Members of Delta Sigma Theta, Eta Kappa chapter at Spelman College sing their song during Homecoming 2015
IMG 1111
Rupert Byrdsong, Oct 26, 2015
-snip-
The first song is an adaptation of the mainstream American popularized song “Sweetheart Of Sigma Chi).
The second song is Delta Sigma Theta's sweetheart song (i.e. wedding serenade song).
[Additions and corrections are welcome.]
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Edited by Azizi Powell
This is Part II of a four part pancocojams series that showcases YouTube videos of members of a particular historically Black Greek letter sororities singing their national hymns or other group songs. The lyrics to these songs aren't included in these posts.
Each of the posts in this pancocojams series showcase two videos of a national hymn or some other song that is sung by members of one historically Black Greek letter sorority that is a member of the National Pan-Hellenic Council, the umbrella organization that is composed of those four historically Black Greek letter sororities and five historically Black Greek letter fraternities.
These four sororities are presented in chronological order based on their founding dates with the oldest sorority given first.
This post presents information about Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. and showcases two YouTube videos of members of that sorority singing their national hymn or another song..
Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2026/02/historically-black-greek-letter_25.html for Part I of this pancocojams series. That post presents information about Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. and showcases two YouTube videos of members of that sorority singing their national hymn or another song.
Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2026/02/historically-black-greek-letter_0969828138.html for Part III of this pancocojams series. That post presents information about Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc. and showcases two YouTube videos of members of that sorority singing their national hymn or another song.
Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2026/02/historically-black-greek-letter_54.html for Part IV of this pancocojams series. That post presents information about Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc. and showcases two YouTube videos of members of that sorority singing their national hymn or another song.
The content of this post is presented for historical and socio-cultural purposes.
All copyrights remain with their owners.
Thanks to the founders of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. and thanks to all past and present members of that sorority. Thanks to all of those who are featured in these videos and thanks to the publishers of these videos on YouTube. Thanks also to all those who composed these songs and thanks to all those who are quoted in this post.
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INFORMATION ABOUT THE NATIONAL PAN-HELLENIC COUNCIL (THE DIVINE 9)
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Pan-Hellenic_Council
"The National Pan-Hellenic Council (NPHC) is a collaborative umbrella council composed of historically African American fraternities and sororities, commonly called the Divine Nine, and also referred to as Black Greek Letter Organizations (BGLOs).[1] The NPHC was formed as a permanent organization on May 10, 1930, on the campus of Howard University, in Washington, D.C., with Matthew W. Bullock as the active Chairman and B. Beatrix Scott as Vice-Chairman. NPHC was incorporated under the laws of the State of Illinois in 1937.[2]
[…]
History
The National Pan-Hellenic Council was established during the Jim Crow era when Greek letter collegiate organizations founded by white Americans did not want to be affiliated with Greek letter collegiate organizations founded by African Americans.[3]
INFORMATION ABOUT THE FOUR SORORITIES THAT ARE MEMBERS OF THE NATIONAL PAN-HELLENIC COUNCIL
From AI Overview (results given on February 15, 2026)
Date joined NPHC
The four historically Black sororities in the National Pan-Hellenic Council (Divine Nine) were founded between 1908 and 1922, with key incorporations following shortly after their founding to establish legal, perpetual status. They are Alpha Kappa Alpha (1908/1913), Delta Sigma Theta (1913/1930), Zeta Phi Beta (1920/1923), and Sigma Gamma Rho (1922/1929).
Here are the details for each sorority
Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. (AKA): Founded Jan. 15, 1908, at Howard University. It was incorporated on Jan. 29, 1913, to ensure perpetuity.
Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. (DST): Founded Jan. 13, 1913, at Howard University. It was incorporated in 1930.
Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc. (ZPhiB): Founded Jan. 16, 1920, at Howard University. It was incorporated in 1923.
Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc. (SGRho): Founded Nov. 12, 1922, at Butler University. It was incorporated in 1929
These organizations were created to foster sisterhood, scholarship, and service, specifically providing support networks for Black women during times of segregation and exclusion from mainstream organizations."
