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Chapter History

Delta  Sigma  Theta  Sorority,  Incorporated,  is a not-for-profit organization whose purpose is to provide assistance  and support through established programs throughout the world. Since its founding in 1913 on the campus  of  Howard  University, the Sorority has  now blossomed  into  the nation’s  largest  African  American  women's organization with more than 350,000 members and over 1,000 collegiate and alumnae chapters located in the United States, the Arabian Gulf, Bahamas, Bermuda, Canada, Germany, Jamaica, Japan, the Republic of Korea, West Africa, and the Virgin Islands.

 

The Danville Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated,  located in Danville, VA, was chartered on April 6, 1946, as the Gamma Gamma Sigma Chapter and was a part of the Eastern Region. The charter members were Clara Hoffler Clark, Carrie H. Coleman, Signora L. Collins, Irene Gordon, Vergia Hobson, Virginia Mack Johnson, Hortense Person Martin,  Fannie C. Owens, and Elizabeth Holland Trent. 

 

The elected president and vice president were Carrie H. Coleman and Fannie C. Owens, respectively. The following fall of 1946, six members were initiated into Gamma Gamma Sigma Chapter and the membership continued to grow.  In 1960, at the Sorority’s national convention in Chicago, IL, the Chapter was renamed Danville Alumnae Chapter and became a part of the newly created South Atlantic Region.

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Charter member Fannie C Owens (seated) is shown with members at the Chapter’s 70th anniversary celebration. Left to Right (standing): Sorors Barbara Younger, Sheila Williamson-Branch, Sharon Jones, Sonia Williams, and Doris Wilson.

With a service area that includes the City of Danville, and the surrounding counties of Pittsylvania, Halifax, and Caswell, the Chapter continues in the Sorority Founders’ footsteps to promote the Five-Point Programmatic Thrusts of Educational Development, Economic Development, Political Awareness & Involvement, Physical & Mental Health and International Awareness & Involvement. The Chapter’s local membership of 96 college-educated women has assumed the charge of ensuring its communities receive well-rounded support through various fundraising events and programs.

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Several community organizations benefit by receiving financial and volunteer support from Danville Alumnae. These include:

  • Danville Lifesaving Crew

  • American Heart Association

  • House of Hope (Homeless Shelter)

  • Danville Cancer Association

  • Boys and Girls Clubs

  • Big Brothers and Big Sisters

  • God’s Storehouse

  • Haven of the Dan River Region (Domestic Violence Shelter)

  • Tri-County Community Action Agency ‘s Food Pantry

  • God’s Pit Crew

  • Sickle Cell Anemia

  • United Way

  • United Negro College Fund

  • Habitat for Humanity

  • NAACP

  • National Night Out

  

Many outstanding individuals have participated in Chapter events. They include: 

 

  • Soror Ruby Dee

  • Soror Mary McLeod Bethune

  • Soror Sadie T.M. Alexander

  • Soror Helen Edmonds (Professor at North Carolina Central and Interim President)

  • Soror Edyth Tweedy (South Atlantic Regional Director)

  • Soror Dorothy I. Height (National President)

  • Soror Fannie Lou Hamer (National Civil Rights Worker)

  • Soror Beverly Smith (then National First Vice President)

  • Soror Nikki Giovanni (Poetess)

  • Mr. Ron Clark (of The Ron Clark Academy in Atlanta, GA, who presented a one-day workshop for area educators)

Chapter Past Presidents

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