By Ernie Suggs | Atlanta Journal-Constitution/TNS
(Source Florida Courier)
ATLANTA — On the day before she won the Democratic primary to retain her seat representing DeKalb County in the Georgia House of Representatives, Angela Moore received a stinging letter from one of the country’s largest Black sororities, accusing her of misrepresenting her membership.
In other words, Angela Moore is not a Delta.
In a letter written by Amaris L. Johnson, the southern regional director of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., there are “no records” that show that Moore is a member of the sorority, despite her apparent claims.
“Although Ms. Moore continues to represent herself in various forums as a member of Delta Sigma Theta; there are no records to support her membership,” Johnson wrote in the letter that has been circulating on social media before adding that “numerous emails” have inquired about Moore’s status within the sorority.
It is unclear to what extent Moore has claimed to be a member of the sorority founded in 1913 at Howard University. It does not appear on her House website, nor on her re-election page.
But on Jan. 13, 2021, the sorority’s Founders Day, she posted a photo of herself on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, surrounded by a Delta Sigma Theta border with the caption: “Happy Founders Day!”
Not ‘duly initiated’
In layman’s terms, Moore would be defined in Black Greek circles as a “perp.”
“A perp is short for ‘perpetrating,’ as in perpetrating a fraud,” said scholar Lawrence C. Ross, author of “The Divine Nine: The History of African American Fraternities and Sororities.
“It’s someone who decides to have been admitted into a fraternity or sorority but isn’t duly initiated. Often, they wear the fraternity or sorority clothing, and come to gatherings in letters.”
Black Greek-letter organizations date back to the creation of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. in 1906 at Cornell University. Eight other organizations, mostly founded at Howard University, followed, creating the National Pan-Hellenic Council, affectionately known as “The Divine Nine.”
Collectively, these organizations of college-educated Black men and women have over a million members, which is why Ross said it is so important to protect their legacies and memberships. Across Facebook, each of the organizations maintains pages dedicated to outing “perps.”
“Our organizations are both public facing in the community service we do, but also private and secret as to our workings,” Ross said.
“On a practical level, you don’t want someone pretending to be a member of your organization due to liability. If they do something bad in your letters, and you don’t know, that causes problems. But just from as a trust point of view, you want to make sure that everyone you inter- act with is part of your organization.”
Moore’s academic and political background
Calls and emails to Moore, who represents House District 91, were not returned. According to her bio, Moore attended the University of District of Columbia, where she majored in biology.
The Democrat moved to Atlanta from Washington, D.C. in the early 1990s “seeking better opportunities for her children,” according to her website.
A publicist and cooking instructor, Moore was first elected to the House in 2021. Moore had run unsuccessfully for office several times, including in 2015 when she was removed from the ballot in a special election for Senate District 43 after an investigation determined she did not live in the district.
In her letter, Johnson praised members of the sorority for using their “diligence and engagement” at the ballot box, upholding a tradition that dates back to their founding.
Some Delta history
On March 3, 1913, just two months after their founding and in their first public act, members of Delta Sigma Theta marched in the historic Woman Suffrage Procession down Pennsylvania Avenue to advocate for the rights of women to vote.
In its 111-year history, thousands of prominent women have pledged Delta Sigma Theta, including a fair share of politicians.
That list includes Shirley Chisholm, the first Black woman elected to Congress and the first Black woman to run for president as a major party candidate; Barbara Jordan, who in 1973 became the first Southern Black woman ever elected to the U.S. House of Representatives; and former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms.
“Ensuring we elect candidates that value honesty and integrity to represent our communities is core to our values as members of Delta Sigma Theta,” Johnson wrote in the letter, adding that the missive was not meant to be a political endorsement.
In her primary, Moore defeated Dee Dawkins-Haigler, a former member of the Georgia House of Representatives.
Dawkins-Haigler, according to Johnson’s letter, “is a duly initiated member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.”
