1.About Us - Chapter History - LA South Bay Alumnae

LOS ANGELES SOUTH BAY ALUMNAE CHAPTER

was chartered August 28, 1966, by the 13th National President, Soror Geraldine P. Woods, becoming the 253rd chapter of the Sorority and a proud part of the Farwest Region.

The Chapter was chartered during a pivotal era in Los Angeles history, following the 1965 Watts Rebellion, a period that highlighted deep inequities in housing, education, employment, and access to public resources for Black communities across the region. In response to these urgent needs, seventeen visionary women united to establish a chapter dedicated to service, advocacy, and uplift throughout the South Bay and greater Los Angeles area.

CHARTER MEMBERS

These 16 charter members were trailblazers whose leadership and dedication established a chapter rooted in service, resilience, and sisterhood.

Soror Elizabeth Barr*, Soror Zelma Bell*, Soror JoAnn Coleman*, Soror Adelaide Dunn*, Soror Audrey Duplessis*, Soror Thelma Hardwick*, Soror Thelma Hudson*, Soror Mary E. Little*, Soror Niecyee Robinson*, Soror Lillian Seagraves*, Soror Anne Louise Stafford*, Soror Jo Evelyn Terrell*, Soror Ada Shannon Williams*, Soror Marge Wilkins*, Soror Adlyne Wing*, Soror Hortense Woods*

*Deceased

A LEGACY OF LEADERSHIP & SERVICE

For more than five decades, the Los Angeles South Bay Alumnae Chapter has been a driving force for community advancement throughout the South Bay and greater Los Angeles region. The Chapter has consistently addressed critical community needs through education, civic engagement, health advocacy, and economic empowerment.

One of the Chapter’s most celebrated traditions is its Sepia Fashion Review, a signature fundraising and cultural event that, for over forty years, generated hundreds of thousands of dollars in scholarship support for students in the community. The event became both a showcase of culture and a powerful instrument for educational opportunity.

In more recent years, the Chapter has continued this scholarship legacy through its collaboration with the Julia Banks Williams Delta Associates Foundation, expanding access to education for deserving students and reinforcing the Chapter’s long-standing commitment to academic excellence.

COMMUNITY IMPACT & PARTNERSHIPS

Today, the Chapter remains committed to the vision of its charter members, carrying forward a proud tradition of leadership, advocacy, and sisterhood across the South Bay and greater Los Angeles region. Through purposeful programming and strategic partnerships, the Los Angeles South Bay Alumnae Chapter continues to uplift families, strengthen communities, and honor a legacy grounded in service and social action:

LINEAGE OF EXCELLENCE

Our Lineage of Excellence reflects the generations of women whose commitment to sisterhood, scholarship, service, and social action have shaped and sustained this chapter across the years.