Delta Sigma Zeta Chapter of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc. Records

Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Incorporate is an international, non-profit Black Greek-lettered organization, established in 1920 on the campus of Howard University in Washington, D.C. The membership consists of nearly 100,000 women of color in 850 chapters located in the United States, Africa, Europe, Asia, and the Caribbean. Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc. is the first National Pan-Hellenic Council organization to form auxiliary groups and the first to be constitutionally bound to a fraternity, Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Incorporated. Its official auxiliary groups consist of The Amicae, the Archonettes, The Amicettes, The Pearlettes, and the Zeta Male Network. National programming by Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc. includes its National Educational Foundation to provide educational activities and scholarship grants; its Stork’s Nest Program to promote maternal education and well-being; its Zetas Helping Other People Excel (Z-HOPE) Program to serve and collaborate with community on a number of issues; and its Eldercare and Adopt-A-School Programs. Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc. is the third largest Black Greek-lettered sorority made up of women committed to raising the consciousness of Black people, encouraging the highest standards of scholastic achievement, and fostering a greater sense of unity among African Americans and other persons of African ancestry.

The Delta Sigma Zeta Chapter of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc. in Gainesville, FL, was officially chartered on September 21, 1951 by five Zeta women – Annie McGhee, Cora Roberson, Gladys Alexander, Julia Harper and Wilma Holloway. The Gainesville Zetas were the first historically Black Greek-lettered organization established in Alachua County, Florida, and the first to usher in an undergraduate sorority at the University of Florida, Mu Epsilon Chapter, in 1974. Local programming includes collaborative community efforts around maternal education and infant healthcare, scholarships and grants to promote youth education, mentorship and leadership training, and programming for overall academic, professional, and individual success in women and men. Signature events like an “An Afternoon with Zora,” “Bowling for Babies,” and scholarship awards and voter registration drives also make up some of the programming to aid the surrounding Gainesville community.

Today, the Delta Sigma Zeta Chapter of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc. is made up of members of the Gainesville Community who have distinguished themselves as community servants, educators, and change agents for a better Gainesville.

Sources:

"About Zeta Phi Beta." Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Incorporated, https://zphib1920.org/our-history/.

"Delta Sigma Zeta Chapter." Delta Sigma Zeta Chapter of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Incorporated, https://www.gainesvillezetas.com/delta-sigma-zeta-history.