Facts About Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Incorporated

Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Incorporated, is a sorority founded by five African American women on January 16, 1920. The founders - Arizona Cleaver Stemmons, Myrtle Tyler Faithful, Viola Tyler Goings, Fannie Pettie Watts and Pearl Anna Neal - are affectionately referred to as "the Five Pearls" by members of this prestigious international organization. The sorority was founded on the principles of scholarship, sisterly love and finer womanhood.

Famous Members of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority

There are many notable members of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Incorporated including singers, actresses, writers, and political figures. One famous Zeta was Zora Neale Hurston, the famous folklorist and writer of several critically acclaimed books including Their Eyes Were Watching God (1937), Mules and Men (1935), and Moses, Man of the Mountain (1939). Her books were mostly composed of stories, or anthologies as they are called, from the old south, complete with vernacular from the time and area. Her life work has made her a figure of great influence in the African American and general community. She became a member of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority while studying at Howard University.

Another notable Zeta was Violette Anderson. A lawyer and judge, she was the first black woman to practice law before the Supreme Court. In addition, she was the first African American woman to practice in the U.S. District Court, Eastern Division. Her achievements were not limited to her career; she was also elected Grand Basileus of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Incorporated in 1933. She was associated with the Zeta Zeta chapter of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority (Chicago, Illinois). She died in 1977, and is fondly remembered for willing her beautiful property in Idlewild, Michigan, called Birch Haven, to her beloved sorority.

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