Latest news with #DeltaSigmaThetaSorority
Yahoo
12-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Community Corner: Savannah Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority hosts 10th annual Authors Tour
This weekend, the Savannah Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma ThetaSorority will host one of its signature events– with the goal of elevating authors, southern style!Elaine Shavers Campbell is the president of the sorority's Savannah Alumnae Lloyd is a Savannah Alumnae Chapter member and co-chair of the Savannah sat down with WSAV's Kim Gusby on today's Community Corner to talk about the free literary extravaganza. Click the arrow in the video box above to watch the interview. Delta Authors on Tour'Elevating Authors, Southern Style'Saturday, May 1711 a.m. until 2 Technical College, 5717 White Bluff RoadFree Admission Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
10-04-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Detroiter Mattie Johnson lived a life of service to family, community, students and seniors
Mattie Bernice Jones Johnson lived the Biblical charge 'To whom much is given, much is required.' And she gave with gusto — to her family, to her work as an educator, to her community and to her beloved sorority, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. She was the driving force behind the sorority establishing Delta Manor, a senior citizen's building in Detroit. Johnson died March 22 at the age of 87. Johnson's passion for service was fueled by her own life. Her family couldn't afford college, so she had her mind set on becoming an executive secretary. But a teacher submitted her name for a college scholarship to Wayne State University. She went on to earn both a bachelor's and a master's degree from the university. She worked for the Detroit public schools for 30 years, mostly as a librarian. While at Wayne State, she was initiated into Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., where she found kinship among like-minded women determined to excel academically while living lives rooted in service. 'Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. meant a lot to my mom because she understood the assignment of the 22 Founders,' recalled her daughter Robyn Joya Johnson. 'Because the trajectory of mom's life changed after being awarded a four-year scholarship to Wayne State University, she felt the need to give to ensure other Black women and men were supported and guided to fulfill their dreams and aspirations.' One of those people was Tony Vernon, who first met Mattie Johnson when she pulled him aside after observing him walk a different girl to class every day at Cooley High School where she worked as a librarian. She told him that if he kept walking girls to class, he'd be late for his own classes. She insisted he focus on his schooling. It was the start of an endearing lifelong connection. More: Ex-Detroit Lions OL Bill Cottrell, NFL's first Black center, dies at 80 More: Octavio Dotel, former Tigers pitcher, reportedly dead at 51 after nightclub roof collapse 'I am the man I am because of Mattie Johnson,' Vernon said. 'She gave me my marching orders, and I followed them.' After graduating from Cooley, Vernon served in the U.S. Navy. And after an honorable discharge, he earned a business degree from California State University. 'And all four of my children have their college degrees,' he said. 'Mattie was my mentor, counselor, spiritual adviser, my teacher and Mattie was my Mom. It is said that it takes a village to raise a child. Mattie taught me how to be a husband and a father. She has done so much for me.' Doing much was Mattie Johnson's way. She served as the 24th president of the Detroit Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., from 1983 to 1985. Among her lasting accomplishments was leading the establishment of Delta Manor, a 100-bed, seven-story apartment building for senior citizens, located on Detroit's east side. 'Had it not been for Soror Mattie's vision and compassion to better the lives of our seniors and for the community as a whole, there would be no Delta Manor,' said Barbara Anderson, current president of the Board of Directors of Delta Manor. 'Delta Manor stands as a realization of her vision and the efforts of those she empowered to bring the dream to light. Mattie served as president of the Board of Directors from 1995 to 1997.' Johnson instilled her zest and appreciation for learning in countless students and her own three children as well. She set high standards of achievement and was proud to see her family meet those standards. She and her husband, Robert Johnson Jr., celebrated 63 years of marriage in March. 'Mom was proud of her husband fulfilling a dream of becoming an entrepreneur (he owns a Precision Tune franchise) and all three daughters and three grandchildren obtaining college degrees,' Robyn Johnson said. Robyn Johnson recalled one lesson, in particular, that stuck with her. As a teenager, she repeated a misguided comment from a classmate: Elections are stupid, she made the mistake of saying to her mother. 'My mother corrected me and explained why elections were in the best interest of ALL people because, and I quote her, 'Elections determine the quality of water you drink, the food you eat, and the air you breathe.' I have always remembered this statement and have voted in every election — local, state and national — ever since.' Among her mother's most endearing qualities was her ever-present smile, loving spirit and nonjudgmental attitude, Robyn Johnson said. 'She always gave people the benefit of doubt and knew that people are doing the very best that they can," she said. "Mom was loved, admired, and respected by all who knew her." In addition to Delta Sigma Theta, Mattie Johnson's community service included leadership roles in The Elliottorian Business Professional Women's Club, Miller High School Alumni Association, the Sussex Woods Homeowner Association and Tots-N-Teens Inc. 'Mom was someone people could depend on to see a project through to success,' Robyn Johnson said. "When Mom was given a task or volunteered for a project, she never wavered; (she) gave her time and attention to details; ensuring a phenomenal, finished project." Besides her husband. Robert, and daughter Robyn, Mattie Johnson also is survived by daughters June Michele and Linda Donise (Alfie). Visitation will be held from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. Thursday, at the Kemp Funeral Home Northwest Chapel, 24585 Evergreen Road, in Southfield. Funeral services will be held Friday, beginning with a Family Hour at 10 a.m., followed by funeral services at 11 a.m. at Bethel A.M.E. Church, 5050 St. Antoine, in Detroit. This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Delta Manor senior center founder, Detroiter Mattie Johnson dies at 87
Yahoo
22-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Dayton Sorority to host father-daughter dance on Saturday
