Zeta History
Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Incorporated was founded January 16, 1920, on the campus of Howard University in Washington, D.C. The founders created Zeta Phi Beta because they felt that elitism and socializing had overshadowed what should be the real mission of sororities, which is to address and correct the problems of society, particularly in the African-American community.
The "Five Pearls" - Most Honorable Arizona Cleaver Stemons, Most Honorable Pearl Anna Neal, Most Honorable Myrtle Tyler Faithful, Most Honorable Viola Tyler Goings, and Most Honorable Fannie Pettie Watts - believed that active interest, high principles and standards, and a good scholarly average were the things that should determine membership. The sorority was founded on the principles of Scholarship, Service, Sisterhood, and Finer Womanhood.
Mission Statement
To foster the ideas of service, charity, scholarship, civil and cultural endeavors, sisterhood and finer womanhood. These ideals are reflected in the sorority's national program for which its members and auxiliary groups provide voluntary service to staff, community outreach programs, fund scholarships, support organized charities, and promote legislation for social and civic change.