# Phi Delta Kappa (sorority)

The National Sorority of Phi Delta Kappa, Inc. (NSPDK) is an International African American professional sorority for women in the field of education. It was founded on May 23, 1923, in Jersey City, New Jersey.

## History

Gladys Merritt Ross, a teacher in Jersey City, New Jersey, held an organizational meeting with other teachers on March 30, 1923 to discuss forming an educational sorority for African American women who were prohibited from joining existing organizations due to segregation. Phi Delta Kappa was officially incorporated on May 23, 1923, as a sorority for women in the field of education.
Its founders were Julia Asbury Barnes, Ella Wells Butler, Marguerite Gross, Florence Steele Hunt, Edna McConnell, Gladys Cannon Nunery, Gladys Merritt Ross, and Mildred Morris Williams. Because the founders were all minors, their parents and guardians became the sorority's trustees. Attorney J. Mercer Burrell helped the group to become incorporated.
In the 1940s, the sorority helped finance the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History and conducted subscriptions campaigns for The Negro History Bulletin. In the 1970s, the sorority formed a youth group called Xinos to support academic achievement, community service, and leadership amongst high school girls.
As of 2024, the sorority has 5,000 members. It is a member of the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights. Phi Delta Kappa's national headquarters is at 8233 South King Drive in Chicago, Illinois.

## Symbols

Phi Delta Kappa's colors are scarlet and gold. Its newsletter is The Courier and its magazine is The Krinon.

