Today Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc. (SGRho) is celebrating 99 Years of excellence, exemplifying their service and leadership worldwide.

Seven amazing women, Mary Lou Allison Garner Little, Dorothy Hanley Whiteside, Vivian Irene White Marbury, Nannie Mae Gahn Johnson, Hattie Mae Annette Dulin Redford, Bessie Mae Downey Rhoades Martin, and Cubena McClure, founded the sorority on November 12, 1922, in Indianapolis, Indiana, at Butler University. 

The sorority became an incorporated national collegiate sorority on December 30, 1929. Since then, the sisterhood has welcomed over 100,000 women from every profession looking for a place to share experiences, serve and uplift their community through scholarships, community service, and most importantly, sisterhood. 

With over 500 chapters and 85,000 SGRho members across the United States, Bermuda, the Virgin Islands, Bahamas, Germany, and Korea, the slogan, "Greater Service, Greater Progress," upholds its commitment to improving the quality of life for its members and the society it serves.  

The sisterhood offers its members opportunities to develop their unique talents through leadership training and involvement in sorority activities and has poured into women's development through countless efforts. Partnerships include HBCUs, Google, Goldman Sachs, Project Africa, the National Council of Negro Women, Urban League, and the NAACP.

Many remarkable women are a part of Sigma Gamma Rho's herstory. In celebration of Founder's Day, we've put together a list of members we admire. 

Hydeia Broadben

Broaden was born with congenital HIV and became the 1st minor to be an HIV activist at the age of 6-years-old. Ebony Magazine named her one of the Most Influential 150 African Americans in 2008 and 2011.

Sandra Bland

Bland was a member of the Delta Alpha Chapter of Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority Inc. Her tragic death in 2015 following a traffic stop invigorated the Black Lives Matter movement and sparked our country's necessary conversation about police brutality. — In 2016, Geneva Reed-Veal, Bland's mother, was inducted into her daughter's beloved sorority.

Deshauna Barber

Capt. Barber is a logistics commander in the Army Reserve, a motivational speaker, and a survivor of child sexual assault. On June 5, 2016, Barber became the first serving military personnel, and the ninth African-American woman crowned Miss USA. 

Lisa Price

Brooklyn native Lisa Price is the founder of Carol's Daughter, the famous hair product line. Price created one of the first African American-owned product lines with a flagship store in the U.S. Price was inducted at the sorority's Northeastern Regional Conference in Charlotte, North Carolina, on April 22, 2016.

U.S. Congresswoman Robin Kelly

U.S. Congresswoman Robin Kelly has been a member of the U.S. House of Representatives since 2013 and represents Illinois' 2nd congressional district. She was re-elected n 2019, amassing over 80 percent of the vote against her Republican challenger.

Maritza McClendon Correia

In 2004, McClendon became the first Puerto Rican of African descent to be on the U.S, Olympic team and an integral part of Sigma Gamma Rho's Swim 1922 program, a partnership between the sorority and USA Swimming. She also became the first Black female swimmer from the United States to set an American and world swimming record and took home a Silver medal in the 400-meter freestyle relay.

Carmelita Jeter

Jeter is a retired American sprinter specializing in the 100 meters and was the 2011 IAAF World Champion in the 100 m and a proud member of Sigma Gamma Rho.

Dubbed the "Fastest Woman Alive," Jeter also won gold medals in the 2012 London, 2007 Osaka, 2011 Daegu, 2007 Stuttgart, and 2009 Thessaloniki. The 6x Gold medallist had an impressive career cut short due to an injury that kept her from competing in the 2016 Olympics.

Renee Powell

Professional golfer Renee Powell, a proud member of Sigma Gamma Rho, was inducted into the PGA Hall of Fame in 2017. In 1967, she was the second Black woman to compete on the LPGA Tour and the first woman of color elected to the PGA of America in 1996. The Hall of Famer competed in more than 250 professional tournaments and won the 1973 Kelly Springfield Open in Brisbane, Australia.

MC Lyte

Lana Michele Moorer, better known by her stage name MC Lyte, is a proud member of Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority. From the stage to the red carpet, the rapper, D.J., actress, and entrepreneur is always ready to rep her letters! 

In 2016, her custom SGRho sneakers were featured in a collection in the new National Museum of African American History and Culture. Lyte is also one of the female pioneers of Hip Hop and gained fame in the rap game, becoming the first solo female rapper to release a full-length album.

Selena Sloan Butler

Selena Sloan Butler is the founder and first president of the National Congress of Colored Parents and Teachers Association. President Herbert Hoover appointed her to the White House Conference on Child Health and Protection in 1929. 

Happy Founder's Day Sigma Gamma Rho!

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