FOUNDERS DAY: Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc.

Greek Letters: ΖΦΒ
Founding Year: 1920
University: Howard University – Washington, DC
Colors: Royal Blue and White
Flower: White Rose
Mascot: White Dove

Motto: A community-conscious, action-oriented organization

Brief History
Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Incorporated (ΖΦΒ) was founded on January 16, 1920, at Howard University, Washington, D.C. The Klan was active during this period, and the Harlem Renaissance was acknowledged as the first important movement of Black artists and writers in the U.S. This same year the Volstead Act became effective, heralding the start of Prohibition and Tennessee delivered the crucial 36th ratification for the final adoption of the 19th amendment giving women the right to vote. The worst and longest economic recession to hit the U.S. would define the end of the decade-The Great Depression.

Within this environment, five coeds envisioned a sorority that would directly affect positive change, chart a course of action for the 1920s and beyond, raise people’s consciousness, encourage the highest standards of scholastic achievement, and foster a greater sense of unity among its members. These women believed that sorority elitism and socializing overshadowed the real mission of progressive organizations and failed to address fully the societal mores, ills, prejudices, and poverty affecting humanity in general and the black community in particular.

Founders:
Arizona Cleaver Stemons
Pearl Anna Neal
Myrtle Tyler Faithful
Viola Tyler Goings
Fannie Pettie Watts