## Chapters

As of July 2022, Phi Delta Kappa has 146 chapters. Following is a list of chapters, with active chapters indicated in bold and inactive chapters in italics.
| Chapter | Charter date | Location | Status |
| Alpha | May 23, 1923 | Jersey City, New Jersey | Active |
| Beta | October 1924 | Washington, D.C. | Active |
| Gamma | October 12, 1925 | Baltimore, Maryland | Active |
| Epsilon | 1926 | Charleston, West Virginia | Active |
| Zeta | | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | Active |
| Eta | March 5, 1927 | Camden, New Jersey | Active |
| Theta | November 5, 1927 | Brooklyn, New York | Active |
| Iota | November 12, 1927 | Atlantic City, New Jersey | Active |
| Kappa | | Youngstown, Ohio | Active |
| Lambda | | Charlotte, North Carolina | Active |
| Mu | 1931 | Chicago, Illinois | Active |
| Nu | | Birmingham, Alabama | Active |
| Xi | December 2, 1932 | Chester, Pennsylvania | Active |
| Omicron | | Ensley, Alabama | Active |
| Pi | 1933 | Trenton, New Jersey | Active |
| Rho | 1934 | Wilmington, Delaware | Active |
| Sigma | | Cincinnati, Ohio | Active |
| Tau | | Indianapolis, Indiana | Active |
| Upsilon | | Tuskegee, Alabama | Active |
| Phi | | York, Pennsylvania | Active |
| Chi | | Detroit, Michigan | Active |
| Psi | | Mobile, Alabama | Active |
| Alpha Alpha | | Kansas City, Missouri | Active |
| Alpha Beta | | Nashville, Tennessee | Active |
| Alpha Gamma | | Jacksonville, Florida | Active |
| Alpha Delta | | Miami, Florida | Active |
| Alpha Epsilon | | Atlanta, Georgia | Active |
| Alpha Zeta | February 13, 1943 | Richmond, Virginia | Active |
| Alpha Eta | | Evansville, Indiana | Active |
| Alpha Theta | | New Orleans, Louisiana | Active |
| Alpha Iota | | Concord, North Carolina | Active |
| Alpha Kappa | | Tulsa, Oklahoma | Active |
| Alpha Lambda | | Norfolk, Virginia | Active |
| Alpha Mu | November 1946 | Annapolis, Maryland | Active |
| Alpha Nu | | St. Louis, Missouri | Active |
| Alpha Xi | | Cleveland, Ohio | Active |
| Alpha Omicron | | Tampa, Florida | Active |
| Alpha Pi | | Dover, Delaware | Active |
| Alpha Rho | | Dallas, Texas | Active |
| Alpha Sigma | | Fort Worth, Texas | Active |
| Alpha Tau | | Roanoke, Virginia | Active |
| Alpha Upsilon | | Danville, Kentucky | Active |
| Alpha Phi | | Pensacola, Florida | Active |
| Alpha Chi | | Portsmouth, Virginia | Active |
| Alpha Psi | | Beckley, West Virginia | Active |
| Beta Alpha | | Shreveport, Louisiana | Active |
| Beta Beta | | Montgomery, Alabama | Active |
| Beta Gamma | | Toledo, Ohio | Active |
| Beta Delta | | Dayton, Ohio | Active |
| Beta Epsilon | 2021 | New York, New York | Active |
| Beta Zeta | 1954 | Durham, North Carolina | Active |
| Beta Eta | | Memphis, Tennessee | Active |
| Beta Theta | | Los Angeles, California | Active |
| Beta Iota | | Akron, Ohio | Active |
| Beta Kappa | | West Palm Beach, Florida | Active |
| Beta Lambda | December 18, 1955 – 19xx ?; December 18, 1955 | Winston-Salem, North Carolina | Active |
| Beta Mu | | Gary, Indiana | Active |
| Beta Nu | | San Francisco, California | Active |
| Beta Xi | | Orlando, Florida | Active |
| Beta Omicron | 1957 | Jamaica, New York | Active |
| Beta Pi | | Chattanooga, Tennessee | Active |
| Beta Rho | | Texarkana, Texas | Active |
| Beta Sigma | | Lakeland, Florida | Active |
| Beta Tau | | Salisbury, Maryland | Active |
| Beta Upsilon | | Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania | Active |
| Beta Phi | | Compton, California | Active |
| Beta Chi | | Milwaukee, Wisconsin | Active |
| Beta Psi | | Knoxville, Tennessee | Active |
| Gamma Alpha | | Columbus, Ohio | Active |
| Gamma Beta | | Kansas City, Kansas | Active |
| Gamma Gamma | | Panama City, Florida | Active |
| Gamma Delta | | Flint, Michigan | Active |
| Gamma Epsilon | | Oklahoma City, Oklahoma | Active |
| Gamma Zeta | | Monrovia, Liberia | Active |
| Gamma Eta | | St. Augustine, Florida | Active |
| Gamma Theta | | Brewton, Alabama | Active |
| Gamma Iota | | Sacramento, California | Active |
| Gamma Kappa | | Saginaw, Michigan | Active |
| Gamma Lambda | | Pasadena, California | Active |
| Gamma Mu | | Virginia Beach, Virginia | Active |
| Gamma Nu | | Little Rock, Arkansas | Active |
| Gamma Xi | | El Cerrito, California | Active |
| Gamma Omicron | | Miami, Florida | Active |
| Gamma Pi | | Paducah, Kentucky | Active |
| Gamma Rho | | Shaker Heights, Ohio | Active |
| Gamma Sigma | | Las Vegas, Nevada | Active |
