Thousands attend regional conference for international public service sorority

Downtown Raleigh was filled with a wave of crimson and cream on Saturday as more than 3,000 ladies of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Incorporated took over the Raleigh convention center.

The regional conference celebrates the work of the chapters in North Carolina, Virginia, South Carolina, and Bermuda. Members came together for internal development to focus on social action programs.

The weekend's event prepares members to go back into their communities and carry out service activities. Ladies also helped to build Habitat for Humanity houses.

"They continue to work in terms of scholarships, youth programs," said Elsie Cooke-Holmes, International President of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. "I mentioned our social action and social justice agenda. We are very involved, which is critical during this 2024 election year."

One of the sorority's 22 founders, Jimmie Bugg Middleton, who was born in Virginia, made Raleigh her home as an adult. The sorority sponsored and dedicated a grave marker at the cemetery where she was buried.

"She was also instrumental in the Women's Suffrage March that our founders participated in just a little bit over a month after they were founded in 1913. So at this time just to be able to celebrate and honor her," said Cooke-Holmes.

Middleton was a trailblazer who also helped to charter the local Raleigh chapter of the public service sorority.