Eta Phi Beta (ΗΦΒ) is an

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

business

sorority In North America, fraternities and sororities ( and ) are social clubs at colleges and universities. They are sometimes collectively referred to as Greek life or Greek-letter organizations, as well as collegiate fraternities or collegiate sorori ...

located in the United States and the U.S. Virgin Islands. It was founded in Detroit, Michigan at the

historically black Historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) are institutions of higher education in the United States that were established before the Civil Rights Act of 1964 with the intention of serving African Americans. Most are in the Southern U ...

Lewis Business College in October 1942. In 1997, the organization had 91 chapters and over 5,000 members internationally.

History

Eta Phi Beta was established by students at the

Lewis Business College in

Detroit, Michigan Detroit ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Michigan, most populous city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated on the bank of the Detroit River across from Windsor, Ontario. It had a population of 639,111 at the 2020 United State ...

in October 1942. Eta Phi Beta was founded to foster women to enter into the world of business. Its founders were Ivy Burt Banks, Dorothy Sylvers Brown, Earline Carter, Mae Edwards Curry, Katherine Douglas, Atheline Shelton Graham, Merry Green Hubbard, Ethel Madison, Ann Porter, Mattie Rankin, and Lena Reed. The sorority was incorporated in 1943. Additional chapters were chartered at schools such as

St. Augustine's University Saint Augustine's University is a private historically black Christian college in Raleigh, North Carolina. It was founded by Episcopal Church clergy in 1867 for the education of formerly enslaved Black people. The university has traditional ...

as well as the city of Indianapolis. In 1977, the Michigan state House of Representatives approved a resolution making May 14, 1977 the Eta Phi Beta Sorority Day. The sorority had over 80 chapters nationwide in 2002. On June 13, 2009, the 81st Texas Legislature House of Representatives honored Eta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc. to commemorate its 2009 Founders Day. Another resolution was made in the state of Georgia. Eta Phi Beta is an affiliate member of the

National Council of Negro Women The National Council of Negro Women, Inc. (NCNW) is a nonprofit organization founded in 1935 with the mission to advance the opportunities and the quality of life for African-American women, their families, and communities. Mary McLeod Bethune, ...

. It is also a member of the Coalition of Black Business Sororities, which also includes Gamma Phi Delta,

Iota Phi Lambda Iota Phi Lambda Sorority Inc. () is an African American business sorority. It was the first Greek-lettered business sorority established by African American women. It has established more than 100 chapters in the United States. It is a member of ...

, and

Lambda Kappa Mu Lambda (; uppercase , lowercase ; , ''lám(b)da'') is the eleventh letter of the Greek alphabet, representing the voiced alveolar lateral approximant . In the system of Greek numerals, lambda has a value of 30. Lambda is derived from the Phoeni ...

Symbols

The sorority's colors are crimson, gold, and black. Its motto is "Not For Ourselves, But For Others."

Activities

Chapters meet monthly from September to June. The sorority hosts its national convention, The Grand Boule', biennially on even-numbered years. Regional conferences are held biennially on odd-numbered years. Eta Phi Beta funds various charitable organizations including the

March of Dimes March of Dimes is a United States nonprofit organization that works to improve the health of mothers and babies. The organization was founded by US President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1938, as the National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis, to co ...

, the

NAACP The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) is an American civil rights organization formed in 1909 as an interracial endeavor to advance justice for African Americans by a group including W. E. B. Du&nbs ...

, and the

United Negro College Fund UNCF, the United Negro College Fund, also known as the United Fund, is an American philanthropic organization that funds scholarships for black students and general scholarship funds for 37 private historically black colleges and universities. ...

. Its main national charitable project is services for citizens with intellectual and developmental disabilities. The biennial Gloria Chapman Walk-a-thon raises funds for community-based organizations that work in this area. Nationally, the sorority also supports breast cancer awareness and domestic violence prevention. Chapters, regions, and the Grand chapter all award annual scholarships for high school graduates and college students. Chapters also support programs and provide tutoring to teach young children life skills, reading, mathematics literary, and social etiquette. Some chapters host an annual Cotillion Ball that introduces children into society. Established in 1949, the National Council of Shads is an auxiliary organization of Eta Phi Beta, consisting of the husbands of sorority members. It provides conducts community service projects and provides scholarships.

Membership

Membership is open to women who are college graduates or have completed at least two years of college; potential members may apply to join or are invited to join by members of the sorority. Eta Phi Beta has a 3-month initiation process. There are two also Youth Groups, Gamma and ''Lambda chapters'', for children ages six to eleven.

Chapters

Following is a list of Eta Phi Beta chapters. Most chapters are community-based. There are two Youth Chapters,

Gamma Gamma (; uppercase , lowercase ; ) is the third letter of the Greek alphabet. In the system of Greek numerals it has a value of 3. In Ancient Greek, the letter gamma represented a voiced velar stop . In Modern Greek, this letter normally repr ...

and ''Lambda'', which are for children ages six to eleven. The Beta series chapters were chartered at colleges and universities but have all gone inactive. Active chapters are indicated in bold. Inactive chapters are in ''italics''.

Notable members

Honorary members

* R. Louise Grooms, founder of the Detroit Institute of Commerce with her own money, to train African American youths with skills to enter the workplace. Member of

Michigan Women's Hall of Fame The Michigan Women's Hall of Fame (MWHOF) honors distinguished women, both historical and contemporary, who have been associated with the U.S. state of Michigan. The hall of fame was founded in 1983 by Gladys Beckwith and is sponsored by the Michi ...

Delegate Magazine 1978 p 235
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References

External Links

{{Fraternities and Sororities , collapsed Student organizations established in 1942 1942 establishments in Michigan Fraternities and sororities in the United States Non-profit organizations based in Michigan African-American fraternities and sororities