....................................................National History

Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc. was organized at Howard University on January 16, 1920 as the result of encouragement given to the five founders by Charles Taylor and Langston Taylor who are members of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity. Arizona Cleaver, Myrtle Tyler, Viola Tyler, Pearl Neal, and Fannie Pettie are the five founders of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc. The five women believed that sorority elitism and socializing overshadowed the real mission for progressive organizations and failed to address fully the societal mores, ills, prejudices, and poverty affecting humanity in general as well as the black community. The founders collectively had an ideal to create a sorority that would directly effect positive change and chart an awareness among their people and encourage the highest standards of scholastic achievements, and foster a greater sense of unity among its members through sisterhood. The newly established organization predicated on the percepts of Scholarship, Service, Sisterhood, and Finer Womanhood. It was the ideal of the Founders to reach college women in all parts of the country who were sorority minded and desired to follow the founding principles of the organization.

Since it's inception, Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc. has chronicled a number of "firsts" among established Black fraternities and sororities. In addition to being the only sisterhood constitutionally bound to a fraternity (Phi Beta Sigma). The sorority was the first to charter International Chapters in West Africa and Germany, to form adult and youth auxiliary groups, the Amicae, Archonettes, Amicettes and Pearlettes, to organize its internal affairs within a central national office administered by a paid staff. The sorority ideals of Service, Scholarship, Sisterhood and Finer Womanhood are reflected in the organization's national programs for which its members and auxiliary groups provide numerous hours of voluntary services to staff community outreach programs, fund scholarships, support organized charities and promote legislation for social and civic changes.

.........................................................State History

On March 26, 1948, the first graduate chapter was chartered at Camden’s Macedonia A.M.E. Church. Triumphant Soror Rev. Alexzina Brown initiated a charter for Gamma Nu Zeta Chapter with the support of Sorority President Lullelia Walker Harrison and Regional Director Evelyn Hunt. Charter members Catherine Johnson, Evelyn Ellerbee, Jean Lewis, Katherine Besselieu Ross and Inez Brooks laid the foundation for the State’s future record of excellent service to people in need. Under the tenure of Past State Director Geraldine Johnson the statewide Founders' Day Celebration was started.

As our Zeta family expanded, the State’s first Amicae auxiliary, the Zeta Amicae (Friends of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc.) of Camden was founded in 1956. Currently there are six Amicae Auxiliaries in the state: Zeta Amicae of Princeton/Trenton which was also chartered in 1956, and reorganized in 1969; Zeta Amicae of Newark/Orange chartered in 1973; Zeta Amicae of Plainfield organized in 1975; Zeta Amicae of Moorestown chartered in 1985; Zeta Amicae of Gloucester County chartered in 1995 and Zeta Amicae of Atlantic City, which received its charter in 1999.

In 1952 Chi Alpha became the State’s first undergraduate city chapter. It was established in the Princeton/Trenton area. Chi Alpha is now located at Rider University. Omicron Epsilon at Trenton State College (now The College of New Jersey) in 1974 became the State’s first campus-based undergraduate chapter. Presently we have 11 graduate chapters and 14 Undergraduate Chapters throughout New Jersey. We also sponsor several Youth Auxiliaries.

The Garden State’s distinction in Zetadom is further enhanced by the residency of two past International Presidents, the late Dr. Deborah Wolfe and Dr. Edith V. Francis who now resides in Florida, our present National Educational Foundation Chair, Dr. Kathryn T. Malvern who also served as a Past Regional Director, and Chair of Regional Directors.