The women of the Zeta Pi Chapter

1
The women of the Zeta Pi Chapter
Present
2
A Century of tradition
A tradition of excellence.
3
The 1900s
Featuring these courageous women
Ma Rainey Mary M. Bethune
4
Ma Rainey (1886-1939)
Ma Rainey, known as Gertrude from her family
members, was born into a showbiz family that
performed in minstrel shows. She first appeared
onstage in 1900, singing and dancing in minstrel
and vaudeville stage revues. In 1902 she married
the song and dance man William "Pa" Rainey and
from then on became known as Ma Rainey. The
couple formed a song and dance act that included
Blues and popular songs. It was not until 1923
that Ma Rainey signed a recording contract and
was billed as the "Mother of the Blues. All in
all, she recorded 100 songs between 1923 and 1928
and was accompanied by many noted jazz musicians
such as, Louis Armstrong, Tommy Ladnier, and
Coleman Hawkins.
5
Soror Mary McLeod Bethune (1875-1955)The drums
of Africa still beat in my heart. They will not
let me rest while there is a single Negro boy or
girl without a chance to prove his
worth.Mary McLeod Bethune
By her own words and example, Mary McLeod Bethune
demonstrated the value of education, a philosoph
y of universal love, and the wise and consistent
use of political power in striving for
racial and gender equality. The 15th of 17
children of former slaves, Bethune grew
up amidst poverty and oppression of the
Reconstruction South, yet rose to
prominence as an educator, presidential advisor,
and political activist. Through her own
schooling by missionaries in South Carolina,
Bethune recognized the importance of education i
n the emerging struggle for civil rights.
6
They have carried us on their backs. They have
given birth to life, love and legacy. They were
there in the beginning, and will stand
Steadfast till the end. They are the unsung hero
es, they are African-American women.
7
The 1910s
Featuring these courageous women
Fannie Lou Hamer Harriet Tubman Edmonia Lewis
8
Harriet Tubman 1819-1913
Harriet Tubman's life was a monument to courage
and determination that continues to stand out in
American history. Born into slavery in Maryland,
Harriet Tubman freed herself, and played a major
role in freeing the remaining millions . Harriet
Tubman was a runaway slave from Maryland who
became known as the "Moses of her people." Over
the course of 10 years, and at great personal
risk, she led hundreds of slaves to freedom along
the Underground Railroad, a secret network of
safe houses where runaway slaves could stay on
their journey north to freedom. She later became
a leader in the abolitionist movement, and during
the Civil War she was a spy for the federal
forces in South Carolina as well as a nurse.
9
Soror Fannie Lou Hamer 1917-1977
Hamer became involved in the civil rights
movement when she volunteered to attempt to
register to vote in 1962. By then 45 years
old and a mother, Hamer lost her job and
continually risked her life because of her
civil rights activism. Despite this and a
brutal beating, Hamer spoke frequently to
raise money for the movement, and helped
organize the Mississippi Freedom Democratic
Party, to challenge white domination of the
Democratic Party. In 1964, the MFDP challenged
the all-white Mississippi delegation to the
Democratic Convention.Deeply committed to
improving life for poor minorities in her state,
Hamer, working with the National Council of Negro
Women and others, helped organize food
cooperatives and other services. She continued
political activities as well, helping to convene
the National Women's Political Caucus in the
1970s. She is buried in her home town of
Ruleville, Mississippi, where her tombstone
reads, "I am sick and tired of being sick and
tired."
10
Edmonia Lewis 1845-1911
Lewis, America's first black woman sculptor,
was born to a Chippewa mother and a free black
father. After being orphaned at age twelve,
she was adopted by abolitionist parents. Lewis
received a scholarship to study at Oberlin
College in Ohio and developed into an
accomplished Neo-classical sculptor. She went
to Rome, where she worked and exhibited with
Harriet Hosmer and other famous female
sculptors. In her most important works, she de
picted major Native American figures,
expressed her interest in black history,
and incorporated images of heroic
women. Her classic images are timeless. They have
become more than works of art, they are
treasures.
11
How beautiful are their stories. How majestic
their contributions. Because of them I am
empowered- I am alive
12
The 1920s
Featuring these courageous women
Josephine Baker Sadie T. M. Alexander Bessie
Smith

13
Bessie Smith 1895-1937
Bessie Smith was born in Chattanooga,
Tennessee. Around 1910 Smith became the
protégée of Gertrude (Ma) Rainey, one of the
earliest blues singers. After working in
traveling shows she went to New York City,
where from 19231928 she made recordings,
accompanied by such outstanding artists as
Louis Armstrong, Fletcher Henderson, and
James P. Johnson. She quickly became the
favorite singer of the jazz public. The power
and somber beauty of her voice, coupled with
songs representing every variety of the
blues, earned her the title Empress of the
Blues. Though she continued to tour, her last
years were embittered. She died after an
automobile accident while on tour in Mississippi.