DAYTON, Ohio (WDTN) – A local Sorority chapter will host a Father-Daughter dinner dance on Saturday evening. The 'My Little Princess and Me' event will be on Saturday, March 22. It will run from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Louise Troy Elementary in Dayton. Hosted by the Montgomery County Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, the dance will be for girls from kindergarten to sixth grade. It will be an elegant space full of dancing, food, and fun to create memories with their fathers/guardians or father figures. Our 2 NEWS reporter Aaliyah Seabrooks will be co-hosting a pageant at the event. Tickets are $25 per father-daughter pair and $15 per additional guest at the door. Delta Sigma Theta Sorority is a historically Black Sorority, it was established in 1913 at Howard University. Chapters assist and support community efforts alongside local programs. The Dayton chapter focuses on promoting education, economic development, and social action. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
CBS News
02-03-2025
- Politics
- CBS News
Hundreds rally for women's equity and equality in Fort Worth reenactment
On a clear and cool March morning, hundreds joined the Fort Worth Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated, at the Tarrant County Courthouse in downtown Fort Worth for a reenactment and rally for women's equity and equality. The moment came nearly 112 years after 22 founders of the newly established historically African-American sorority joined thousands of other women for a demonstration down Pennsylvania Avenue at the 1913 Women's Suffrage March in Washington, D.C. Occurring one day before Woodrow Wilson's presidential inauguration, the 1913 event has long been considered the first civil rights parade staged in the nation's capital. "We're honored to be here [and] we're honored to be able to stand on the shoulders of our founders," said Chapter President Demetrice Thompson as she gathered with several others for a reenactment of the day. Thompson said the organization's reenactment and the march aimed to raise awareness about current and key issues plaguing the North Texas community, including a gender-based wage gap, inequities in maternal health and mortality, and voting rights. The event featured several invited speakers, including Shelby Patrice of Budget University; Dr. Amy Raines of UNT Health Science Center; Dr. Kyrah Brown of UTA Maternal Health Lab; Crystal Mason of Fight Against Voter Suppression; and community activist Deborah Peoples, in addition to the O.D. Wyatt High School Band and Dancers and several elected officials. While women of color played key roles in the struggle to secure the right to vote, they were not always included in the retelling of many of the stories that are shared in the present day. "Our 22 founders were college students at Howard University. They said, 'Hey, we need to be in this fight. We need to not be left out of the conversation,'" said Misty Wilder, who serves as Social Action Chair for the organization. "We want people to know today that you can be part of the conversation but not just be part of the conversation, do something active for women's rights," she added. Thompson said the group hopes to inspire young women and girls to advocate for meaningful change in their communities. "We want to inspire women and young girls to use their voice," she said. "Don't be afraid to use your voice. No matter what it is." Proceeds from the march will benefit the FLY Girlz Academy, a nonprofit organization for young girls ages 7-18 that offers mentoring, life skills training, and community service.
CBS News
19-02-2025
- General
- CBS News
Sadie T.M. Alexander, first Black woman in the US to receive a PhD, to be honored with statue in Philadelphia
Sadie Tanner Mossell Alexander was a woman of many firsts, including being the first Black woman to graduate from the University of Pennsylvania Law School and the first Black woman to earn a PhD in the United States. A statue in Philadelphia will soon commemorate her life. An academic, economist and an attorney, Alexander was also a wife and a mother. "She was unassuming, self-effacing," said Dr. Rae Pace Alexander-Minter. "My mother was the first feminist that I ever knew." Alexander-Minter is Alexander's youngest daughter, and speaks passionately of her mother's trailblazing legacy. "She was very keen about women's rights," Alexander-Minter said. "She said to me, 'You always have to have your own money.'" Alexander-Minter said her mother referred to it as "mad money," an emergency fund stash women referred to in the 1900s. That was just one of the many lessons her mother shared. It was at Penn's campus that Alexander started her academic journey. She was one of just a few Blacks who attended the university more than 100 years ago. "She experienced racial isolation," Alexander-Minter said. "It wasn't that she wanted their friendship. She wanted respect." Alexander graduated with a Bachelor of Science in education and continued at Penn, where she earned a PhD in economics in 1921. "She became the first African American, regardless of gender, to have a PhD," Alexander-Minter said. "However, she couldn't get a job because she was a woman, and she was Black." She was a charter member of Penn's Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated chapter. With the strength of her sorority sisters, she pushed through challenging times. "She found her voice and herself and companionship in the women of Delta," Alexander-Minter said. "She found a family. She found women who cared about each other. Had I known all of this, had I known half of this, I would've pledged." Alexander was elected as the first national president of the sorority. She married her husband, Raymond Pace Alexander, who became a prominent civil rights activist attorney. She made a life raising their two daughters. "My father would come home from his practice law school," Alexander-Minter said, "he would talk law, and my mother fell in love with the law." That sparked another passion. Alexander returned to Penn as the first African American woman accepted into Penn Law School. She would become the first African American woman to graduate from the prestigious college and the first to pass the Pennsylvania bar. "She was interested in helping those people who were feeling unrecognized," Alexander-Minter said. "She talked about, as an economist and a lawyer, the inequities of women, particularly women who were working and the child care." She then opened her law firm while serving on numerous boards throughout the city, including the National Bar Association. During this time, she fought for civil rights, including serving on President Harry Truman's Committee on Civil Rights. "Her mission was to bring equity, equality, respect to those marginalized because of race," Alexander-Minter said. While a portrait of Alexander is hanging on Penn's campus, the city of Philadelphia will install a permanent statue near City Hall to honor the woman of many firsts. A true trailblazer who never stopped despite the barriers.
