Models from the world’s largest traveling fashion show recently walked the runways at the Holiday Inn in Matteson. Sponsored by the Joliet/South Suburban Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta sorority, the fashion show is a production of Ebony Fashion Fair, a fundraising organization for national and international charities and social service agencies.
Delta Sigma Theta is a predominantly African-American sorority established in 1913 on the campus of Howard University in Washington, D.C. Begun as the dream of 22 women seeking camaraderie and fellowship, the organization now has nearly 100,000 members and hundreds of national and international undergraduate and graduate chapters.
It’s one of nine primarily black fraternities and sororities that make up the National Pan-Hellenic Council (NPHC), a nationwide organization that serves to coordinate the goals and activities of its affiliate members. There are currently 1.5 million men and women who belong to one of these nine Greek-letter organizations, whose members distinguish themselves from the traditional stereotype of frat life by the work they do before and after graduation.
The southwest suburban members of these Greek-letter organizations, like their counterparts nationwide, give freely of their time, provide scholarships and devote hundreds of hours each year to enhancing their communities.
Northwest Indiana resident Toni Odum is director of public relations for the Chicago area NPHC and a national officer of Sigma Gamma Rho sorority, which is active in the southwest suburbs. According to Odum, “to be in the NPHC, fraternities and sororities must meet a number of requirements. They must be primarily a social service agency and must have a highly developed structure of undergraduate and graduate chapters.”
The Joliet/South Suburban Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta has approximately 75 members who divide their time across a wide range of activities. Shorewood resident Arnetta Johnson is president of the chapter and has been a Delta since 1975. Like many of the other women in the chapter, Johnson has had to balance her involvement in the sorority with the full-time demands of family and career.
But it has been a labor of love.
“I’ve always been a socially minded person,” she said. “Delta made that happen a little more for me. It puts you in touch with the human race and provides a way to make a mark, to do something that really counts as you move through life.”
The Ebony fashion fair is one of the sorority’s primary fundraising events and serves as the kickoff for the many activities that the chapter will be involved in throughout the year. This year’s show attracted a crowd of more than 700 people.
As in past years, proceeds from the fashion show fund the sorority’s scholarship program. Nine young men and women about to enter college were awarded scholarships ranging from $600 to $1,000 at a reception held in August at the Odyssey Country Club in Tinley Park, while nine $300 renewal scholarships went to prior recipients who have gone on to succeed on campus.
In addition to their scholarship program, the Deltas sponsor a Breakfast with Santa program for southwest area children. It’s usually held at a school in Harvey, and last year’s event attracted nearly 700 children eager to see Santa and receive one of the toys provided by the sorority.
Young people aren’t the only beneficiaries of the sorority’s involvement. Every two years the sorority presents its “Echoes for Excellence” Award, recognizing 12 women who have demonstrated exceptional commitment to the community in their fields.
Although the primary emphasis of its activities is local, the chapter is also involved with nationwide groups and organizations. At the every-other-year meeting of its national officers, the sorority issues a set of national program initiatives in which it encourages its affiliate chapters to participate. Current areas of focus include education, economic development, politics, physical and mental health and international awareness.
A few dozen women working in their community might not have an impact on national and international events. But when they join together with their 100,000 sisters, the Delta voice speaks loud and clear. It can be heard in South Africa in the form of food and clothing or in Washington, D.C., as thousands of letters speaking out against an injustice or urging the appointment of one of their members to a cabinet post. (Secretary of Labor Alexis Hermann is a member of Delta Sigma Theta.)
Iota Phi Theta is the newest member of the NPHC, affiliating with the organization last year. It was founded on the campus of Morgan State University in Baltimore in 1963, just three weeks after Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his historic “I Have a Dream” speech. Lynwood resident Dwayne Dixon, interim executive director of the fraternity, believes the group may double in size because of the national exposure that accompanies NPHC membership.
“To be in the NPHC means getting the visibility on a nationwide basis. It’s a very exciting time for our organization,” Dixon said.
Among its many activities, Iota Phi Theta has established a foundation that has distributed more than $250,000 in grants and services nationwide since its inception less than four years ago.
One of the foundation’s new undertakings is the Iota Black College Tour, designed to introduce high school seniors to historically black colleges and universities. On its first tour last year, eight fraternity members took 47 students on visits to Atlanta University Center, Tuskegee University and Alabama State University.
Alpha Phi Alpha, the oldest African-American fraternity, was begun in 1906 at Cornell University in Ithaca, N.Y. Lynwood resident Marcus Payne is Illinois district director of the fraternity and he explains that involvement involves a lifelong commitment to the organization.
“We are primarily about fellowship and social peace,” he said. “What binds us together, even at the undergraduate level, is the work we do in our community.”
Alpha Kappa Alpha is the oldest African-American sorority. Established in 1908 by 16 women at Howard University, Alpha Kappa Alpha now has more than 140,000 members in 800 chapters around the world.
Joliet resident Floyd Eskridge is a member of the Nu Phi graduate chapter of Omega Psi Phi. Eskridge joined the fraternity in 1968 and is now a State of Illinois regional representative for the organization. Boasting an impressive roster of members nationwide — including Jesse Jackson, Bill Cosby, Shaquille O’Neal and Michael Jordan — Omega Psi Phi is committed to preparing young men for leadership roles in their communities.
“They’ve helped me become who I am,” Eskridge said. “I’ve been able to pattern my life after the cardinal principles that define the fraternity. I’ve used the principles of perseverance, respect and friendship, especially in times of adversity.”
As members of the NPHC, each of these fraternities and sororities has its own distinct vision and goals, but all share a commitment to touching and enhancing the lives of individuals within their community.
This emphasis on social service begins at the undergraduate level. As part of their “pledging,” new members might be asked to take a group of disabled children to a football game, visit a senior citizen center or commit to regular work in a community center. But members can join after their college days have ended. Many of these fraternities and sororities have local graduate chapters open to those who meet requirements such as a college degree and willingness to make a financial commitment.
As affiliate members of the NPHC, each of the local chapters engages in nationally mandated programs. Some of these programs involve working in conjunction with national organizations such as Habitat for Humanity. Chapters also work regularly with the March of Dimes, the NAACP, The Urban League and the American Red Cross.
Other members in the NPHC are Phi Beta Sigma and Kappa Alpha Psi fraternities and the Zeta Phi Beta sorority. Like the other groups, these organizations have emerged from humble and difficult beginnings and flourished into a powerful resource in the lives of African-Americans.
From a handful of individuals seeking camaraderie and fellowship, the early vision of these fraternities and sororities has more than survived. It has flourished into a vast network of men and women.
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The National Pan-Hellenic Council may be reached at 812-855-8820.
