Courtesy
- Dedication
- Fellowship
- Fidelity
- Honesty
- Justice
- Purity
- Temperance
1st Jewel
Compassion
Dedicated to the Founders of DST
2nd Jewel
Courtesy
Dedicated to the mothers of Delta members
3rd Jewel
Dedication
Dedicated to the National Presidents, past and present
1913
February 18 - Delta’s Alpha Chapter was granted a certificate of corporation
March - Deltas marched with the women’s suffrage movement under the banner of DST
First National Convention held December 27-30, _____, in Washington DC (What year?)
1919
When was May Week established?
1921
What year did DST establish the Housing Fund, Sinking Fund, Scholarship Award Fund, and College Tuition Fund?
1922
When was Mary McLeod Bethune (honorary member) initiated
1923
The Delta Hymn was written and composed by Sorors Alice Dunbar Nelson and Florence Cole Talbert in ____.
1924
The Iota Chapter adopted Jabberwock in ____
1925
What year did the vote to conduct national conventions biennially, beginning with the 10th National Convention
1927
Osceola Macarthy Adams
Taught drama at Bennett College and served as Directress of the Harlem School of Arts
Marguerite Young Alexander
- Born in Chicago, Illinois
- Constant supporter of Alpha chapter
Winona Cargile Alexander
- Became the first black social worker for the NYC and County charities
- Alpha chapter’s first custodian
Ethel Cuff Black
- First Vice President of Alpha chapter
- A charter member of Queens Alumnae chapter
- First black teacher in Richmond County, NY
Bertha Pitts Campbell
- Born in Winfield, Kansas
- She participated in the Women’s Suffrage March in 1913 – 68 years later she repeated the walk on August 2, 1981
Zephyr Chisom Carter
- Gifted woman (singer & actress)
- She harnessed her vocal powers and sang for television shows
Edna Brown Coleman
- Graduated from Howard in 1913 as valedictorian and class president
- Married a founder of Omega Psi Phi
Jessie McGuire Dent
- First corresponding secretary of Alpha chapter
- Became a teacher in the Galveston School District
- Instrumental in integrating schools
Frederica Chase Dodd
- First Sergeant-at-Arms of Alpha chapter
- Helped charter the graduate chapter of DST in Dallas, Texas
- The Eta Beta chapter changed to the Dallas Alumnae Chapter in 1960, became the first greek letter organization in the city
Myra Davis Hemmings
- Served as president of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority and Alpha Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated
Olive Claire Jones
Became a music teacher in Washington, DC public school system
Jimmie Bug Middleton
She helped lobby Delta Sigma Theta to participate in the Women’s Suffrage March
Pauline Oberdorfer Minor
- Born in Charlottesville, VA
- Was an excellent musician
- In 1914, she graduated as valedictorian of the Teacher’s College
Vashti Turley Murphy
- From Washington, DC, graduated from M Street High School, later known as Dunbar High School (the first public high school for blacks in the US)
Naomi Sewell Richardson
- The last surviving Founder when she died in 1993 in Washingtonville, NY
- First black to graduate from Washingtonville High School
- Married Clarence W. Richardson, a Howard graduate and member of Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity
Mamie Reddy Rose
- From small town of Belton, South Carolina
- She received an award for her outstanding talent as a dramatic reader
Eliza Pearl Shippen
- The only founder to receive a doctorate degree
- One of two founders who never married
Florence Letcher Toms
- President William Howard Taft presented her with her diploma and scholarship to Howard University
- She introduced First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt to an audience of parents at John Wesley AME Zion Church in 1945
Ethel Carr Watson
- Became a teacher with a career covered more than 30 years
- Following her retirement, she began a second career as a dramatic performer
Wertie Blackwell Weaver
- Published a novel entitled “The Valley of the Poor”
- Book focused on racism and poverty in the South
Madree Penn White
- Drafted the initial Constitution and Bylaws
- She designed the ceremony for inducting Honorary Members
- She designed the Sorority Pin
- Served as the second president of Alpha Chapter & DST (1913 - 1919)
- Set in motion the mechanism for creating other chapters
Edith Motte Young
- Taught at Claflin College in Orangeburg, SC
1st National President
Sadie Tanner Mossell Alexander (1919 - 1923)
- Grand President for 1st National chapter
- Creation of Grand Chapter
- Graduate chapters were authorized at the Second National Convention in 1920
- Chapters were established on college campuses in Cincinnati, Syracuse, Ithaca (NY), Berkeley, Chicago, Pittsburgh, and Ann Arbor
