Members of Delta Sigma Theta sorority dance during the Indiana University Homecoming Parade in 2015. | Source: SOPA Images / Getty
A state representative in Georgia has been misrepresenting herself as a member of Delta Sigma Theta, the historically Black sorority said this week.
There are “no records” that show Georgia State Rep. Angela Moore is a Delta, according to a letter penned by a sorority official on Monday — one day before the incumbent won her primary reelection to District 91.
The letter was shared on social media.
Written by Amaris L. Johnson, the southern regional director of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., the letter was meant as a thank-you note to its members (“Sorors of Georgia”) for their “diligence and engagement” to ensure that sorority members voted on Tuesday.
But then Johnson moved to clear up any misconception there may have been about which candidates were actually Deltas, and which once were not.
“As it relates to the election of the Georgia State Representative District 91, there is only one candidate (Dee Dawkins-Haigler) that is a duly initiated member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.,” Johnson wrote before adding that “numerous emails” have inquired about Moore’s status within the sorority.
“Although Ms. Moore continues to represent herself in various forums as a member of Delta Sigma Theta; there are no records to support her membership,” Johnson continued.
Johnson wrote that the letter was not meant as a political endorsement.
“Ensuring we elect candidates that value honesty and integrity to represent our communities is core to our values as members of Delta Sigma Theta,” Johnson later added.
Read the full letter below.
Source: Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.
It was not immediately clear when, where and in what capacity Moore allegedly misrepresented herself as a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.
Moore’s official bio on Georgia’s state website makes no mention of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. The same is true for her reelection website.
However, social media users pointed to a tweet Moore posted in 2021 — the same year she was first elected as a Georgia State Representative — when she wished a “Happy Founders Day” to Delta Sigma Theta.
A message sent to Moore’s campaign for comment was not immediately returned.
Delta Sigma Theta was founded in 1913 at Howard University by 22 female students. Delta Sigma Theta has a history of political activism dating back to the women’s suffrage movement when they marched in the 1918 Women Suffrage March in Washington, D.C.
The sorority has continued its social activism in fields such as education, home ownership, financial literacy and women’s issues in Africa.
Some famous Delta Sigma Theta members include singer Roberta Flack, radio personality Jacque Reid, Malcolm X’s widow Betty Shabazz, scholar Dr. Julianne Malveaux, Surgeon Generals Regina Benjamin and Joycelyn Elders, astronaut Joan Higginbotham, civil rights activist Dorothy Height, former presidential candidate Shirley Chisholm, Congresswoman Barbara Jordan and Olympic medalist Wilma Rudolph.
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