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INFORMATION ABOUT DELTA SIGMA THETA SORORITY, Inc.
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Delta_Sigma_Theta
"Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. (ΔΣΘ) is a historically
African American sorority. The organization was founded by college-educated
women dedicated to public service with an emphasis on programs that assist the
African American community. Delta Sigma Theta was founded on January 13, 1913
by twenty-two women at Howard University in Washington, D.C. Membership is open
to any woman, regardless of religion, race, or nationality. Women may apply to
join through undergraduate chapters at a college or university or through an
alumnae chapter after earning a college degree.
The sorority currently has over 350,000 members and over 1,000 chapters located in the Bahamas, Bahrain, United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Oman, Bermuda, Canada, England, Germany, Jamaica, Japan, West Africa and South Africa, South Korea, United Kingdom, and the United States. Delta Sigma Theta is also a member of the umbrella organization National Pan-Hellenic Council (NPHC) – an organization of nine international Black Greek-letter sororities and fraternities. The current (28th) International President and CEO is Elsie Cooke-Holmes.
[...]
Symbols
Delta Sigma Theta's motto is "Intelligence is the Torch
of Wisdom".[40][41] Its badge consists of the Greek letters
"ΔΣΘ" in a row, with nine jewels on the middle letter.[5] The
official Delta Sigma Theta Hymn, written by Florence Cole Talbert and Alice
Dunbar Nelson, was adopted in 1924. Its publication is The Delta.[5]
Delta Sigma Theta's colors are crimson and cream, representing courage and purity.[6][41] The sorority's symbol is Lady Fortitude.[41] Its other symbols are the pyramid and the Delta torch. Its flower is the African violet.[6] Its nicknames are Deltas and DST.[6][41] The term soror, Latin for sister, is used among members of the sorority when referring to and addressing each other.[42]"...
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PANCOCOJAMS EDITOR'S NOTE
There are a number of YouTube videos of a member or members of historically Black Greek letter sororities singing their national hymn/s or other songs that members of a particular historically Black Greek letter sorority consider to be their songs.
In this pancocojams series I'm particularly interested in group renditions of these songs and whether the members of these sororities hold hands while they sing, or wrap their arms behind the back of people standing on either side, or link their arms with the person standing on either side (in the same manner that is commonly used for songs such like as the Civil Rights song "We Shall Over Come" and the song "Aud Lang Syne" that is sung on New Years Eve or during certain other special occasions).
Based on my direct experiences and based on from watching YouTube videos, It appears that for any one of these three gestures a group of people can sing while standing still or they can sing while rhythmically swaying from side to side.
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Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2017/11/videos-of-kkpsi-fratenrity-three.html for a related 2017 pancocojams post entitled "Videos Of Historically Black Greek Letter Fraternities & KKPsi (Music Fraternity/Sorority) Linking Arms While Singing Their Organization's Hymns"
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SHOWCASE VIDEO #2 - The Delta Sweetheart Song sung at my sisters wedding
reception
BabyBoiQue, Jul 11, 2011
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This concludes Part II of this four part pancocojams series.
Thanks for visiting pancocojams.
Visitor comments are welcome.
I believe that historically Black Greek letter fraternity and sorority chants and songs are part of African American culture. As such. examples of these chants and songs should be collected, documented, and studied.
ReplyDeleteHowever, in adherence with the guidelines of historically Black Greek letter fraternities and sororities, these songs and chants should only be performed by people who are associated with the specific organizations where these chants and songs come from.
I've only found two videos thus far of historically Black Greek letter sororities linking arms and they were both Sigma Gamma Rhos. (Part IV of this pancocojams series)
ReplyDeleteThis is in contrast to the number of YouTube examples of historically Black Greek letter fraternities linking arms when they sing their national hymn.
If you're a member of a historically Black Greek letter sorority, do you link arms when you sing your sorority's hymn? Or if you've seen a historically Black Greek letter sorority sing their hymn, did they link arms?
Also, is it the custom for PWI sororities or PWI fraternities, and any other Greek letter organizations link arms when they sing?