- Kappa Chapter was established at the University of California, earning Delta the distinction of being the first Greek letter organization for Negro college men and women on the Pacific coast
2nd National President
G. Dorothy Pelham Beckley (1923 - 1926)
- Established Omega Omega as the Memorial Chapter
- Regional conferences as a permanent institution approved
- New nomenclature system for naming chapters was authorized
- Upon the recommendation of President Pelham, the 7th National Convention approved the regional conferences as a permanent institution
- Sorors attending the 6th National Convention adopted the “Delta Hymn” written and composed by Sorors Alice Dunbar Nelson and Florence Cole Talbert
3rd National President
Ethel Lamay Calimese (1926 - 1929)
- Became 3rd Honorary Grand President of DST at the conclusion of the convention
- The duties of the Grand President & Grand VP as related to the regional conferences were abolished, allowing each region the privilege of electing their own regional director
4th National President
Anna Johnson Julian (1929 - 1931)
- Grand Chapter incorporated under DC laws
- NPHC formed - served as treasurer
5th National President
Gladys Byram Shepperd (1931 - 1933)
- National Boards as component of organizational structure created
- Authored the book “Mary Church Terrell: Respectable Person”
6th National President
Jeannette Triplett Jones (1933 - 1935)
- National Headquarters established
- Designed Sorority Crest with …..
3 Rites Passage
- Pyramid Induction Ceremony
- Initiation Ceremony
- Omega Omega Service
Sacred Vow
“Membership in Delta Sigma Theta is a lifetime committment”
What year was DST incorporated?
1930
Minerva Circle of Identity
Delta Sigma Theta is a sisterhood of black college women committed to public service.
-Sisterhood
- Black
- College
- Women
- Public Service
Delta Oath
I will strive to reach the highest educational, moral, and spiritual efficiency which I can possibly attain
I will never lower my aims for any temporary benefit which might be gained
I will endeavor to preserve my health, for however great one’s mental and moral strength may be, physical weakness prevents the accomplishment of much that otherwise might be done
I will close my ears and seal my lips to slanderous gossip
I will labor to ennoble the ideals and purify the atmosphere of the home
I will always protest against the double standard of morals
I will take an active interest in the welfare of my country, using my influence toward the enactment of laws for the protection of the unfortunate and weak and for the repeal of those depriving human beings of their privileges and rights
I will never belittle any race and will try to persuade others to take the same just stand
I will not shrink from undertaking what seems wise and good because handicaps or obstacles of any kind confront me, but striving to preserve a calm mind with a courageous spirit, barring bitterness from my heart
I will strive all the more earnestly to reach the goal
Nomenclature
Jewel 4
Fellowship
- Common spirit of sisterhood
- Dedicated to the many chapters of DST
Jewel 5
Fidelity
- “steadfast devotion and faithful commitment we give to purposes larger than ourselves”
- Dedicated to the Honorary members
Jewel 6
Honesty
- “Keeping peace with ourselves and meriting the trust of others”
- Dedicated to the National Officers past and present, who have guided the organization
7th National President
Vivian Osborne Marsh (1935 - 1939)
- Actively involved in civil rights movement on anti-lynching bill
8th National President
Helen Elsie Austin (1939 - 1944)
- Created the National Second Vice President, formerly known as the Office of Undergraduate Coordinator
9th National President
Mae Wright Downs Peck Williams (1944-1947)
- Focused on voting and equal rights for women and minorities and fair employment practices
- Purchase of war bonds and ambulances
10th National President
Dorothy Irene Height (1947-1956)
- Delta 5 Point Project (5 Point Programmatic Thrust)
- Hired first Executive Director, Patricia Roberts Harris
- Purchase of National Headquarters building
In 1957 the first _______ was issued
Delta Newsletter
11th National President
Dorothy Penman Harrison (1956-1958)
- Burned the Mortgage on the First National Headquarters
- Held the First Delta Christmas Party
12th National President
Jeanne L. Noble (1958-1963)
- Social Action Commission established
- Appointed by President’s Kennedy, Nixon, Johnson and Ford to serve on commissions
True or False
The names of the Founders of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated should be listed on all Founders Day programs
True
What is an Honorary Member?