Numerous critics regarded her as the greatest of
all jazz artists, and her fame increased
enormously after her death.
14
Josephine Baker 1906-1975
As a child in St. Louis, Josephine Baker rummaged
for coal behind Union Station and for food behind
Soulard Market. At age 13 she waitressed at the
Chauffeurs' Club on Pine Street and danced with a
minstrel band. In 1925 she went to Paris with the
Revue Nègre. She starred in the Folies-Bergère
the next season and became one of France's
best-loved entertainers. During World War II, she
was a heroine of the Resistance. And even though
she was a French citizen, she was an activist for
civil rights in the United States. On her death
in 1975, she was given an unprecedented state
funeral in Paris.
15
Soror Sadie Tanner Mossell Alexander 1898-1989
The descendent of an extraordinarily accomplished
family of scholars and professionals, Alexander
was a dedicated civil rights activist and in 1921
became the first black American to receive a
doctorate in economics. She later became the
first black woman to graduate from the University
of Pennsylvania Law School. President Harry S
Truman appointed her to his new Civil Rights
Commission in 1946, and in 1948 she helped lay
the foundation for a national civil rights policy
by coauthoring the Commission's report, "To
Secure These Rights." She believed that the
United States could remain a strong democracy
only if people of all races and backgrounds were
given opportunities to improve themselves.
16
In politics, if you want anything said, ask a
man . If you want anything done, ask a woman
-Margaret Thatcher
17
The 1930s
Featuring these courageous women
Lena Horne Billie Holiday Ida B.
Wells
18
Ida B. Wells 1862-1931
Her parents were slaves when Wells was born and
died from yellow fever when she was 14. By 1891
Wells was an outspoken, young free woman. That
year she helped found the newspaper Memphis Free
Speech and began to publish articles denouncing
the outbreak of lynching's in the South. Wells'
influence grew to the point where she was no
longer safe living in Memphis, and so she moved
to Chicago in 1892. There she continued to work
tirelessly to promote civil rights and women's
suffrage. Wells became one of the original
founders of the National Association for the
Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) in 1909.
19
Billie Holiday 1915-1959
Billie Holiday was one of the first and
greatest of American jazz singers, known
in equal parts for her unique sense of
rhythm timing, her wistful and brassy vocals,
and her troubled personal life. Holiday began
singing in Harlem clubs as a teenager, and
first recorded (with Benny Goodman) in 1933. She
was a sensation at New York's famous jazz club,
The Apollo, and sang with the bands of Artie Shaw
and Count Basie, among others. Holiday was
nicknamed "Lady Day" during this era by
saxophonist Lester Young, with whom she often
recorded. Today she is famed as one of the most
famous and beloved singers of the blues. Her most
famous songs include "God Bless the Child,"
"Lover Man" and "My Man." She was inducted into
the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as an early
influence in the year 2000.
20
Soror Lena Horne 1917-
Singer and actress, Horne was born Lena Mary
Calhoun Horne on June 30, 1917 in Brooklyn, New
York. Thanks to her mother, who was also an
actress, she was dancing at Harlem's Cotton Club
by the age of 16 . She would later become a
popular singer with bands such as those of Noble
Sissle and Teddy Wilson. She performed in the
musical Blackbirds of 1939, and went into film,
becoming the first African-American to be signed
to a long-term contract. The title song of Stormy
Weather  (1943) became her signature. Horne was
blacklisted in the early 1950s for little more
than her friendship with Paul Robeson and her
outspokenness about discrimination, but she
performed in the musical Jamaica (1957) and later
made several other films. She toured Europe and
the USA as a nightclub singer, spoke out
increasingly against racism, and published her
autobiography, Lena in 1965.
21
The empowerment of black women constitutes ...
the empowerment of our entire community.
-Kimberly Crenshaw
22
The 1940s
Featuring these courageous women
Alice Coachman Selma Burke, PhD
23
Alice Coachman 1923-
American athlete Alice Coachman became the
first African American woman to win an
Olympic gold medal when she competed in track
and field events in the 1948 Olympic Games. As
such, Coachman became a pioneer in women's
sports and has served as a role model for black,
female athletes. She established numerous records
during her peak competitive years through the
late 1930s and 1940s, and
she remained active in sports as a coach
following her
retirement from competition.
William C. Rhoden wrote, "Her victory set the
stage for the rise and dominance of black female
Olympic champions from the United States Wilma
Rudolph, Wyomia Tyus, Evelyn Ashford, Florence
Griffith Joyner and Jackie Joyner-Kersee."
