Opinion: Delta Sigma Theta is a sisterhood of college-educated women
As one of the predominantly Black fraternities and sororities that make up the “Divine Nine,” there is a great deal of respect, genuine friendship and support among the organizations on the national level and locally.
Harris is chapter president of the San Diego Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc. She is a vice president and senior compliance officer for Pacific Investment Management Company LLC. She lives in Sabre Springs.
Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc. was founded on Jan. 13, 1913, by 22 college women at Howard University. “Delta” means change, and our founders were students, activists, scholars and servant leaders who were not satisfied with the status quo. Less than two months after founding the sorority, these 22 young women participated in the Woman Suffrage Procession in Washington, D.C., where they faced segregation and racism yet refused to go away. These women created a blueprint for public service and sisterhood that has led to over 1,000 chapters worldwide, including in the United States, the Bahamas, Bermuda, Canada, Germany, Jamaica, Japan, South Korea, the Virgin Islands, Africa and the Middle East.
They are known as the ‘Divine Nine,’ a group of Black Fraternities and Sororities, many founded in the month of January at Historically Black Colleges and Universities.
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Chartered in 1938, the San Diego Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority is the oldest Black Greek Letter Organization in San Diego, and we benefit from the legacy of our seven charter members, led by “Blossom” Lorraine Van Lowe Gholston, who was the first Black teacher to get a regular contract with the San Diego Unified School District.
As one of the predominantly Black fraternities and sororities that make up the “Divine Nine,” there is a great deal of respect, genuine friendship and support among the organizations on the national level and locally. In San Diego, we collaborate on projects that will enhance our service areas because we recognize that we all rise together and there is plenty of work to be done. We attend some of the same churches, we belong to some of the same civic organizations, and on numerous occasions (pre-COVID-19 pandemic), we gather together socially.
We are part of the Divine Nine, but our first love is Delta Sigma Theta. We are a sisterhood of college-educated women. The San Diego Alumnae Chapter is made up of over 90 women who were initiated at various chapters all over the country, including those who pledged through the San Diego Alumnae Chapter. Some of our members joined the sorority while in college, and some of our members joined after they obtained their college degree, so we have women who have been members of the sorority for as few as three years to over 50 years. Regardless of where and when we were initiated, it is comforting to know that wherever we go, Deltas can find a local chapter to continue our membership and lifetime commitment to public service.
San Diego Alumnae Chapter programs and activities promote voter education and voter mobilization, social justice and physical and mental health. We provide scholarships, mentor African American girls and partner with other organizations to bring aid to homeless people as well as shed light on issues facing refugees and people of African descent at the border, just to name a few of our activities. We have sponsored an annual Black history essay contest for over 25 years to encourage elementary, middle and high school students to enhance their writing skills and learn more about Black American history. We worked with former state Assembly member, and current California secretary of state, the honorable Dr. Shirley Weber, to introduce Resolution 257 to proclaim the month of July 2018 as Uterine Fibroids Awareness Month in California to call attention to tumors that grow disproportionately in the uterus walls of African American women. We put service into action by providing food to families in need at Thanksgiving, serving lunch to frontline health-care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic, and sponsoring Zoom sessions for the community that feature subject matter experts on various topics such as the CROWN Act (which prohibits discrimination based on hair style and hair texture), COVID-19, colon cancer prevention and awareness, disparities in health care for Black women, justice in policing and California ballot propositions.
Individually, we are educators, social workers, military officers, real estate agents, school counselors, lawyers, doctors, politicians, investment professionals, accountants, college presidents, artists, entrepreneurs, retirees, and mothers. Collectively, we are Deltas, and we are living our legacy and making an impact through sisterhood, scholarship, service and social action.
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