The word "sorority" is defined by Webster's dictionary in the following ways:
1 - A club of women.
2 - A women's student organization formed chiefly for social purposes and having a name consisting of Greek letters.
For members of Black Greek Lettered Organizations (BGLOs), or members of the Divine Nine, it means so much more than that! The Divine Nine consists of five fraternities and four sororities: Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc., and Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc., for them - the bond of sisterhood reaches far beyond undergraduate membership. The bond among members of their respective organizations and dedication to the communities they serve is for life!
Ms. Taylor Thomas had a vision of celebrating that bond and amplifying the sisterhood shared amongst members of the four illustrious organizations through the creation of the "Sister II Sister Sorority Luncheon!" As a long-time radio morning News Anchor and member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. who had a close friendship with another radio News Anchor who was a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., she was often faced with questions like, "aren't you two supposed to be enemies?" For her, it was about dispelling such rumors and bringing the organizations together in unity.
"I love working with and around people. I know that there are events to inspire and unite women but outside of the Pan-Hellenic Council there are no events that unite the four Greek lettered African American sororities. The Luncheon just came to me as a great way to use my media notoriety to host an event that would allow us to disprove the myths, fellowship, and to use this time to educate us about health and financial issues that are affecting communities of color and the Luncheon was born in 1997 in Raleigh, NC. The rest is history."
The Sorority Luncheon brought women together for as Sorors, friends, professionals, fellowship and more in different locations for years. Unfortunately, like everything else, the pandemic paused the gathering for the past four years. One thing many Virginians have learned from the pandemic, is that we need one another, and that fellowship is like food to our souls.
"When we resumed in 2024 the response was huge. So many of the attendees said they needed it. They needed a place to laugh, connect, fellowship and really be around others who know what is involved in being in a sorority as professionals."
The overwhelming success of the Sorority Luncheons have been met with requests that have resulted in Ms. Thomas hosting Sorority Luncheons in a variety of locations to include Raleigh, North Carolina; Atlanta, Georgia; Harrisburg, Pennsylvania; and Richmond, Virginia; with vast requests to bring the event to Houston, Texas; Los Angeles, California; New Jersey and Nashville, Tennessee!
When asked to share her thoughts on the purpose and impact of the "Sister II Sister Sorority Luncheon," Ms. Thomas share the following with us, "When I host the luncheon, my goal is always to unite us as African American professional women and decision makers. I am always working to providing attendees with helpful information on health-related issues that are affecting communities of color as well as discussing the most up to date financial information on creating or growing generational wealth. I love the fact that an important part of this event involved the attendees nominating a Soror who they think went above and beyond the sisterly call of duty for the "Sisterly Awards". In addition to the winner receiving a special trophy and her picture on the website we donate a scholarship check to the winner's chapter. It's money that can help the local chapter do the work that they do to help others in the cities that we hold the vent."
Rather you were counted in the number of those present for this year's amazing event in Richmond or missed out due to the event selling out quickly, take a moment to save the date of August 23, 2025, and follow the "Sister II Sister Sorority Luncheon" website to be the first to secure your seat at next year's celebration of Sisterhood!
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