24
Soror Selma Burke 1900-1995
Selma Burke was born in Mooresville, North
Carolina in 1900, and received her training
as a sculptor at Columbia University in New
York. She also studied with Maillol in
Paris and in Vienna with Povoley. She
is best known for her relief sculpture
rendering of Franklin Delano Roosevelt that
was minted on the American dime. Burke is founder
of the Selma Burke Art Center in Pittsburgh,
Pennsylvania and has taught and supported
numerous artists from the Great Depression
through the present day. The Pearl S. Buck
Foundation Woman's Award was given to her in 1987
for her professional distinction and devotion to
family and humanity. Burke died of cancer August
29, 1995 in New Hope, Pennsylvania.
25
The 1950s
Featuring these courageous women Ella Fitzgera
ld Leontyne Price
26
Ella Fitzgerald 1917-1996
Dubbed "The First Lady of Song," Ella
Fitzgerald was the most popular female jazz
singer in the United States for more than half a
century. In her lifetime, she won 13 Grammy
awards and sold over 40 million albums. Her
voice was flexible, wide-ranging, accurate and
ageless. She could sing sultry ballads, sweet
jazz and imitate every instrument in an
orchestra. She worked with all the jazz greats,
from Duke Ellington, Count Basie and Nat King
Cole, to Frank Sinatra, Dizzy Gillespie and Benny
Goodman. She performed at top venues all over t
he world, and packed them to the hilt. Her
audiences were as diverse as her vocal range.
They were rich and poor, made up of all races,
all religions and all nationalities. In fact,
many of them had just one binding factor in
common - they all loved her.
27
Soror Leontyne Price 1927-
Price studied voice at the Juilliard Music
School with Florence Page Kimball.
Subsequently from 1952 to 1954 she appeared
as Bess in Gershwin's Porgy and Bess on
Broadway repeating her performance in a
highly successful international tour
sponsored by the U.S. State Dept. She made her
operatic debut on television in 1955, singing
the title role in Tosca. In 1961 she made her
debut at the Metropolitan Opera as Leonora in
Verdi's Il Trovatore. Five years later, in
1966, she created the role of Cleopatra in
Samuel Barber's Antony and Cleopatra, which
opened the Metropolitan's new building at Lincoln
Center. Price's voice is noted for its
extraordinary range and power. She is
particularly noted for her performances of the
title roles in Verdi's Aïda and Puccini's Madame
Butterfly.
28
Its so clear that you have to cherish everyone.
I think thats what I get from these older black
women, that every soul is to be cherished, that
every flower is to bloom. -Alice Walker
29
The 1960s
Featuring these courageous women Shirley Chish
olm Wilma Rudolph
30
Soror Wilma Rudolph 1940-1994
Rudolph was born June 23, 1940, in St.
Bethlehem, Tennessee. Born premature and
sickly as a child, Rudolph had problems with
her left leg and had to wear a brace. With
the help of physical therapy she was able to
overcome her physical disabilities and
participate in High School sports. A
naturally gifted runner, she was later recruited
for the track team.  While still in high school,
Rudolph qualified for the 1956 Olympic Games in
Melbourne, Australia. At the age of 16, she was
the youngest member of the U.S. team and won a
bronze medal in the sprint relay event. After
finishing high school, Rudolph enrolled at
Tennessee State University where she studied
education.  Later in the 1960 Olympics held in
Rome, Rudolph won the 100 meter, 200 meter, and
sprint relay events, making her one of the most
popular athletes from the games. She made
numerous appearances on television and received
several honors, including being named the
Associated Press Woman Athlete of the Year twice.
31
Soror Shirley Chisholm 1924-2005
Shirley Chisholm was the first
African-American woman to be elected to the
U.S. Congress. She served seven terms as a
representative from New York's 12th district
from 1969 until her retirement in 1982.
Chisholm grew up in Barbados and also in New
York City, where she earned a graduate degree
from Columbia University in 1952. She taught
school before entering the New York state
assembly in 1964 and then easily winning
election to Congress in 1968. She ran for the
Democratic nomination for president in 1972,
becoming the first African-American woman to run
for the office. An opponent of the Vietnam War
and a proponent of education and child welfare,
she received about 5 of the vote at the party's
national convention. Chisholm wrote the memoirs
Unbossed and Unbought (1970) and The Good Fight
(1973).
32
Style, class, beauty, tact.
They never leave home without it.
33
The 1970s
Featuring these courageous women Barbara Jorda
n Toni Morrison
34
Soror Barbara Jordan 1936-1996
Barbara Charline Jordan was born February
21, 1936, in Houston, Texas. Jordan graduated
magna cum laude from Texas Southern
University in 1956, and earned her law
degree from Boston University in 1959. She
then returned home to Houston to practice
law. Jordan was elected to the Texas Senate in
1966, becoming the first female African-American
to do so. In 1972, she was elected president
pro-tempore of the Texas Senate - the first
African-American elected to preside over a
legislative body anywhere in the country. When
Jordan was elected to the U.S. House of
Representatives in 1972 she became the first
African-American woman to represent a previously
Confederate state in Congress. In 1976, Barbara
Jordan became the first African-American Woman to
deliver a keynote address at a political
convention.
