Chi Eta Phi

History

Chi Eta Phi Sorority began on October 16, 1932, at what was then Freedman's Hospital School of Nursing in Washington, D.C., later renamed Howard University Hospital. The group formed because Black nurses faced severe job restrictions, often confined to segregated hospitals or low-level positions with no room to advance, and were also shut out of most professional organizations. The founders aimed to push more African Americans into nursing careers and raise the standing of Black nurses.

The Alpha chapter was created by Ailene Carrington Ewell, a registered nurse, alongside eleven other Black RNs called the "Jewels." The sorority received its incorporation in Washington, D.C., in May 1932, with Mabel Keaton Staupers serving as its first executive secretary. Membership originally was open only to Black women who were nurses. They ran local health screenings, taught health education, gathered money for nursing scholarships, and supplied clothing, food, and cash to community members in need.

They also raised funds to launch and run a health clinic in Monrovia, Liberia. The sorority later joined the National Council of Negro Women. In 1971, under Building Fund chair Thelma Harris, it bought its national headquarters at 3029 13th Street in Washington, D.C., and that same year its Board of Directors held its first meeting in November. In August 1973, the sorority worked with the American Nurses Association to place a monument at the grave of Mary Eliza Mahoney, recognized as the first Black professional nurse in the U.S. The first male member was admitted in 1977.

Today, Chi Eta Phi functions as a professional organization rather than a sorority, with no restrictions based on race or gender. It is part of the American Nurses Association's Nursing Organizational Liaison Forum. By 2010, it had initiated 8,000 members, with 90 graduate chapters and 50 undergraduate chapters.

Symbols

Chi Eta Phi takes its name from Greek letters that stand for Character, Education, and Friendship. The sorority’s colors are pea green and lemon yellow, and its flower is the white chrysanthemum with ivy.

Its mascot is the turtle, chosen for traits like determination, perseverance, risk-taking, sure-footedness, and purposeful direction. The crest features a glowing lamp at the top, a symbol linked to Florence Nightingale, alongside the Caduceus, the staff of Hermes associated with healing and medicine. The motto is “Service for Humanity,” and the journal is called The Glowing Lamp.

Activities

Chi Eta Phi runs programs centered on health promotion, disease prevention, leadership development, mentoring, and supporting nursing students through recruitment, retention, and scholarships. These efforts take shape as national, regional, and local conferences, seminars, and workshops; community health education; leadership summits focused on continuing education; and awards for outstanding nurses. The sorority partners with civic, professional, and educational organizations such as the American Nurses' Association, the National Council of Negro Women, the United Negro College Fund, the NAACP, the Sickle Cell Disease Association of America, the American Cancer Society, the National Cancer Institute, the National Institute on Drug Abuse, and the Adolescent Pregnancy Child Watch program.

Members also volunteer with the Student Nurses Tutorial Project. Its publications include the semi-annual newsletter Chi Line and the annual peer-reviewed journal The Glowing Lamp, whose cover was designed by Charles Dawson, an artist-in-residence at the Tuskegee Institute and curator of the George Washington Carver Museum. The sorority has also released books, including histories of the organization and a biography of Mary Eliza Mahoney.

Did You Know?

• The graduate and undergraduate chapters are grouped into five regions, with over 101 graduate and 41 undergraduate chapters across the United States, Saint Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands, and Monrovia, Liberia.
• The sorority published a cookbook titled The Nurse in the Kitchen in 2010.