The women of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority (DST) are holding their 56th National Convention, July 18-23 in Indianapolis, Ind. On the second day of the conference, the newest honorary members were announced. Seven Black women of high-level positions and trail-blazing legacies joined the 110-year-old sorority.
The newly inducted members include Ambassador Bonnie Denise Jenkins, Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown-Jackson, Channing Dungey, Rashida Jones, Tamika Catchings, Debra Lee and Phyllis Newhouse.
Lee is the former chairman and CEO of BET network, meanwhile, Catchings is a basketball legend, having played 15-seasons with the WNBA team the Indiana Fever. Newhouse serves as the CEO, founder and co-founder for a variety of companies including Athena Technology Inquisition Corp., Xtreme Solutions, and ShoulderUp.
Dungey is the chairman and CEO of Warner Brothers TV Group, Jones is the president of MSNBC, Jenkins is the United States Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security and Brown is the first Black woman to ever serve on the U.S Supreme Court.
The official Instagram page for DST posted pictures of the new members and noted how excited they are to welcome them to their sisterhood.
“Honorary Membership is the highest honor extended to women who have made significant contributions to society while excelling in their chosen fields. We welcome these exemplary women into our beloved sisterhood with great joy and love!” the sorority stated to their social media followers.
Each inductee has had their own groundbreaking careers working in fields such as media, law, business, professional sports and tech.
Members of the historical organization have expressed how delighted they are to have these women join them in upholding their values of sisterhood, scholarship, service and social action.
“I feel like this is a great thing. They made a great selection of seven different types of women who reflect Delta Sigma Theta. Hearing their biographies inspired me to continue within Delta and continue in my career field,” said Kiden Smith, a spring 2022 initiate of the Delta Pi Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority.
Smith is currently attending the national convention and noted that being in the same room as the honorees gave their speeches was emotional for her.
“When they announced these women, you could just feel the energy. It was a very beautiful moment,” said Smith. “I felt pretty emotional considering the great achievements of these women, the fact that they reflect what our sisterhood is about and the amazing strides that they’ve made.”
To learn more about Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc visit: https://www.deltasigmatheta.org/
AFRO Staff Writer, abrent@afro.com
Fun fact: The wife of former publisher Carl J. Murphy, Vashti Turley Murphy, was one of the founders of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. Read more here.