AJC Sepia Greek Spotlight: The Ladies of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc.
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Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc. was founded on Jan. 16, 1920 by five Howard University coeds who envisioned a sorority which would directly affect positive change, chart a course of action for the 1920s and beyond, raise consciousness of their people, encourage the highest standards of scholastic achievement, and foster a greater sense of unity among its members. These women -- Arizona Cleaver Stemons, Pearl Anna Neal, Myrtle Tyler Faithful, Viola Tyler Goings and Fannie Pettie Watts -- believed that sorority elitism and socializing overshadowed the real mission for progressive organizations and failed to address fully the societal mores, ills, prejudices, and poverty affecting humanity in general and the black community in particular.