Eric Tadsen
'We're a tight group. We depend on each other, and we support each other.' says Delta's Carola Gaines, left, with Jessica Strong.
When Theresa Sanders was an undergraduate at Wilberforce University during the 1960s, the struggles for racial equality and women's rights were fully under way. She saw classmates at the historically black college in Ohio board a bus for Cleveland to support Carl Stokes, the first black mayor of a major U.S. city, and take part in bra-burning ceremonies. Sanders wanted in on the action. So she joined a sorority.
"The Alpha Kappa Alphas were the leaders on campus," recalls Sanders, 66, who recently retired from the Dane County Department of Human Services. "They were the movers and shakers in terms of making sure that we were organized on black college campuses."
Like many other black Greeks, sorority life for Sanders did not end at graduation; she has been an Alpha Kappa Alpha for 47 years.
America's black sororities are among the oldest African American institutions in the country. Here in Madison, alumni chapters are important networking associations, helping recruit and retain black professionals, and service organizations, sponsoring fundraisers for college scholarships and being the go-to volunteers at many community events.
And they have long been involved in efforts to address Madison's racial disparities, an issue that is getting more play recently as published reports highlight just how different life can be for black and white residents.
This work is motivating and strengthening sororities around the country, says Lawrence Ross, an expert on black Greek life and the author of The Divine Nine: The History of African American Fraternities and Sororities.
"Like back in the '60s, they are energized about what is happening around them in the community in terms of the fight for racial justice," says Ross. "During all of the Eric Garner and Ferguson events and all of the issues with African Americans being killed by the police around the country, you started to see your young college students and sorority members saying, 'We need to mobilize. We need to activate. We need to use our networks.' I can't emphasize enough that African American fraternities and sororities are of the community."
Ross, who lectures on black Greeks at campuses around the country, adds that sororities "have always been a training ground for leadership, and that experience will pay off for these women as they go through life."
Gloria Ladson-Billings, the president of the graduate chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha in Madison, went through that training while an undergraduate during the 1960s at Morgan State University, a historically black college in Baltimore. Like Sanders, she has now been an AKA for 47 years.
"You have to remember that the Selma march happened at that time, and my college career was bookended by the assassinations of Malcolm X in 1965 and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in 1968. Those events were so present in my mind," says Ladson-Billings, 67, a professor in curriculum and education at UW-Madison. "It was a very interesting and dynamic time. The question for me was, how does this [sorority] affiliation help with that kind of work? When I began to see that all of these great [civil rights] leaders of that era had black Greek organization affiliation, and when I saw what the Alpha Kappa Alphas were doing, I knew that I had to get involved."
Fifty years later, that work around social justice continues for Ladson-Billings and her sorority sisters.
"There's so much going on in Madison; there's so much need," Sanders says. "We try to do as much as we can to make that impact, but we always want to do more. Serving my sorority, serving my chapter, serving my community has been an awesome experience. It's been an opportunity of a lifetime."
Partying second
Toga! Toga! Toga!
The National Lampoon classic Animal House did a good job of creating the perception that Greek life is exclusively about drinking and partying.
"A lot of my colleagues who know nothing about what black Greek organizations are about automatically assume when I mention sorority they think 'party!' or something social," says Jessica Strong, 27, a member of the local graduate chapter of Delta Sigma Theta. "It's not. Especially with African American Greek organizations. There's an expectation that you will do work and continue that work throughout your life. We are about shaping the communities that we live in. I always have to make sure that I make that known to people who may not be aware."
Deltas run in Strong's family. Her 87-year-old grandmother, Mellie Concentine, pledged at Tuskegee University, and her mother, Terri Strong, is a 33-year member of the Deltas. "I had grown up knowing that both of them were part of this great organization but not really understanding everything about the organization until I joined in 2013," Strong says. "I did a lot of research and went to a lot of events that the alumni chapter held in Dane County, and I really was just enamored by how much love the members of the organization showed each other and the incredible bond."
Last fall, Strong, who is an aide to U.S. Rep. Mark Pocan, organized a series of voter education and registration events hosted by the Deltas. These included panels, forums and mock elections to make sure that people were politically informed and able to exercise their right to vote as chaos ensued over Wisconsin's voter ID law.
Ross says black sororities continue to prioritize service over partying. And, he adds, to do more with less. "They don't have the numbers that white sororities have, but are still able to do a lot. They are able to train a small group of women and teach them how to lead and learn how to do service."
Black sororities launched in the early 20th century at a time when the traditional roles of women were being challenged but sexism and racism was still rampant. "It wasn't the best time to be a woman or black -- it was a bad combination," says Ross. "There were a lot of schools at the time that didn't even allow women. So these women were breaking barriers not just by going to college but also by pursuing male-dominated careers like medicine and law."
On the campus of Howard University, the historically black college in Washington, D.C., sororities were formed so that women could support each other, adds Ross. "Collectively, it was a group of African American women who were going to be leaders in the African American community. Their grouping together was the best way to utilize their power...particularly as college-educated women."
Signature events
The competition has gotten increasingly intense among the men who duke it out for prizes at Men Who Cook, Alpha Kappa Alpha's annual fundraiser. After all, the event celebrated its 20th anniversary last year, so friendly rivalries have had a chance to develop among the men who cook their favorite dishes from scratch to raise funds for scholarships for college-bound African American students.
Longtime competitors include former Madison Police Chief Noble Wray; Everett Mitchell, director of community relations at UW-Madison; Juan Jose Lopez, bureau director for the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Department; and Capital City Hues publisher Jon Gramling.
