OUR SEVEN ILLUSTRIOUS FOUNDERS HAD A ...
" 'TWAS A CHILLY NIGHT IN NOVEMBER, IN THE YEAR OF OUR LORD NINTEEN HUNDRED AND TWENTY-TWO..."
"Seven ladies had come together, with minds as one. They had created an entity to be reckoned with for generations to come. They had taken the finest ideals of workmanship, their dedication to the community, and the sheer integrity of true womanhood, and embodied it in 3 letters: Sigma Gamma Rho. But, these ladies had always been achievers. In a time when black and white could not go to elementary school together, these women went to college. Not only did they dare do that, they had the nerve to get degrees and become educators. Not only did they achieve all this in a predominantly white setting, they had the AUDACITY to form a sorority, based on the above-mentioned principles, on a predominanatly white campus. Undoubtedly, they were pioneers of their era. They were unique with gifts that can be seen in the sorority's members till this day. Yes, the founders of Sigma were great women, indeed. They were the EPITOME OF ELITE WOMANHOOD. They simply would not> back down from their course. And neither shall we..."
Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Incorportated, was founded on November 12th, 1922, on the predominantly white campus of Butler University, Indianapolis, Indiana. Our ideals are multifold:
- Scholastic Attainment
- Our founders were educators, so scholastic attainment is inherent in our principles. We believe that in this day and age, education is key in uplifting our communities. We often work very closely with local schools. This is evident in our high school affiliate club, Rhoers. This is a program geared to helping younger ladies mature into leaders of the future, and productive members of society. The Rhoers program puts emphasis on educational needs, as well as gives attention to the ladies' physical and spiritual needs, that is, by helping them pay attention to both aspects of their lives, and cultivate a habit of constantly enriching them. Our roots in education also shine through in our membership. A large number of our members go on to become educators themselves, and others do other kinds of "behind the scenes" work, like politics and religion. In other words, our membership is very much interested in things academic. As a collegiate member of the Sisterhood, we also see the importance of maintaining good grades. We are committed to helping all women interested in any and all phases of education.
- Community Service
- Goddsses of the dawn do not settle for conditions in the community today. We were created as a community service organization, an ideal we stick rather strongly to. We try our best, from the undergraduate levels and beyond, to be felt in the communities around us as caring women dedicated to the communities' best interests. We do several projects, both on the national and local levels. Our motto, "Greater Service, Greater Progress" speaks for itself.
- Character
- As stated earlier on this webpage, Sigma is an elite organization, not for reasons of material wealth, but because of our levels of character. A woman of Sigma has her life prioritized. She is a woman taking care of business, from the boardroom to the classroom, to the homefront. We are women who attain great heights of achievement because we dare to stand out. We dare to keep our chins up while petty minds find petty things to say about us. We dare to be different. We dare to stand up for the community. And we do all this with class and style. A woman of Sigma carries herself with the dignity of any hardworking woman/mother/student/combination of the above who KNOWS what she's about: Business. Plain and simple. You will see us in many forms and styles; Sigma dares to let her members be unique, and not all look or act alike. You will see us in many fields of concentration; Sigma is strengthened by the many different minds that direct it. It's the things that makes us different that eventually make us AS ONE.
- Sisterhood
- WE ARE OUR SISTERS' KEEPER. We take our oath each other very seriously. One of the unique benefits to being small is the greater feelin of a true Sisterhood, not just a sorority,that we share. We may argue (mostly in private), just like any family would. We may disagree on several things, but our common goals and ideals allow us to agree to disagree . It's almost impossible to convey on this page the love we share, the special bond that is uniquely Sigma. It can only be experienced.
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