Special to the Banner-News
On April 26, 1974, the Lambda Mu chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., was chartered on the campus of Southern State College, Magnolia, Arkansas--now Southern Arkansas University (SAU)--as the first non-academic sorority sanctioned on the campus. Sixteen outstanding women, who had a commitment to sisterhood, scholarship and service, will celebrate their 50th anniversary on the campus of SAU April 26-27, 2024.
Charter members included Brooksie Ann Charles, Barbara Daughtery, Minnie Pearl Davis, Janet Fergerson, Saundra Hamilton, Theodora Jones, Leah G. Lilly, Beverly Carol Moss, Mona Nelson, Charlotte Ogden, Evelyn Parker, Linda Ann Smith, Yolanda L. Smith, Paulette Stephens, and Evelyn Wainwright. Jackie Diane Thornton was initiated into Delta Sigma Theta Sorority in 1973, as a Model Initiate at the Sorority's National Convention in Atlanta, GA.
The organization will commemorate its 50-year-celebration gala 7:00-10:00 p.m. on April 27 at SAU's Donald W. Reynolds Campus and Community Center, 100 East University Street, Magnolia, Arkansas. Formal attire preferred. Tickets are still available for purchase until April 19, 2024. Please submit payments of $50 per guest via Cashapp to $SunndyBean. Include name(s) in payment notes for arrival check-in. Tickets can also be purchased on Eventbrite.com. Search "Lambda Mu 50th Anniversary Formal Gala". For alternate payment information email [email protected].
As a part of the two-day celebration, the organization will continue its commitment to community service by providing supplies to Compassion's Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization in Magnolia that provides shelter, support, and resources to victims of domestic violence and sexual assault. If you would like to join us in support of this organization, an Amazon Wishlist is posted https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/6UTRCIK7P39T?ref_=wl_share
Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., is a historically African American sorority. The organization was founded by college-educated women dedicated to public service with an emphasis on programs that assist the African American community. Delta Sigma Theta was founded on January 13, 1913, by 22 women at Howard University in Washington, D.C. The sorority currently has over 350,000 members and over 1,000 chapters located in the Bahamas, Bahrain, United Arab Emirates, Saudia Arabia, Qatar, Oman, Bermuda, Canada, England, Germany, Jamaica, Japan, West Africa and South Africa, South Korea, United Kingdom, and the United States. Delta Sigma Theta is also a member of the umbrella organization National Pan-Hellenic Council (NPHC)--an organization of nine international Black Greek-letter sororities and fraternities. The current (28th) International President and CEO is Elsie Cooke-Holmes.