By AFRO Staff

The women of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority’s Baltimore Alumnae Chapter held their Founders Day Luncheon on Feb. 5 inside of the Calvin and Tina Tyler Ballroom, located on the campus of Morgan State University. 

National President and Chair of the organization, Elsie Cooke-Holmes served as keynote speaker for the event, which drew hundreds of members from around the D.C., Maryland and Virginia (DMV) area and beyond. See more coverage of the event online at AFRO.com.

  • Rev. Vashti Murphy McKenzie, Kellie McGowan and Rev. Dr. Frances Toni Draper CEO and publisher Afro American Newspaper
  • Geraldine A. Finch, president of the Baltimore Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, stepped into the role after the untimely passing of former president Joanne S. Mack.
  • Monica Watkins served as president of the Baltimore Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta between 2014 and 2018.
  • Rita Cooper, Gwendoly, Lindsay and Michel McClary-McNeil-Emory all 50 years.
  • Mistress of Ceremony Dr. Lisa Smith-Sherrod.
  • Ariana Toland and Jasmin Leboo. (Photos by James Fields)
  • A sea of crimson washed over the Morgan State University campus, as hundreds of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority members came together to honor their 22 founders. The organization was founded on the campus of Howard University on Jan. 13, 1913 by 22 women, including Vashti Turley Murphy, who would go on to be a civil rights activist, an educator and wife of AFRO Publisher Carl J. Murphy. (Photos by James Fields)
  • Former Baltimore Alumnae Chapter President Arlene Wongus (Photos by James Fields)
  • Krystle I. Myers, Esq accepts the Vashti Turley Murphy Award. (Photos by James Fields)
  • Delta Sigma Theta Sorority National President and Chair, Elsie Cooke-Holmes speaks to the hundreds of women gathered for the Founders Day Luncheon on Feb. 5. (Photos by James Fields)
  • Deabra Bennett Feaster was initiated into Delta Sigma Theta Sorority’s Zeta Delta Chapter at Bowie State University more than 50 years ago. (Photos by James Fields)
  • Dr. Candace Ogelsby
  • Leaders of the Baltimore Alumnae Chapter from left to right: Ebony Teagle, second vice president, Monica Wyatt, third vice president, Geraldine Finch, president and Kenya Adams, first vice president. (Photos by James Fields)
  • Yemonja Smalls (Photos by James Fields)
  • Betty Clark served as one of three Founders Day general chairwomen
  • Christina Kelly, an educator, musician, life coach, producer, and a spoken word artist, was initiated into the Alpha Gamma Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority at Morgan State University prior to joining the Baltimore Alumnae Chapter.
  • Denise Gordon
  • Denise McCullre and Waverly Debraux.
  • Elsie Cooke-Holmes, national president and chair of Delta Sigma Theta’s National Board of Directors.
  • Honorable Vicki Ballou-Watts
  • Minnye King has been apart of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority for over 30 years
  • Rev. Dr. Frances “Toni” Draper, publisher and CEO of the AFRO American Newspapers, is a direct descendant of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority founder Lula Vashti Turley Murphy.
  • Rev. Dr. Gwendolyn E. Boyd served as Delta Sigma Theta Sorority’s 22nd national president.
  • Rev. Tamara E. Wilson
  • Rosie Allen-Herring, current director of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority’s Eastern region.
  • Sonya White-Norman and Deena White.
  • Rev. Vashti Murphy McKenzie, the 117th elected and consecrated bishop of the African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church. Murphy is an author of more than five books and was chosen as the first African-American woman to serve as president of the Council of Bishops and its General Board.