On the morning of Saturday, Jan. 13, members of the Upsilon chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. gathered together at Rivers Lake in Inglewood, enjoying each other’s company and the subtle nine o’clock morning breeze. Dressed in striking crimson outfits that proudly displayed the Greek letters of the sorority, the members were preparing to march exactly 1.11 miles around the lake. 

To the members of Delta Sigma Theta, the decision to walk 1.11 miles was intentional.

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“We’re celebrating 111 years of sisterhood, scholarship and service,” said Kendall Bradwell, a member of Delta Sigma Theta and a junior majoring in the business of cinematic arts. “[Delta Sigma Theta] was founded on serving the general public, but more specifically, the Black community.”

Founders’ Day — the day the sorority was established — is a day dedicated to celebration and commemoration. Sorority members held the march on Jan. 13 because it was the day when 22 women established the sorority’s first chapter at Howard University in 1913. Members of the Inglewood Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta also joined the USC students in the morning’s festivities. 

Delta Sigma Theta is a member of the National Pan-Hellenic Council, an association of nine historically Black fraternities and sororities, also known as the “Divine Nine.” Members of the NPHC have historically  involved themselves in advancements of justice, equality and service. 

While marching around the lake, Bradwell said that Delta Sigma Theta members once participated in a historic Women’s Suffrage Parade in Washington, D.C., in March 1913. She said she admires the sorority’s continued commitment to championing voters’ rights by establishing and maintaining national programs promoting voter advocacy and registration.

The National Pan-Hellenic Council is no stranger to the fight for equality. The council was established on the grounds of Howard University on May 10, 1930, during a difficult period of American history marked by rampant racial discrimination, segregation and civil unrest. NPHC called for unity at a time when white fraternities and sororities refused to associate with Black fraternities and sororities. 

Like Delta Sigma Theta, all members of the D9 host unique celebrations for their respective Founders’ Days. Five of the D9 celebrate their Founders’ Days in January: Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.; Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.; Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc.; Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc. and Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc.

Following Delta Sigma Theta’s Founders’ Day on Jan. 13, USC’s Iota Beta chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha celebrated theirs on Jan. 15 by participating in community service on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.

Nine women established Alpha Kappa Alpha at Howard University on Jan. 16, 1908. The sorority was founded to serve as an agent of progress and change for the Black community and has been actively involved in fighting for human rights since its inception. The sorority also has historic ties to Coretta Scott King. In the 1960s, AKA named King as an honorary member. 

Zeta Phi Beta’s Founders’ Day is on Jan. 16. Amid the violence being induced by the Ku Klux Klan and the birth of the Harlem Renaissance, five founding members — known as the Five Pearls — established Zeta Phi Beta on Jan. 16, 1920 at Howard University to drive positive change and foster unity. 

USC’s Gamma Lambda chapter of the sorority held a chapter-wide photoshoot and day of service on the 15th, and attended a restaurant party with their sponsoring alumni and graduate chapter, the “Los Angeles Zetas,” on the 16th. During the photoshoot, the members enjoyed filming a TikTok that was later uploaded to their official social media pages, @usczetas. The video has reached over 5,300 views on Instagram as of Jan. 18.

Sydney Henry, the president of USC’s chapter of Zeta Phi Beta and a senior majoring in intelligence and cyber operations, said academic excellence is a central principle of the sorority in an interview with the Daily Trojan. 

“We have one of the highest academic GPAs within the NPHC because one of our principles is scholarship,” Henry said. “We focus a lot on education and excellence within education.”

This Founders’ Day celebration was the sorority’s first in nearly five years; the chapter was last active in 2018 but was reinstated in May 2023. Henry, along with fellow member Hayden Hurt, was responsible for reactivating the chapter. 

Hurt, a graduate student majoring in literary editing and publishing, said her experience in Zeta Phi Beta has been overwhelmingly positive. 

“[Being a part of Gamma Lambda] has allowed me to grow in the way that I manage my life. I’ve gotten a lot more strategic with how I manage my classes, my job and my workflow,” Hurt said. “And it’s also just been a really amazing sisterhood to be a part of, getting to meet so many strong women that are empowering and that have amazing careers to follow behind.”

To many USC students, being a part of the D9 provides a sense of community and empowerment. 

“Going to a [predominantly white institution] was a culture shock for me. So being able to find places for me to express myself and just be confident in my blackness was really important to me,” Bradwell said. “Going to some Delta events on campus was the first time I was able to really feel vulnerable around people that looked like me and had similar experiences as me.”