35
Toni Morrison 1931-
Born Chloe Anthony Wofford, in Lorain Ohio as
the second of four children, Toni displayed
early on her unique interest in literature.
She would later study humanities at Howard and
Cornell Universities and go on to work at Texas
Southern University, Howard University, Yale,
and held the position of chair at Princeton
University since 1989. She has also worked as an
editor for Random House, a critic, and given
numerous public lectures, specializing in
African-American literature. She made her debut
as a novelist in 1970, soon gaining the attention
of both critics and a wider audience for her epic
power, unerring ear for dialogue, and her
poetically-charged and richly-expressive
depictions of Black America. A member since 1981
of the American Academy of Arts and Letters, she
has been awarded a number of literary
distinctions, among them the Pulitzer Prize in
1988.
36
The 1980s
Featuring these courageous women Florence Joyn
er Carol Moseley Braun
37
Florence Griffith Joyner 1959-1998
Florence Griffith Joyner was a triple gold
medalist at the 1988 Seoul Olympics who
captivated the world with her blistering speed
and flamboyant style. She still holds world
records in the 100- and 200-meter dashes. She
set the 100 mark of 10.49 seconds at the
quarter finals of the 1988 Olympic trials at
Indianapolis. At Seoul, she won the gold
medal in a wind-aided 10.54. She then smashed
the world 200 record in the Olympic final.
Griffith Joyner was voted The Associated Press
Female Athlete of the Year for 1988 and also
won the Sullivan Award as the nation's top
amateur athlete. After retiring from track in the
wake of the Seoul Games, she served for a time
as co- chair of the President's Council on
Physical Fitness. She died unexpectedly of hea
rt failure at age thirty- eight on September
21, 1998. She and her husband had one daughte
r.  
38
Soror Carol Moseley Braun 1947-
Born in Chicago in 1947, Braun has a long
record of public and political service. She
is best known for her six- year term in the
U.S. Senate, where she was the chambers only
African American member and its first since
the tenure of Sen. Edward Brooke. Braun was
elected to the Senate in 1992, becoming the first
female senator from Illinois, the first female
African American senator and the first African
American Democratic senator. She holds a B.A.
from the University of Illinois and a law degree
from the University of Chicago.
39
The 1990s
Featuring these courageous women Jacque Reid
Lauryn Hill
40
Lauryn Hill 1975-
Lauryn Hill was one of two children to
Valerie Hill, and Mal Hill. She has an older
brother, Melaney. At the age of thirteen she
appeared on "Amateur Night" on Showtime
at the Apollo. She lost the competition, but
her ambition remained fierce. In high school
she formed the band, the Fugees, with
childhood friends, Wyclef Jean and Prakazrel
Michel. Their second album, THE SCORE, won two
Grammy Awards for Best Rap Album and Best RB
Performance By A Duo Or Group. They became the
largest-selling rap group of all time. Hill's
solo debut, THE MISEDUCATION OF LAURYN HILL, had
the highest first week sales of any album by a
female artist in history. She won four NAACP
Image Awards and received 5 Grammy nominations,
the most ever received by a female artist. The
album was also the first hip-hop release in
history to win Album of the Year. Hill has
written and produced hit songs for Aretha
Franklin and CeCe Winans. She is also the founder
of The Refugee Camp Youth Project which focuses
on improving the quality of life for inner-city
children.
41
Soror Jacque Reid
Jacque Reid was born in Philadelphia and
raised in Atlanta, Georgia. She earned a
Bachelor of Arts degree in print journalism
from Clark Atlanta University and a
Masters of Broadcast Journalism from
Northwestern University. She is also a member
of the National Association of Black Journalists.
While she is a health and fitness enthusiast who
enjoys reading, arts and entertainment and
community service with children, she is best
known for her work as the top anchor for the
Black Entertainment Nightly News. She has also
done work for the radio and guest appeared on
The View. Currently she is in the process of
launching her own jewelry company, Jacque's
Jewels.
42
The contribution of African-American women are
vast and numberless. We have come to a point in
history where we can no longer forget to
acknowledge their contributions to our world. For
surely, without them we would be a lesser
people. -Anonymous
43
The women of Delta Sigma
Theta Sorority Incorporated,
proudly present these dynamic
and outstanding women. We urge you to continue to
support the efforts of todays African-
American Women and to honor those who have
made a difference in your life.
Thank You!
44
African American Women
A Century of Tradition
A Tradition of Excellence...
45
A Zeta Pi Chapter Production