| Gamma Tau | | San Antonio, Texas | Active |
| Gamma Upsilon | | Waco, Texas | Active |
| Gamma Phi | | Fresno, California | Active |
| Gamma Chi | | Charleston, South Carolina | Active |
| Gamma Psi | | Jackson, Tennessee | Active |
| Delta Alpha | | Inkster, Michigan | Active |
| Delta Beta | | Austin, Texas | Active |
| Delta Gamma | | Virginia Beach, Virginia | Active |
| Delta Delta | September 29, 1979 | Jacksonville, Florida | Active |
| Delta Epsilon | | Dallas, Texas | Active |
| Delta Zeta | | Waycross, Georgia | Active |
| Delta Eta | | Ocala, Florida | Active |
| Delta Theta | | Daytona Beach, Florida | Active |
| Delta Iota | | Lake City, Florida | Active |
| Delta Kappa | | Inglewood, California | Active |
| Delta Lambda | | Egg Harbor Township, New Jersey | Active |
| Delta Mu | | Memphis, Tennessee | Active |
| Delta Nu | | Bergen County, New Jersey | Active |
| Delta Xi | | Long Beach and Carson, California | Active |
| Delta Omicron | | Muskogee, Oklahoma | Active |
| Delta Pi | June 19, 1982 | Hillside, New Jersey | Active |
| Delta Rho | | San Bernardino, California | Active |
| Delta Sigma | | Jefferson City, Missouri | Active |
| Delta Tau | | Wichita, Kansas | Active |
| Delta Upsilon | | San Diego, California | Active |
| Delta Phi | April 9, 1983 | North Haven, Connecticut | Active |
| Delta Chi | | Houston, Texas | Active |
| Delta Psi | | Gainesville, Florida | Active |
| Epsilon Alpha | | Somerset, New Jersey | Active |
| Epsilon Beta | | Tyler, Texas | Active |
| Epsilon Gamma | | Plano, Texas | Active |
| Epsilon Delta | | Lawton, Oklahoma | Active |
| Epsilon Epsilon | | Langston, Oklahoma | Active |
| Epsilon Zeta | | Ennis, Texas | Active |
| Epsilon Eta | | New Bern, North Carolina | Active |
| Epsilon Theta | | Beaumont, Texas | Active |
| Epsilon Iota | | Galveston, Texas | Active |
| Epsilon Kappa | | Barbados | Active |
| Epsilon Lambda | | Orange, Texas | Active |
| Epsilon Mu | | Bainbridge, Georgia | Active |
| Epsilon Nu | | Moreno Valley, California | Active |
| Epsilon Xi | | Forest Park, Ohio | Active |
| Epsilon Omicron | | Spokane, Washington | Active |
| Epsilon Pi | | Arlington, Texas | Active |
| Epsilon Rho | | Homer and Minden, Louisiana | Active |
| Epsilon Sigma | | Gastonia, North Carolina | Active |
| Epsilon Tau | | Decatur, Georgia | Active |
| Epsilon Upsilon | | Greensboro, North Carolina | Active |
| Epsilon Phi | | Evanston, Illinois | Active |
| Epsilon Chi | | Spring Valley, New York | Active |
| Epsilon Psi | | Jackson, Mississippi | Active |
| Zeta Alpha | | Mesquite, Texas | Active |
| Zeta Beta | | Port Arthur, Texas | Active |
| Zeta Gamma | | Maywood, Illinois | Active |
| Zeta Delta | | Selma, Alabama | Active |
| Zeta Epsilon | May 16, 2021 | Neptune Township, New Jersey | Active |
| Zeta Zeta | 2021 | Rochester, New York | Active |
| Zeta Eta | 2021 | Westchester, New York | Active |
| Zeta Theta | | Phoenix, Arizona | Active |
| Zeta Iota | 2022 | Upper Marlboro, Maryland | Active |
* ↑ Chapter was chartered at the West Virginia Colored Institute (now West Virginia State University) and later became a post-graduate chapter for female teachers, principals, and counselors actively engaged in the field.

## Notable members

* Pearlie Craft Dove, college professor
* Consuelo Milner, scientist, cryptographer, and teacher
* Lemoine Deleaver Pierce (1957), educator and international and domestic relations mediator.
* Barbara Sizemore, superintendent of District of Columbia Public Schools

### National honorary members

* Mary McLeod Bethune, educator and civil rights leader
* Barbara Bush (1991), First Lady of the United States
* Shirley Chisholm, United States Congress
* Mary Frances Early (2021), the first African-American to earn a degree from the University of Georgia and namesake of the University of Georgia Mary Frances Early College of Education
* Zelma Watson George, opera singer and delegate to United Nations General Assembly
* Irma P. Hall (2007), actress
* Charlemae Hill Rollins, pioneering librarian, author, and storyteller in the area of African-American literature
* Anna Arnold Hedgeman, civil rights leader and the first African-American woman to hold a cabinet post in New York
* Ella P. Stewart, America's first Black female pharmacist
* Merze Tate, history professor at Howard University
* Bazoline Estelle Usher (1950), an educator known for her work in the Atlanta Public Schools