Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority Incorporated

Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc. was founded on November 12, 1922, in Indianapolis, Indiana, by seven African American educators who were taking courses at Butler University. They were Mary Lou Allison Gardner Little, Dorothy Hanley Whiteside, Vivian Irene White Marbury, Nannie Mae Gahn Johnson, Hattie Mae Annette Dulin Redford, Bessie Mae Downey Rhoades Martin, and Cubena McClure.^[8][3] When it was first formed, the sorority was a professional sorority for Black female educators.^[3]

The founders focused on continuing their education, advancing professionally as educators in the Black community, supporting students’ academic success, and providing more educational opportunities for Black women.^[4][8]

The sorority developed during a period of significant racial discrimination in Indiana. The Ku Klux Klan held a great deal of power in Indiana during the 1920s.^[8] Butler University in Indianapolis later adopted a quota system that allowed only a small number of Black students to be accepted each year.^[9]

Robert Lee Brokenburr was an Indianapolis lawyer who became the legal advisor to the sorority. In December 1922, Brokenburr filed incorporation papers for Sigma Gamma Rho. Membership was limited to teachers working in recognized schools. Members were encouraged to pursue additional education and encourage others to do the same.^[3]

Over the next few years, the sorority focused on creating its organizational structure and identifying itself and its symbols. The sorority hosted its first national convention, called the Boulé, in Indianapolis in 1925. At the convention, the motto “Greater Progress, Greater Service” was introduced; it was later changed to “Greater Service, Greater Progress.”^[10]

By the time of the fifth Boulé in 1929, which took place in Cleveland, Ohio, members of Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority voted to make changes to the Articles of Incorporation that would allow the sorority to expand its mission beyond professional educators. A Charter Committee formed to obtain a charter for an Alpha Chapter at Butler University. Brokenburr filed the amended Articles of Incorporation for Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority in 1930.^[11]

Sigma Gamma Rho was part of early discussions about establishing a long-term coordinating organization for Black Greek-letter organizations. In December 1928, representatives from Alpha Phi Alpha, Kappa Alpha Psi, Omega Psi Phi, Alpha Kappa Alpha, Delta Sigma Theta, and Sigma Gamma Rho attended a meeting in Indianapolis. The representatives agreed to create a temporary organization to coordinate efforts toward the formation of a permanent organization. Historian André McKenzie referred to this meeting as the “spiritual birth” of what later became the National Pan-Hellenic Council.^[12]

By 1930, the National Pan-Hellenic Council officially came into existence with five founding organizations. Alpha Phi Alpha and Phi Beta Sigma joined the Council in 1931, followed by Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority in 1937.^[13] On February 20, 1937, an article in the New Pittsburgh Courier stated that Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority was one of the original organizations involved in forming the National Pan-Hellenic Council. The article reported that Sigma Gamma Rho later withdrew after it did not meet newly adopted membership qualifications. It also stated that the sorority later petitioned for readmission and rejoined the Council as a full member in 1937.^[14]

During the Great Depression, Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority increased its educational and social services for African Americans. As part of its response to the challenges facing African American families during this era, Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority implemented several initiatives. Examples included sponsoring literary contests that awarded books to African American children, implementing vocational guidance programs, and establishing the Sigma Gamma Rho Employment Aid Bureau to help members locate employment.^[15]

Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority and other members of the National Pan-Hellenic Council lent their support to the NAACP's efforts to have Congress pass anti-lynching legislation, including the Costigan-Wagner Anti-Lynching Bill of 1935. Additionally, individual chapters of Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority established employment bureaus, literacy classes, and health programs in their respective communities.^[8]

In 1928, Alpha chapter in Indianapolis contributed to the NAACP defense fund.^[16] At its 1938 Boule in Houston, the sorority adopted a national program that included an annual April fundraising drive for the NAACP, continued work for passage of a federal anti-lynching bill, letters of thanks to the NAACP and the justices of the Supreme Court for the decision in Missouri ex rel. Gaines v. Canada, and plans for an employment bureau in each local chapter.^[17]

During World War II, Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority worked with national organizations such as the American Red Cross and the U.S.O. to support wartime efforts.^[15] The sorority also supported the Fair Employment Practices Committee, which addressed racial discrimination in defense employment.^[8]

The sorority also developed youth programming during this period. One example was Sigma Teen Town, a national youth initiative designed to provide adolescents with places where they could gather and participate in supervised activities. Local chapters adapted the program according to the needs of their communities by opening teen canteens and developing other youth-centered activities.^[15]

Sigma Gamma Rho created Camp Achievement near Pittsburgh in the 1950s, a program for Black and white participants.^[18] During the 1960s and 1970s the sorority supported several civil rights organizations and received the NAACP Service Trophy Award, and members backed the federal anti-poverty program and a nationwide Vocational Guidance Workshop Center.^[18] At its 30th Boule in New York in 1965, the sorority adopted resolutions on civil rights, commended Martin Luther King Jr. for his civil rights work, and voted NAACP life memberships for all 130 of its local chapters.^[19] At its 32nd Boule in Atlanta in 1969, the sorority presented $1,000 to Fannie Lou Hamer for economic development in Sunflower County, Mississippi.^[20] Its partnership with the March of Dimes dates to the 1970s.^[21]

The sorority formed the Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority National Education Fund in 1984 to support education and research in the health and education fields.^[18] In the 1990s it worked with Africare and was named a Project Africa Gold Donor honoree for raising money for equipment for women in Zimbabwe.^[18] LaRona J. Morris, Grand Basileus from 1996 to 2000, founded Operation BigBookBag and launched the Youth Symposium nationwide. Sigma Gamma Rho marked its centennial in 2022.^[3]

Project Reassurance is the sorority's signature program and is offered wherever it has chapters.^[26]

Founded in 1996 by LaRona J. Morris, in partnership with the Ancient Egyptian Arabic Order Nobles Mystic Shrine, Operation BigBookBag supplies school supplies and educational materials to at-risk children.^[27]

Launched nationwide during Morris's term (1996–2000), the Youth Symposium is held each March during "Sigma Week" and addresses issues affecting youth.^[28]

The initiative coordinates chapter programming on health issues affecting women of color.^[29]

Developed with USA Swimming, Swim 1922 teaches water safety to address racial disparities in swimming ability.^[30]

Project CRADLE Care works with the March of Dimes on Black maternal and infant health through outreach, advocacy, and education.^[31]

The Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority National Education Fund, Inc. (NEF) provides access to scholarships, leadership development, and educational enrichment opportunities for students from all backgrounds. NEF seeks to remove barriers to academic achievement and open doors to future success. Its mission is twofold: to offer financial assistance to students with demonstrated need and to conduct educational programs that enhance quality of life through workshops, symposiums, and public forums.^[32]

SPEAR seeks to promote social, civic, cultural, economic, and educational progress for underserved communities. It supports public education and social science research aimed at reducing poverty and improving the lives of minorities, women, and children. SPEAR also provides fiscal sponsorship, enabling local chapters and community-based organizations to secure resources and implement service and advocacy programs effectively.^[33]

The G.O.L.D.E.N. Charitable Foundation carries forward the sorority's public-service work by connecting members, affiliates, families, and community members with charitable initiatives and giving opportunities that serve women, children, and families in underserved communities.^[34]