Last year, Gramling walked away with the top prize in the side dish category for his yellow squash and tomatoes, while Sam Thomas won first place for barbecue chicken in the main dish category. Dominic Ledesma's oatmeal carmelitas won top dessert.
Sanders started the event with T. Ella Strother in 1994, and it has grown every year. This year's event, slated for March 14, is moving to a bigger venue, the CUNA Mutual Foundation on Madison's west side. The sorority has lined up 25 cooks so far.
Men Who Cook is the major fundraiser for the graduate chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc., which was chartered in May 1976. Sanders, who was the chapter's second president in 1978, says the group has grown from a handful to some 40 members. "We've really made our mark on Madison."
The AKAs also host "Walk It Out" health and fitness fairs, serve as hostesses at the Martin Luther King Jr. Community Dinner, help out at the 100 Black Men's Backpacks for Success event, and participate in food drives and Toys For Tots.
The Deltas major fundraiser -- the annual Heart and Soul Ball -- is also coming up. This event, slated this year for Feb. 14, raises money for scholarships for college-bound women and men. The alumni chapter of Delta Sigma Theta, which was chartered in August 1977 in Madison, started with 22 members and today counts 54.
The Deltas host food drives, health fairs, career fairs for high school students and programs to assist African American at-risk adolescent girls. "We are always looking at new and creative ways to [help our community]," says Carola Gaines, president of the Madison alumni chapter of Delta Sigma Theta.
Zeta Phi Beta is Madison's newest black sorority, with just a handful of members. "But we are active in our community," says Karla Foster, president of the local alumni chapter of Zeta Phi Beta sorority.
The sorority collaborates with Conversation Mixtape, a local African American discussion group, and the Foundation for Black Women's Wellness. The group also volunteers at the Burr Oaks Senior Facility, hosting workshops, trainings and social activities for the residents. You can also see the Zetas volunteering their time and efforts at Juneteenth Celebration, National Night Out, the 100 Black Men Back to School Picnic and the NAACP Block Party.
Greek love
The networking black sororities provide is vital in a city like Madison, which has historically had trouble attracting and retaining talented young professional people of color.
"Women that come here from out of state want to know the basics: Where can I get my hair done? Where can I get my nails done? Where can I get child care?" Gaines says. "The AKAs, the Deltas and the Zetas -- we can all say, 'Here, these are the things that are here in our community. Let us know if you need help. We're here for you.'"
Black sororities provide an important support network, in particular for black women who leave cities with large minority populations and feel lonely and isolated in Madison.
"Sororities are so important for us to network for jobs and housing and education," Sanders says. "As black women, we were raised to not go into communities that are not known. And, as a result, they will miss out on a lot of things -- especially jobs. But if we have a sorority sister who lives there and knows the community, she can help guide us through. At the end of the day, it's good to have that connection to a group of over 150,000 [AKA] women that can connect me to resources and support systems all over the world."
Ladson-Billings took advantage of that network when moving to Madison in 1991. "[Chavez Elementary Principal] Linda Allen was [AKA] president, and I contacted her telling her that I was an AKA moving to Madison with my family, and I needed the following: a Realtor and recommendations for doctors, dentists and attorneys. She got that to me right away," Ladson-Billings says. "Last night, a woman called me from Michigan who wanted to move to Madison. I told her to send me her resume and that we would help her get a job. I've never seen this woman, but what I do know is that she's a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha, and she's at least committed to principles that are very close to mine."
Those kind of ties exist among Madison's sororities as well. "There's a bond of sisterhood that we all have in our African American sororities. We call it 'Greek love,'" Ladson-Billings says. "We always show support to other organizations. At the end of the day, we have the same mission. We want to leave our footprint and help people -- particularly people of color and people who have been marginalized. It doesn't make sense to be rivals in a town this small -- other than friendly rivalry -- with the numbers of black people being what they are and the situation and condition of black people here."
That's why when you go to a sorority event there will always be women from the other sororities, dressed in their own colors, there in support.
Ross says the colors associated with black sororities and fraternities are important.
"The colors are precious, and the founding date that you will find many times on black sorority clothes" is a point of pride, he says. "It's a little different in white sororities and fraternities, [where] they are not really as worried about the colors being exact. For African American fraternities and sororities, we don't do that."
Branching out
Banned from white sororities, black college students started their own. But now, black sororities are themselves becoming more diverse, with Latina, Asian and white women part of the mix.
Ladson-Billings says that black Greek sororities have always had non-black members because they have no discrimination in their charters.
"I'm really excited that our sororities are becoming more diverse. In the Delta chapter, one of those young ladies coming up is Filipino. In the group of women that we just initiated, one of them is Puerto Rican," Ladson-Billings says. "A member of my chapter is white, and she came to us from Michigan and works for Epic [Systems]. There's an understanding that although our focus and our service is in the African American community -- that's where the need is -- we've never been about discriminating."
For many of Madison's black sorority sisters, that commitment to service is as important as church and family.
"If I'm going out of the house it's for my church -- Mt. Zion Baptist Church -- or for my AKAs. Those are the two things I do," Sanders says. "I am devoted and committed to this service organization, and I really couldn't imagine life without it. It's good for me. I truly enjoy it. It's just amazing."
The same is true for Gaines. "I get great joy in life in being a Delta -- it's a huge part of who I am. If I'm dog tired at the end of the day and I know I have a Delta meeting or event to go to, I get charged up. I get excited because I know I'm going to be with my sisters. We're a tight group. We do depend on each other, and we support each other. We have that commitment to each other."
Sanders says her husband often teases her on that point. "Yes, you are married to me," he tells her, "but you're married to the AKAs, too!"