Sigma Gamma Rho: motto of the youngest Black Greek-letter organization is "Greater Service, Greater Progress." - Black Sororities and Fraternities, part 5

Ebony, Feb, 1991

Fed up with being isolated because of segregation, seen feisty young teachers founded a Black sorority in 1922 at predominantly White Butler University in Indianapolis. Sixty-eight years later, Sigma Gamma Rho still prides itself on taking action in the face of adversity.

While most Black Greek-letter organizations were founded on Black college campuses, where the social climate was supportive and communal, Sigma Gamma Rho was not, and this historical feature has carved a unique brand of sisterhood, according to Grand Basileus Katie Kinnard White.

"Sigma Gamma Rho was founded where (our founders) had to fight the wilds," says Dr. White, a biology professor at Tennessee State University in Nashville. "It came into being with a cohesiveness that said we must unite for a common good, to strengthen."

Today, much of the sorority's strength can be found in its increasing numbers. Headquartered in Chicago, it has 350 undergraduate and alumnae chapters in the Caribbean, Africa and the United States, with more than 70,000 members. Part of its strength is in the diversity of its members, primarily composed of educators in the early days. "The more diverse, the better off we are," says Dr. White, adding that Sigma Gamma Rho now has in its ranks psychologists, legal professionals, artists, sociologists, nurses and doctors who actively support the sorority's programs.

The sorority's mission and purpose are reflected in its motto, "Greater service, greater progress." Like other Black Greek-letter organizations, Sigma Gamma Rho was born out of a strong desire to improve the Black community and an equally solid sense of indebtedness to the community. For 16 years, the sorority's Project Reassurance has brought parents, grandparents and young adults together to address the high-risk problem of teen pregnancy. According to Dr. White, Sigma Gamma Rho has long recognized how this threatening epidemic impacts upon the economic health of the entire family. "Economic empowerment starts with our children," she emphasizes. The sorority's National Education Fund provides more than $20,000 each year in college scholarships to promising students, in addition to funds awarded by local chapters. The fund also makes sizeable annual donations to the United Negro College Fund and other organizations designed to educate Black youth.

Sigma Gamma Rho has supported philanthropic causes benefiting Africa as well, and is particularly proud of its five-years joint venture with Africare, an organization that provides developmental assistance to an increasing number of African countries. Most recently, the sorority raised thousands of dollars to help purchase grain grinders for Zimbabwean women, who do most of the processing of meal by hand in the rural areas. "We were looking for a way to reach back and help our brothers and sisters, especially the women," says Lillie VanLandingham, a national officer of Sigma Gamma Rho and Africare liaison. "Although this kind of assistance may be small and simple, it is of great help to the people of Africa," she says.

Reaching out to women in need is a hallmark of the sorority, according to Dr. White. "White pride ourselves on reaching out to individuals whom we can improve by bringing them in," says White. "Many times the tendency is to reach for those who can offer something to the organization."

One of the proudest moments for Sigma Gamma Rho came at its 1990 annual conference when the sorority unanimously voted to join the seven other Black Greek-letter organizations in abolishing pledging, a controversial initiation process used to test the loyalty of prospective members of Greek organizations. The move was proposed earlier in the year by a task force of the Black Greek-letter council.

"This means we will be getting away from abuse, misuse and demeaning individuals before they can get in," says Dr. White. "Our founders gave the best they had, and they weren't pledged. Now we can get back to the real business of academic excellence, service to the community and philanthropy."