At Howard University on January 13, 1913, history changed forever when Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated was born. The Twenty-Two Illustrious Founders were bold and determined to make a change. As a collective front, they were women who demonstrated the need to de-emphasize the social aspect of sorority life and focus on serving and supporting humankind. Evident early on in its founding, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. was the only group of African American women to participate in the Women's Suffrage March in Washington, D.C., March 1913. In an environment faced with much opposition, and living in an era where the plight of Blacks was bleak, these audacious women felt it necessary that the foundation of such an illustrious organization be rooted in scholarship, sisterhood and service.

Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated has had a global impact on society by operating under its Five-Point Programmatic Thrust: Economic Development, Educational Development, International Awareness and Involvement, Physical and Mental Health and Political Awareness and Involvement. Some national initiatives include the Dr. Betty Shabazz Delta Academy, Financial Fortitude: Smart Women Finish Rich, Mary Help of the Sick Mission Hospital, and Delta Days at the United Nations.