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Members past and present of Millersville’s Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. Lambda Gamma chapter celebrated its 50th anniversary late this February to commemorate the original chartering date of Feb. 23, 1974. The University’s chapter made Millersville history as the first national African American sorority and the first national sorority chartered on campus. The festivities will continue throughout the year, including a reunion that will be hosted during Homecoming this September.
As part of the celebration, the Deltas hosted an open event on the history of the sorority with a private reception and banquet that recognized the 10 charter members and Delta sorority sisters. They also held a free and public event that celebrated 50 years of membership, followed by “Paint the City Red,” where members donned the sorority’s signature colors – crimson and cream – and ended the night with a community service project at a local shelter for women.
Delta Sigma Theta is a core chapter that shares membership between Millersville University and Franklin & Marshall College, with F&M student Dejah Broadway serving as the current chapter president. Internationally, the sorority has a membership of over 300,000 and has more than 3,000 chapters worldwide with a focus on serving the community. The organization’s core values are scholarship, service, sisterhood and social action.
Alumna Sandra Brown, charter member and the first president of the chapter, says that chartering the first National African American sorority was “a very new phenomenon,” in 1974. “Black fraternities and sororities did not exist at Millersville at the time,” she explains. “We sought a sorority that aimed to empower black female students with the support of our Millersville community to nurture academic excellence. We knew that membership in the sorority would provide students with guidance and support.”
“The 50th anniversary is significant because it points to the fortitude of its membership across 50 years,” says Denise Chandler, a 1980 graduate and chapter advisory team. “It points to the commitment of countless women who have obtained membership and the years of service given to the Millersville community.”
Some of the services the Millersville chapter of the sorority provided recently include clothing and school supply drives, forum and panel discussions, vendor fairs, interview skill sessions and more.
To learn more about joining the sorority, interested students can attend the annual rush session. Initiates are required to provide evidence of public services and letters of recommendation. Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. continues to have an active presence across both the Millersville and Franklin & Marshall campuses. For more information on the Lambda Gamma chapter, contact Broadway at dbroadwa@fandm.edu or follow them on Instagram at @lg_dst.
Why join? “Sisterhood,” says Brown. “The sorority life provides opportunities to experience leadership inside sisterhood and out that teach about responsibility, communication and organization. Delta sorority can also benefit members professionally.”
