Sigma Lambda Gamma

In fall of 1989, a group of women met to form an organization that would provide empowerment to Latina women. By April 9, 1990, the University of Iowa Panhellenic Council officially recognized the organization as a sorority, which Sigma Lambda Gamma celebrates as their founding date. The five women who were instrumental in establishing the organization–Gloria Cuevas, Julieta Maria Miller, Maria Ester Pineda, Danell Marie Riojas, and Guadalupe Temiquel–are collectively referred to as the Five Founding Mothers.[4]

A national headquarters was initially established at 900 West Penn Street, North Liberty, Iowa. They later moved to their current address at 1295 Jordan St., Suite 3, P.O. Box 395, North Liberty, IA 52317. Along with housing national records and staff, it was once also home to the sorority's national biannual publication, La Mensajera.[6] The Omega Chapter was later established to recognize and pay respect to deceased sisters.[7]

As the sorority grew, Sigma Lambda Gamma's membership became more multicultural. In acknowledging this, the organization, which was a part of the National Association of Latino Fraternal Organizations (NALFO) from January 2001 to May 2010, left due to a desire for autonomy and due to their increasing multicultural membership.[8] The sorority celebrated their 100th and 101st chapters simultaneously with the addition of the Theta Delta chapter at Columbia University and the Iota Delta chapter at Millikin University in 2010, having expanded to more than 100 chapters in 20 years.[9]

While chapters have always organized local programming on their respective campuses,[10] Sigma Lambda Gamma later created the Education Foundation, where national programs were birthed. The Young Women’s Leadership program was designed to promote confidence and leadership skills for middle-school aged girls.[11][12] An Emotional Intelligence education program was also started up.[11] Scholarships were later added to support members in higher education.[13]

In 2012, the Panther Dash For Education was developed to generate funds that will support scholastic achievement and leadership training.[11][14] A virtual race, sisters are encouraged to participate in any run/walk event of their choice and then later upload it to media sites. The sorority has been active in bringing about social changes in the community as well. In hopes of encouraging their members and youth of color to promote positive change in their community, they began a partnership with Voto Latino in 2012, a nonpartisan organization that empowers Latino Millennials to claim a better future for themselves and their community by voting and learning how to make a difference.[15] In the 2014 Voto Latino's RepUrLetters Challenge, in which historically Latino Greek-lettered organizations competed to register voters on their campuses and in their communities, Sigma Lambda Gamma's voter registration efforts accounted for 36% of the total number of voters registered, with the highest number of voters registered.[16][17]

For their 2013 National Sisterhood Retreat, Sigma Lambda Gamma was honored by the Diosa Nail & Polish company with their colors to commemorate the Educate. Engage. Empower. theme. Sisters suggested names and voted on it. The two colors are: “Women of Dis-PINK-tion” to reflect their color shocking pink and “On the Prowl” to reflect their color majestic purple as well as their stone, amethyst. It was made available exclusively to sisters only and has since been sold out.[18] To commemorate their 25th anniversary, the sorority launched their philanthropic campaign, “Drive to 25,” focusing on empowering women and spreading cultural awareness. Sisters across the nation took part in hosting and participating in community-based events, whether it is coordinating a book drive or volunteering in a local women's shelter.[19][20]

A snapshot of the five Founding Mothers of the sorority

The five Founding Mothers of Sigma Lambda Gamma are:

• Gloria Cuevas
• Julieta Maria Miller
• Maria Ester Pineda
• Danell Marie Riojas
• Guadalupe Cruz Temiquel

The sorority supports a variety of charitable organizations; their main philanthropies are breast cancer awareness and the Federal TRiO Programs. Sorority entities conduct and participate in programming events that are designed to raise awareness and educate the public on these topics. Additionally, chapters also organize local philanthropic projects, such as the raising funds for the 2013 Oklahoma tornado disaster,[21][22] adopting a highway,[23] animal shelters,[24] and male sexual assault.[25] In 2014, they launched their "Gammas Go Red" campaign in partnership with the American Heart Association on social media in an effort to raise awareness about heart disease in women.[26]

These programs are under the Sigma Lambda Gamma Education Foundation, an umbrella philanthropic entity.

A criterion for membership into Sigma Lambda Gamma is that a woman must have exceptional morals and ethics with a demonstrated commitment to academic excellence, and is pursuing or has completed courses leading to a degree in an accredited college or university.[2] Memberships are categorized as undergrad or alumnae. According to Sigma Lambda Gamma's national constitution, they believe that a multicultural experience during the college years enhances each member's ability to function in a pluralistic society. They do not discriminate on the basis of age, race, national origin, religious preference, sexual orientation or disability. They encourage their members to celebrate the diverse backgrounds of all the members of the sorority,[2] and currently claim to have over 110 nationalities.[3]

• List of Sigma Lambda Gamma chapters
• List of social fraternities and sororities

• Official website
• Sigma Lambda Gamma Education Foundation