The Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc. was founded on Jan. 16, 1920, at Howard University, Washington, D.C., at a time when Black individuals and organizations sought to push back against the negative onslaught of anti-Blackness from the Ku Klux Klan and the U.S. as a whole. During the 1920s and 1930s, the Harlem Renaissance was considered the first movement for the intellectual and cultural revival of African American art forms, fashion, theater, politics, and scholarship in New York City.
In 1920, the Volstead Act became effective, marking the start of Prohibition, and in Tennessee, the 19th Amendment was passed, giving women the right to vote.
During this tumultuous decade that ended with the Great Depression, five visionary women paved the way to creating a positive change through a sorority, where academic achievement would be encouraged and unity fostered among its members.
These ladies aimed to debunk the elitism surrounding sororities that often clouded their mission of addressing rampant social injustices like prejudices and poverty that particularly impacted the Black community.
Zeta Phi Beta was the first National Pan-Hellenic Council organization to centralize its operations in a national headquarters, the first sorority with a chapter in Africa, and the first to be constitutionally bound to a fraternity, Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc., among others. Since its establishment, the sorority has chartered hundreds of chapters worldwide and has a membership of more than 100,000. Today, they have more than 875 chapters in the United States, and 2,000 youth auxiliaries.
Members of Zeta have contributed to the academic excellence of college students through scholarships, with $3.5 million in awards to college students over the last five years, the Arizona Cleaver Stemons $100,000 Scholarship (2020), and the Pearl Anna Neal $125,000 Scholarship (2021).
On its 103rd year, the organization’s anniversary theme is “The Year of the International Woman: Serving and Advocating for Health Justice Home & Abroad.”
The Defender takes a look at some of the most famous members of the sorority. Hop on!
Syleena Johnson performs during Black Music Honors 2021 at City Winery Nashville on May 5, 2021 in Nashville, Tennessee. The 2021 Black Music Honors airs in national syndication from June 5 through July 4 and on Bounce TV on Saturday, June 19. (Photo by Jason Kempin/Getty Images) 
Portrait of author Zora Neale Hurston, circa 1940s. (Photo by Fotosearch/Getty Images). 
Sheryl Underwood attends the 48th Annual Daytime Emmy Awards at Associated Television Int’l Studios in Burbank, California. (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images) 
Anita Hill attends Keynote Conversation With Professor Anita Hill co-hosted by The Meteor and USC Visions & Voices at the Bing Theatre, University of Southern California on October 16, 2021 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Leon Bennett/Getty Images) 
Vivica A. Fox attends the Studio 189 Spring Summer 2024 Collection Fashion Show during New York Fashion Week – September 2023: The Shows at Spring Studios on September 10, 2023 in New York City. (Photo by Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images for Studio 189) 
Autherine Lucy with Roy Wilkins and Thurgood Marshall of NAACP in 1955. Source: Wikipedia 
Monica “Dr. Moe” Frazier Anderson. Source: Wikipedia 
Esther Rolle (1920-1998), from the television comedy series ‘Maude’ and ‘Good Times’. (Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images) 
Rhyne Howard #10 of Team Wilson controls the ball during the 2023 WNBA All-Star game at Michelob ULTRA Arena on July 15, 2023 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images) 
Dr. Deborah Wolfe. Source: Wikipedia 
(L-R) Elisabeth Omilami and Afemo Omilami attend “When They See Us” Atlanta screening at The Gathering Spot on May 30, 2019 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Paras Griffin/Getty Images for Netflix)
