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African American Campus Experiences at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio
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African American Sororities at Miami University

Introduction

Text-to-speech Audio

Richard Hall is in the center of campus at 501 South Oak Street. This building has housed numerous sororities including the African American sororities Alpha Kappa Alpha, Delta Sigma Theta, and Zeta Phi Beta. The building offers living quarters and dining for the sorority students that live there. The African American sororities established at Miami offer important resources and support for female African American students as well as improving and providing aid to the community. Due to limited enrollment, African American sororities have historically struggled to finance housing and other needs, but with increasing diversity of the student body at Miami University they are growing in size and support.

Images

Delta Sigma Theta, 1971

Members

Delta Sigma Theta, 1973

Members

Delta Sigma Theta, 1971

Members

Delta Sigma Theta, 2000

Members

Mrs. Frances Gibson Richard, 1952

Richard Hall's namesake

Backstory and Context

Text-to-speech Audio

Miami University is home to three of the four historical Black sororities apart of the National Panhellenic Council. The first is Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority incorporated (AKA). AKA was founded January 15th, 1908 by nine women on the campus of Howard University, a historically Black university. Their mission is “to cultivate and encourage high scholastic and ethical standards, to promote unity and friendship among college women, to study and help alleviate problems concerning girls and women in order to improve their social stature, to maintain a progressive interest in college life”. The Lambda Mu chapter was chartered on the campus of Miami University on May 7, 1977. The chapter currently has nine members and host a variety of events for the campus including “All Girls Rock” and events honoring the accomplishments and contributions of students, and “AKAdemics” a study event for finals week.

 

Delta Sigma Theta was founded on the campus of Howard University on Monday, January 13th, 1913 by 22 women. With over 300,000 members, they are currently the largest Black Greek letter organization. The sorority prides itself on being an “organization of college educated women committed to the constructive development of its members and to public service with a primary focus on the Black community”. The Zeta Mu chapter was the first Black sorority to be chartered on Miami University’s campus on Saturday, March 29th, 1969. The Chapter currently has 11 members. Some of their annual programs at Miami includes “Jabberwock”, an event where Miami students showcase their talents to the community for the prize of a book scholarship and “Habitat for Humanity”, an event where members go into the surrounding communities to help build houses for those in need.

 

Zeta Phi Beta Sorority Incorporated was the third sorority founded on Howard University’s campus on January 16, 1920. The purpose of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority is to foster the ideas of service, charity, scholarship, civil and cultural endeavors, sisterhood and finer womanhood. They were chartered on Miami University’s campus on April 28, 2001 and currently have 3 members in the chapter. Their annual programs at Miami University include a poetry slam competition and “Z harmony”.

The continuing success of Miami University’s historic Black sororities are a testament to their rich cultural history and significance at Miami.

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