WATCH:The Legacy Of Sisterhood: Delta Sigma Theta

essencemagazine

We dive deep into the service and sisterhood of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Incorporated.

Transcript

00:00 It's the brotherhood and sisterhood for essence.

00:02 So this month we're celebrating the Divine 9 organizations.

00:06 Alpha Phi Alpha, Alpha Kappa Alpha, Omega Psi Phi,

00:10 Kappa Alpha Psi, Delta Sigma Theta, Zeta Phi Beta,

00:14 Phi Beta Sigma, Sigma Gamma Rho, and Iota Phi Theta.

00:18 We're showing love to our staff that are Divine 9 members.

00:21 So let's get into it with the devastating divas

00:23 of Delta Sigma Theta.

00:24 (upbeat music)

00:28 - Hi, my name is Whitney Johnson.

00:30 I am a sales planner at Essence.

00:33 I am a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Incorporated

00:36 and I was initiated through the Gamma Iota chapter

00:39 at Hampton University in the fall of 2012.

00:42 I joined Delta Sigma Theta

00:44 because I've always been the type of person

00:46 who wanted to be a part of something bigger than me.

00:49 I grew up watching so many mentors, teachers, coaches,

00:54 aunties really drive impact

00:57 and have that passion and great work ethic.

00:59 And I've always known Delta to be about real change,

01:02 real work, real impact.

01:04 And I wanted to be a part of that legacy,

01:05 just continuing that legacy

01:07 and making an impact through change.

01:10 I've had a lot of proud moments as a Delta,

01:12 but one moment that I hold dear to my heart

01:16 is celebrating Centennials

01:17 with my line sisters and sorority in DC.

01:20 It was my first Founders Day

01:22 and just to witness so many powerful women

01:25 and impactful women in one space,

01:27 sharing sisterhood and just leaning on each other

01:31 and celebrating, it was just mind blowing to me.

01:35 For the sorority to go from 22 young women

01:38 to hundreds of thousands of women,

01:41 continuing the mission,

01:42 exemplifying sisterhood, scholarship and service,

01:45 it just was eye opening and I was inspired by it.

01:48 So that has to be one of my proudest moments amongst me.

01:51 Black Greek letter organizations

01:53 were founded on the principles of public service,

01:56 while the black community was fighting

01:58 against so many injustices.

02:00 And although society has made great strides

02:03 and has progressed in a lot of ways,

02:05 there's still a lot of work to be done.

02:07 So with that being said,

02:08 I think it's important for us to continue

02:11 to use our platforms and our voices

02:14 as Divine Nine members to fight against injustices,

02:17 to really strive to create that change and that impact.

02:21 When we think about society today,

02:22 there's so many things still happening, right?

02:24 When you think about affirmative action,

02:27 or you think about the housing market or police brutality,

02:31 there are so many ways that we can continue

02:34 to stand up for equality and justice.

02:36 After 11 years, my line sisters and I

02:41 still stay in close communication.

02:43 We have meetups regionally,

02:44 and we also connect at some point

02:46 throughout the year virtually.

02:49 But after 11 years, things are a lot different now.

02:53 We are moms, wives, professionals, doctors.

02:57 So compared to being on campus,

02:59 it was a lot easier to connect and gather at once.

03:03 But I'm glad that we still have that mission

03:05 and we strive to connect and celebrate special occasions,

03:09 such as Founders Day, our Delta Bursary, Charter Day.

03:12 So we still stay in close contact.

03:14 And it's been especially special to me

03:17 because after so many years,

03:19 you reminisce on so many memories

03:21 and you still have that bond.

03:23 So we definitely stay in close contact.

03:25 One common misconception that I think a lot of people

03:27 have about the Divine Nine is that being Greek

03:31 is a lot about wearing the letters

03:34 or the strolls or the parties,

03:35 or even like, you know, just look and fly on campus

03:40 or wherever your service area is.

03:44 But a lot of the things that they don't see

03:45 is the work that goes behind it.

03:47 Even step shows, right?

03:48 Like the work that goes behind that,

03:50 the public service that goes behind it,

03:52 the decision making, the opinions,

03:54 all of those things, I think it's important to emphasize

03:57 the real work that it takes to, you know,

04:01 maintain an organization, to maintain a chapter,

04:04 but also make sure that you're upholding those principles

04:07 that you were founded upon.

04:08 So I know that a common misconception

04:11 is probably one of the top misconceptions

04:14 I believe a lot of people have,

04:15 but I think it's important for D9 members

04:20 to emphasize the real work that actually happens

04:24 and to make sure that it's at the forefront

04:26 and a priority versus the stepping and the strolling

04:29 and the parties and the fun stuff.

04:31 (upbeat music)

04:33 (upbeat music)

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