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Softness Was Always Ours

Deltas on Pro [Delta Sigma Theta Sorority] (Louise Maxwell and group), West Virginia State College

Item

Source
William and Mary Jackson Collection
Creator
Unknown
Title
Deltas on Pro [Delta Sigma Theta Sorority] (Louise Maxwell and group), West Virginia State College
Date
1936
Description
Outdoor photograph of four young African American women standing on the campus of West Virginia State College in 1936. The women are newly initiated members on probation (“Pro”) in the Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, including Louise Maxwell and three fellow sorority sisters. Each woman holds a bouquet of flowers and wears a light-colored dress with a dark jacket, standing side-by-side on the lawn with campus buildings visible in the background.

The image documents an early stage of sorority membership, when new initiates participated in ceremonies and campus traditions marking their entry into the sisterhood. Their coordinated attire, flowers, and formal posture suggest a celebratory moment tied to initiation activities and the welcoming of new members into the organization’s collegiate community.
Type
Image
Subject
African American college students
Sororities
Delta Sigma Theta Sorority
Initiation traditions
Sisterhood
Historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs)
1930s African American student life
Format
2.5 × 3.5 inch black-and-white photograph.
Rights
This image is made available for research and educational use. Reproduction or publication requires permission from the Auburn Avenue Research Library on African American Culture and History.
Rights Holder
Auburn Avenue Research Library on African American Culture and History, Fulton County Library System
Item sets
Joy & Sisterhood

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