As the struggle for civil rights stirred the nation in 1954, 17 black undergraduates at MSU pioneered a sisterhood and carved out their place in the university's culture for years to come.

That year, a group of women formed MSU's first black sorority, the Delta Zeta chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha. After nearly 100 years, MSU, then known as Michigan State College, had its first organization for black women.

The roots of MSU's chapter date back to meetings at the home of Margaret Groves, a lifelong educator, volunteer and member of Delta Tau Omega, Lansing's graduate chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha. On Feb. 3, 1954, MSU's charter members were recognized by the national organization and the university.

"Each of us brought something we could share with other people," said Groves, an adviser to the original members and an honored member of the Lansing community.

A half-century later, Groves considers those members, and the hundreds of members who have followed, her extended family of sisters.

Alpha Kappa Alpha is the nation's oldest black sorority, estalished at Howard University in 1908. Today, the group boasts thousands of members.

"They are just precious people," Groves said Sunday, surrounded by current members of the graduate chapter.

The charter members came to MSU from across Michigan and the nation. Some studied education or home economics and others pursued athletics.

There were few black students at MSU in the 1950s, causing those undergraduates to form a close bond.

"This was a time frame when discrimination was quite difficult," said Jacquelyn Van Dyke Williams, the first president of Delta Zeta. "One of the national aims of Alpha Kappa Alpha was to lobby for the full participation of Negroes - now African Americans or blacks."

Black sororities were uncommon at predominantly white schools such as MSU. At the time, many states continued to deny black students access to public higher education.

Williams, who lives in Fort Wayne, Ind., came to MSU from Alabama before graduating in 1954. In her home state, blacks were barred from attending public universities.

For Williams, traveling between Michigan and Alabama was often difficult because of discrimination on trains. From Alabama to Illinois, Williams always feared she would be told to leave the train to make room for white passengers.

In the North, conditions were better for black students, but discrimination remained.

MSU admitted black students, but they seldom were placed with white roommates, Williams said. Sororities commonly wouldn't admit black pledges, she added.

"In Lansing and East Lansing, many things were still segregated," Williams said. "If we wanted to go to into Lansing for a function like skating, we couldn't go, except on a special night for minorities."

The same year Delta Zeta was founded, the Supreme Court struck down the notion of "separate but equal" education. The MSU chapter took the struggle for full participation to the greater Lansing area.

"It was delineated in making a mark against discrimination," Williams said. "This was going to be an organization locally that would help further participation and integration in American life and democracy."

Fifty years later, the graduate and undergraduate chapters of Alpha Kappa Alpha continue to shoulder the struggle of the original members.

An organization of their own

"We were Delta Zeta girls," remembers Ida Thomas, a charter member who graduated from MSU in 1955.

In the early 1950s, Groves and members of the graduate chapter decided it was time for MSU's undergraduates to form their own organization.

"They were the ones who really got us started," said Thomas, who now lives in Maryland.

Initially, about 30 students attended meetings with the graduate chapter to learn more about starting their own group.

The students formed the Ivyette interest club to collect information about Alpha Kappa Alpha.

At the same time, they engaged in community service projects - entertaining wounded soldiers, reading to blind students and giving tours of campus, according to "The Wolverine," the school's yearbook in 1955.

For more than a year, the charter members proved themselves before they were initiated.

"We were all excited about being charter members," said Thomas. "That means we were the first. We were going to be the ones who put it on the map."

The women followed the formation of MSU's chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha in 1948, the university's first black fraternity. They joined a small number of black organizations on campus.

Ida's husband, Jesse Thomas, was one of the first members in that fraternity.

"Most of us were athletes and we didn't socialize that much," said Thomas, a football player who later played in the NFL. "We were happy to have the ladies come aboard."

Because there was little interaction between black and white students in the 1950s, Jesse Thomas said the fraternity and sorority "entertained each other."

One of six black players on the school's football team, Jesse Thomas said interaction between races on campus was scarce and often limited to sporting events.

Ida Thomas, who had white roommates, said the sorority faced few objections in establishing itself on campus, considering the tense racial climate of the time.

"We had a good time," she said. "I wouldn't mind reliving those days."

For Elizabeth Turpin, a charter member who lives in Lansing, the start of Delta Zeta "was a dream come true."

"It was the beginning of lifelong friendships with many members and the continuation of many others," said Turpin, the principal of Forest View Elementary School in Lansing for nearly 20 years.

"It was a long-awaited event, and there was much excitement and enthusiasm."

Turpin said the organization brought the women together.

"It is wonderful to look back and think about those college days and the fun we had and the services we rendered to the community," she said. "It has been fun to watch it grow and to be a part of the sorority throughout the years."

Keeping tradition alive

"The things that you saw in the early '50s about the service focus have carried through 50 years with Delta Zeta," said Nettavia Curry, a current adviser to the campus sorority.

Today, MSU's chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha has six members and remains active on campus. It is among eight black greek organizations represented at MSU.

"They are very cognizant of the fact that they come into a legacy," Curry said. "They stand on the shoulders of other women that came before them, and they are very cognizant of that and want to continue the legacy."

In recent years, Alpha Kappa Alpha's national organization has faced costly lawsuits stemming from hazing allegations. The financial effect has had a troubling impact on the funding for campus chapters of the sorority.

However, members of Lansing's graduate chapter are hopeful that the campus organization will recover and thrive.

"I know what Soror Margaret and our charter members went through to have Delta Zeta have a presence on MSU's campus," said Jeanette Patterson, an adviser to the campus sorority.

"It is very important to me to make sure we keep the chapter in effect out of respect and honor."

For charter members, the continuation of Alpha Kappa Alpha at MSU is a constant source of pride.

"I was very proud of the fact that we were a charter chapter," Ida Thomas said. "And that we could blaze the trail for others that were coming to Michigan State."

Steve Eder can be reached at ederstev@msu.edu.