The history of the illustrious

ZETA PHI BETA SORORITY, INC.

ZETA PHI BETA SORORITY, INCORPORATED was founded on the campus of Howard University in Washington, D.C. on January 16, 1920.  ZETA was born from the encouragement given to the founders, our Five Pearls, by two brothers of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc.  This encouragement led Zetas & Sigmas to become the first official Greek-letter sister and brother organizations.      Our Five Pearls chose to depart from the traditional coalitions for African American women and sought to establish a new organization based on the ideals of Scholarship, Service, Sisterly Love, and Finer Womanhood. ZETA is incorporated in D.C. & Illinois.

Since its inception, the Sorority has chronicled a number of firsts among the established Black sororities.  In addition to being the only sorority constitutionally bound to a fraternity, ZETA was the first to charter a chapter in Africa; to form adult (Amicae) and youth (Pearlettes, Amicettes, and Archonettes) auxillary groups; and to centralize its operations in a national headquarters.     Over the past 85 years, ZETA has chartered hundreds of chapters and initiated thousands of women around the world.  ZETA chapters and auxillary groups have given countless hours of voluntary service to educate the public, assist youth, provide scholarships, support organized charities, and promote legislation  for social and civic change.