Sigma Gamma Rho Earns Charter as Newest Chapter
A new dot has been placed on the United States map — Wilmington, Ohio — designating locations of Sigma Gamma Rho, a historically African American sorority founded in 1922 in Indianapolis.
PICTURED: From the left are Sigma Gamma Rho members: Brianna Montgomery, Alaunna Nelson, Ileesha White, Shamarah Hutchins (adviser), Aubree'anna Edwards and Brittany Montgomery.
Sigma Gamma Rho became the seventh sorority at Wilmington College when officials from its national office led a ceremony Jan. 17 at which the charter was formally presented and the new chapter recognized.
The event represented the culmination of the sorority’s long journey back after becoming inactive five years ago. It was first established at WC in 2010 but only lasted for two years due to diminished membership rosters. In recent years, students expressed an interest in restarting the Sigma Gamma Rho chapter only to realize that action would require a rigorous approval process through both the national office and Wilmington College’s Greek Life.
The final requirement of having a minimum five members was met this past fall semester.
President Ileesha White, a senior, expressed her appreciation for the work that led to the reactivation.
“They (previous members) were very excited when we finally got the chapter re-established at Wilmington College,” she said. “We had to go through a lot of steps, but it is worth it. Everybody in the Greek community has been very supportive and welcoming.”
White said the sorority provides an important support system for its members and she looks forward to the group helping to enlighten members of the campus community who come from different cultural backgrounds than Sigma Gamma Rho’s members. “From a diversity aspect, we can teach people from another perspective. There’s often misunderstanding because we grew up so differently,” she added. “They can learn from us and we can learn from them.”
The sorority is involved in the programming for this semester’s Black History Month and Women’s History Month.
Wilmington College hosts the newest chapter of Sigma Gamma Rho, which has more than 500 affiliates at colleges and universities throughout five regions in the United States, as well as Canada, Germany, Korea and several Caribbean islands.
Nina Talley, director of Career Services, who has been especially supportive of the endeavor, said the national sorority, which places an emphasis on sisterhood, scholarship and service, "opens Sigma Gamma Rho’s membership to a lot of opportunities for national exposure and networking.”