Group portrait of the Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity and the Delta Sigma Theta Sorority in Dayton, Ohio. Seated in the front row are (from the right) Florence Cole Talbert, Vivian Osborne Marsh, and Matilda Dunbar, the mother of Paul L. Dunbar. Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. (ΑΦΑ) is the first African-American, intercollegiate Greek-lettered fraternity. It was initially a literary and social studies club organized in the 1905–1906 school year at Cornell University but later evolved into a fraternity with a founding date of December 4, 1906, at Cornell. Alpha Phi Alpha asserts that through its community outreach initiatives, the fraternity supplies voice and vision to the struggle of African Americans, the African diaspora, and the countless special problems that affect Black men. Paul Laurence Dunbar was an American poet, novelist, and playwright of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. He was born in Dayton, Ohio, and he was one of the first African-American writers to establish an international reputation. Much of Dunbar's more popular work in his lifetime was written in the "Negro dialect" associated with the antebellum South, though he also used the Midwestern regional dialect, and he wrote in conventional English in other poetry and novels. Dunbar wrote the lyrics for the musical comedy In Dahomey (1903), the first all-African-American musical produced on Broadway in New York. Delta Sigma Theta' Sorority, Inc. is an African American women’s’ Greek organization that was founded on January 13, 1913 at Howard University. Delta Sigma Theta (ΔΣΘ; sometimes abbreviated Deltas or DST) is a Greek-lettered sorority of college-educated women dedicated to public service with an emphasis on programs that target the African American community. Today, it is the largest African-American Greek-lettered organization. Since its founding, Delta Sigma Theta has created programming to improve political, education, and social and economic conditions, particularly within black communities. In addition to establishing independent programming, the sorority consistently collaborates with community organizations and corporations to further its programming goals. Vivian Osborne Marsh was born in Houston, Texas, and received her Bachelors and Masters degrees in Anthropology from the University of California at Berkeley. She founded the Berkeley campus’ Kappa Chapter of the Delta Sigma Theta Sorority. She went on to found several other chapters. Two major projects that she organized were the Traveling Library, which provided books to rural portions of Georgia, and Teen Lift, which provided opportunities for underprivileged teenagers to visit events such as symphonies and operas. She was involved in many civic organizations. On February 21, 1981, the mayor of Berkeley honored her contributions by declaring it to be Vivian Osborne Marsh Day. Florence Cole Talbert-McCleave was an operatic soprano, music educator, and musician. She was famously labeled, "The First Lady in Grand Opera" by the National Negro Opera Guild. She was one of the first African American women performing abroad to received success and critical acclaim in classical and operatic music in the 20th Century. She recorded music with several record labels in the 1920s and 1930s. She was briefly married to Wendell Phillips Talbert, who was an entertainer and music organizer, and she kept Talbert as her stage name. Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity and Delta Sigma Theta Sorority honored the mother of Paul Laurence Dunbar at a banquet and made a pilgrimage to his grave, Dayton, Ohio December 1923. Vivian Osborne Marsh is seated in the first row (second from the right) between Florence Cole Talbert and Paul L. Dunbar's mother.
Type
image
Identifier
uclalsc_1889_b24_f06_003a.tif ark:/21198/z1087pjr
Subject
African American Greek letter societies Cole-Talbert, Florence Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Marsh, Vivian Osborne, 1897-1986 Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Dunbar, Matilda Jane, 1845-1934 Dunbar, Paul Laurence, 1872-1906
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