A soror who has distinguished herself by making an extraordinary contribution in her field. Her accomplishments have resulted in a significant impact on the national or global community
Delta DEARS
- Dedicated, Energetic, Active, Respected, and Sorors
- A special membership category for all Deltas verified to be 62 years of age or over
Pyramid Pin
- Designed by the Epsilon chapter (Ohio State University)
- Adopted in 1920 at the 2nd National Convention
- Its 3 sides represent: Mind, Body, and Spirit
Fortitude Pin
- A replica of the sculpture Fortitude
- Commissioned by the sorority and unveiled at Howard University in 1979 as a tribute to the Founders
Diamond Jubilee Pin
- Created in recognition of contributions of $1,000 or more to the Delta Research and Educational Foundation (DREF)
Sorority Flower
African Violet
Pyramid Flower
Peppermint Carnation
Sorority Colors
Crimson and Cream
Pyramid Colors
White and Red
Sorority Stone
Pearl
(used only in the sorority pin)
Sorority Seal
The official seal is a circular engraving with “Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated Grand Chapter” surrounding the sorority crest
Sorority Crest
- Designed by Delta member F. Ailene Marks and Past National President Jeannette Triplett Jones (both of Lambda chapter)
- It is a composite of ideas expressing the sorority’s public motto in graphic form
Sorority Emblem
Goddess Minerva, Goddess of Wisdom
Sorority’s Public Motto
Intelligence is the Torch of Wisdom
Pyramid Public Motto
Scholarship, Fellowship, Service and a desire to attain all that would ennoble
Sacred Vow
Membership in Delta Sigma Theta is a Lifetime Committment
The Fundamental Principles
- Represented by the white candle
- Embodied in the 9 Jewels and Delta Oath
The Torch of Wisdom
- Represented by the red candle
- Symbolizes the Public Motto
Rap Order
One Rap: Attention, Be Seated, End of Ceremony
Two Raps: Affirm the Sacred Vow, Affirm the Sacred Trust
Three Raps: Sorors stand
Sacred Trust
The induction of new members to DST
What is DST founded on?
Scholarship, Sisterhood, & Service
Who speaks for DST?
- International President
(Regional Director for Region)
(Chapter President for the Chapter)
Standing Committees, etc
How many regions are in DST?
7
What are the 7 Regions?
- Central
- Midwest
- Farwest
- Southwest
- Eastern
- Southern
- South Atlantic
Delta Christmas Party???
Founders Day
The day set aside by Chapters during the months January, February, and March for sorors to rededicate themselves to the ideals and purposes of the sorority
May Week
A period in May when chapters emphasize scholastic achievements, educational opportunities, and the encouragement of higher scholarship
Jabberwock
A cultural and fundraising activity to bring entertainment of the highest caliber
National Convention???
Regional Conference??
Chapter Meetings??
7th Jewel
Justice
- The respectful observance of all that is fair and equal in human relations
- Dedicated to our ancestors, born slaves or freed to struggle, leaving a legacy of achievement in overcoming oppression in the cause of freedom and justice
8th Jewel
Purity
- Dedicated to the deceased sorors
9th Jewel
Temperance
- self restraint in conduct
- Dedicated to the National Staff
5 Point Programmatic Thrust
- Economic Development
- Educational Development
- International Awareness and Involvement
- Physical and Mental Health Awareness
- Political Awareness and Involvement
Name 5 Honorary Members
- Angela Bassett
- Cicely Tyson
- Mary McLeod Bethune
- Florence Cole Talbert
- Mary Church Terrell
Name the location of 4 of the International Chapters
