Sorority chapter celebrates 60 years of serving Columbus
BY LARRY GIERER -
lgierer@ledger-enquirer.com
Blacks had the vote in Columbus.
At the polls, it wasn't just the color of their skin that was different -- it was also the color of the cards they signed.
"Whites signed white cards, and we had colored cards," Mae Washington said. "I think they were pink. I can't say that votes weren't being counted but something was still wrong."
It was the sorority Delta Sigma Theta, of which Washington was the president of the local chapter in the mid-1960s, that fought and got that changed so there was no distinction made between white and black voters.
"Deltas have always been in front of fights for justice and for better education," said Washington, a retired school psychologist.
She said Deltas played a big part in the support of the Little Rock Nine, who integrated Central High School in Arkansas 50 years ago.
Delta Sigma Theta was founded on the campus of Howard University in Washington in 1913 and now has more than 900 chapters.
The Columbus Alumnae Chapter, which boasts 272 active members, is celebrating its 60th anniversary in grand style this month with several activities planned for the community.
A few examples of celebrity Deltas include singers Roberta Flack, Lena Horne, Natalie Cole and Aretha Franklin, actress Ruby Dee and Brig. Gen. Hazel Johnson Brown, Ph.D, the first black female general in the United States Army.
The local group consists of many civic leaders. Among them are Columbus Tax Commissioner Lula Lunsford Huff, Mayor Pro Tem Evelyn Turner Pugh, Keep Columbus Beautiful Director Gloria Weston-Smart, Aflac Executive Vice President Audrey Boone Tillman, WRBL anchor Teresa Whitaker and Muscogee County School District Director of Elementary Education Karon Greyer.
"We're all about service, scholarship and sisterhood," said Jeanella Pendleton, principal at Reese Road School. "There is a social aspect to the sorority, but we work hard so we can play hard. We have helped many a student get to college who might not have done it without our help."
"We've given out more than $500,000 in scholarships," said retired teacher Constance Lindsey, whose son Chris is principal at Carver High.
"There's also the Delta Academy," a program that provides mentoring for girls in the understanding, utilization and appreciation of technology and math," she said.
"Those are areas in which girls typically have not shown much interest," Pendleton said.
Health is another Delta cause.
"We work to help get information out about health problems that are common in the black community such as high blood pressure," said Huff, chapter president. The "Lose to Win" healthy lifestyle program provides a guide for good women's health.
Voter registration is always on the minds of the Deltas. "We have people trained and deputized, who go into areas and get people to register," retired teacher Emily Walker said. "That is not as hard as getting them to actually come to the polls."
In 1995, the Deltas became the first black group to build a Habitat for Humanity House.
"Every member but one showed up with a hammer," Huff said.
"She showed up with a hatchet," Washington laughed.
The community will get to join in as the Deltas, who will be honored at Columbus Council, celebrate this week.
At 5 p.m. today, there will be a GospelFest at the Salvation Army Lovick P. Corn Worship and Community Center on Warm Springs Road. The event is free, but the sorority is hoping for financial or canned good donations for the Salvation Army.
On Feb. 16, the chapter will collaborate with the American Heart Association to sponsor "Walking for the Heart" at Shirley Winston Park. It will begin at 10 a.m., followed at 10:30 a.m. by a public seminar on HIV/AIDS awareness and prevention.
Later that evening, there will be a jazz concert featuring the Atlanta group Five Men On A Stool at the Columbus State University Fine Arts Hall beginning at 7:30 p.m. Champagne and chocolate will be served. Proceeds from the $45 ticket will benefit the American Heart Association, HIV/AIDS programs and CSU scholarships.
On Feb. 17, chapter members will worship at St. John African Methodist Episcopal Church and National President Louise A. Rice will address them.
The sorority also shows sisterhood to women in other countries.
"We help support a hospital in Africa," said Pendleton, who said the sorority supplies "Mama Kits" to help mothers with newborns.
Walker said the sorority lent support to the efforts to help Hurricane Katrina survivors. Huff tells of helping the impoverished in Buena Vista, Ga., in a neighborhood known unkindly as "Rat Row."
"Deltas do what needs to be done," Lindsey said. "We'll continue to do so."
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