Special to The Mississippi Link
On April 26 at 10:38 a.m., Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated added the 1008th chapter to the illustrious sisterhood. The Madison County (MS) Alumnae Chapter became the 208th alumnae chapter chartered in the dynamic Southern Region, and the first alumnae chapter chartered under the leadership of Christine Nixon, the southern regional director of the sorority.
By signing the chartering document, the ladies of the Madison County Chapter represent women who have sworn to dedicate their lives to education, service, sisterhood and making a difference in the lives of others.
Fifty women united to create this chapter which will provide service to Madison County, Miss.
The chapter’s service area includes the cities of Camden, Canton, Farmhaven, Flora, Gluckstadt, Madison, Ridgeland and Sharon.
The charter members are Sheryl R. Addison, Keisha Bell, Carrine H. Bishop, Dawn Bishop-McLin, Rhea Williams Bishop, Keila Brown, Laura Brown, Kimberly Carson, Jeanetta Carter, Carol Cooper, Rhonda Cooper, Gwendolyn Cotten, Phyllis Cotten, Rita Cross, Tasha Davis, Jana Davis, Yvonne Ellis, Johnnie Maberry-Gilbert, Mary Elizabeth Gilbert, Beverley Greene, Fannie Green, Joyce Wade Hamme, LaVonda Hart, Linden Haynes, Daphne Monix Higgins, Je’Nea Jones, Mary Jones, Wanda Keahey, Leandra Lowery King, Daphne M. McBeth, Verna Myers, Katrina B. Myricks, Melba Palmer, Debra Rice, Katherin Robinson, Gracie Sanders, Connie Siggers Parker, Janet Taylor, Jasmine P. Taylor, Joyce G. Taylor, Diona Thomas, Sylvia M. Thomas, Vanessa Upkins, Vanessa Tucker, Vanessa Vance, Nicole Wilson, Leah H. Walters, Carol Warfield, Crystal L. Williams and Dionne Woody.
During the reception that followed the chartering ceremony, The Madison County (MS) Alumnae Chapter president, Daphne M. Higgins, provided words of expression. Charter member and vice-president, Katrina B. Myricks, presented Christine Nixon, with an original painting entitled “Scholarship, Service, Sisterhood” by artist and charter member, Johnnie Maberry-Gilbert. The painting was given to Nixon to commemorate the significance of the event, as well as, to honor the chartering of her first alumnae chapter as regional director.
Presentations and acknowledgments were made to other visiting Delta dignitaries from the Southern Region and guests from across the state. The excitement of a new beginning and the joy of a milestone reached were shared by sorority sisters of both alumnae and collegiate chapters representing each state in the dynamic Southern Region: Alabama, Florida (which also represented the Bahamas), Georgia, Mississippi and Tennessee; family, friends, and other fraternities and sororities. More than 130 were in attendance.
Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated was founded on January 13, 1913, on the college campus of Howard University in Washington, D.C. Its quest began with 22 college-educated, African-American women who wanted to use their influence to promote education and to be of service to others. Today, the organization consists of over 200,000 college-educated women and over 900 chapters located in the United States and seven other countries.
The ceremony and reception were held at Rosa Scott School in Madison, a site whose namesake embodies the very principles of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.: education, family, community and public service.
Charter member Je’Nea Jones provided the school’s history and Scott’s, the first principal of then Madison Rosenwald School.
Seventy years ago, on May 12, 1938, Rosa Scott passed away. However, her legacy continues to live and she continues to be a part of history.
On April 26, 2008, Rosa Scott and Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. became Partners in Education, Partners in Perseverance, and Partners in History.
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