Petersburg in Chesterfield County, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)
AKA Delta Omega
Photographed by Brandon D Cross, May 20, 2023
1. AKA Delta Omega Marker
On 26 Feb. 1921, Delta Omega became the first graduate chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc. chartered on the East Coast, the fourth graduate chapter in the U.S., and the first Greek-letter organization at Virginia Normal and Industrial Institute (later Virginia State University). VNII faculty members Pauline Puryear, Pearl Grigsby, Lucy Johnson, Edna Colson, Mae Hatchette, and Louise Stokes formed Nu chapter, renamed Delta Omega in 1922. Puryear later became national president of AKA. the first Greek-letter organization founded by and for African American women. Several buildings at VSU and the building that houses the Ettrick-Matoaca Library were named for Delta Omega members.
Erected 2020 by Department of Historic Resources. (Marker Number S-77.)
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Fraternal or Sororal Organizations • Women. In addition, it is included in the Virginia Department of Historic Resources (DHR) series list. A significant historical date for this entry is February 26, 1921.
Location. 37° 13.933′ N, 77° 26.667′ W. Marker is in Petersburg, Virginia,
this page online
Regionally, this marker is in Virginia’s Piedmont, in Central Virginia, and in the Richmond Metropolitan Area. It is also in the American South, specifically in the Upper South, and on the Eastern Seaboard. Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region, North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture, one of the original Thirteen Colonies, one of the Confederate States of America, and the Antebellum South.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 2 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Mattoax (within shouting distance of this marker); Battersea - 1760. (approx. one mile away); Mayfield (approx. 1.1 miles away); Ettrick Veterans Memorial (approx. 1.2 miles away); Central State Hospital
Photographed by Brandon D Cross, May 20, 2023
2. AKA Delta Omega Marker
Another marker is no longer nearby. Central State Hospital (was approx. 1.2 miles away but has been replaced with another marker now near it).
Also see . . . Delta Omega Chapter. Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority website entry (Submitted on September 9, 2024, by Larry Gertner of New York, New York.)
Credits. This page was last revised on September 9, 2024. It was originally submitted on May 26, 2023, by Brandon D Cross of Flagler Beach, Florida. This page has been viewed 346 times since then and 16 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on May 26, 2023, by Brandon D Cross of Flagler Beach, Florida. • Andrew Ruppenstein was the editor who published this page.
