April 15, 1999. This was a day that was cemented in the history of 13 ladies, bringing them all together under a common umbrella, and joining them in sisterhood for the remainder of their lives.

This was the day that the 1999 class of the Omicron Epsilon Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta at Mississippi University for Women were initiated.

To commemorate the occasion, the members came together 24 years to the day, on April 15.

In addition to the reunion, the group did a number of community service projects that day, because service is one of the staples of their sorority.

“We’ve traveled from all over to gather here this weekend,” Daphne Bowden, one of the members, said. “We are doing community service events throughout today.”

The sisters began the day at Loaves and Fishes, the local soup kitchen, preparing meals.

Bowden said the project was an easy pick because Columbus was so instrumental in their coming together, and what better way to give back to the community than to help feed those in need?

“We want to make sure we give back to the community that birthed us,” Bowden said.

The next project involved teaming with The W’s current class of Delta Sigma Theta for a book drive.

The chapter’s literary cafe was held on campus later that day. The event hosted local authors Stanley McCrary and Yvonne Cox, as well as poets Marquet McBride, Dylan Wiley and Jazmine Henry. Visual artists, singers and dancers also participated.

The event did not have an entry fee in the typical sense, however. To enter, one had to donate three new or slightly used children’s books.

These books were to be donated.

The final service project involved giving a haul of books, food and toiletries to the Owl Pantry on campus.

“As a member of Delta Sigma Theta, service is what we do,” said member Ricketa Moore. “It is a part of our DNA. It’s what embodies our sorority. We are very service oriented, so it meant so much to us for this to be the first event of the day. Basically, we are coming out and doing something for someone else because without helping others, we can’t move forward.”

Honoring a legacy
In addition to the service projects, however, the reunion was also about honoring the legacy of a member who passed away in 2019.

“We’ve lost one of the members of our line, her name was Sherri Deloach Howard,” Bowden said. “We lost her in 2019. We still commemorate her life and still celebrate each other.”

The group of women, all but one from Mississippi, have now spread out across the south including Alabama, Tennessee and Texas. They still have bonds that brought them together though.

“I got to come home and see my family,” Yolanda Hall said. “For me, this reunion meant not only 24 years of being in the sorority with service, scholarship and sisterhood, but also to get to come back home to where I grew up.”

They also attended a church service at Missionary Union Baptist Church, which Bowden said was a staple of their college years.

“It is a church that was fundamental in our start,” Bowden said. “We all were able to travel and go there when we were here as college students. Now we are coming back just to worship with them and remember those times.”

Though these ladies all went their separate ways, the ties that bind them are as strong as ever.

“We’re from all walks of life, but we’ve come together,” Bowden said. “We are a crazy, classy bunch. … Just being able to come back and see the place where we all began (is great). We all grew up in Mississippi, except for one of us who is a transplant from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, but she attended MUW. Just to have all of us here, bringing our ideas and the experiences that we’ve had in life up until this point, and sharing is great.”