Social media has been in a frenzy ever since a Howard University senior renounced her Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc. membership, and a video went viral of a Spelman College grad denouncing the school due to her religious beliefs. Now, the emerging trend is causing quite an uproar amongst those who believe the act of loudly denouncing is “foolish.”
On May 20, Howard University student Zora Sanders posted a two-page letter to her Instagram page denouncing Delta Sigma Theta just weeks after joining the sorority. “I am writing this letter to inform Nationals that I have officially renounced and denounced membership in the organization,” she said in the letter.
Her letter cited examples from the induction ceremony, initiation, and even a chapter meeting that convinced her to renounce her membership, highlighting that they conflicted with her Christian beliefs.
“In order to become a member, I had to make a pledge, swear an oath of allegiance, and perform a ritual ceremony that involved kneeling/bowing at an altar,” the letter read. Sanders also added, “I recall the President opening up the meeting with some Bible verses from Psalms. With these verses, they were misconstrued, taken out of the context from the Bible to fit a ‘delta version’. Another huge non-negotiable for me.”
She concluded, “These aforementioned reasons involve idolatry, a sin that costs eternal life (1 Corinthians 6:9-10). This conviction has been placed within me by the Holy Spirit, and I must obey. Please inform me of the next steps of any paperwork necessary for me to be formally removed from the organization.”
Since going viral, there has been a mix of responses to Sanders’ post.
Some people applauded her for standing on her beliefs.
“You did nothing wrong. You are on the right side,” one person replied under her post. “I applaud your BOLDNESS in the Lord.”
“I’m a former AKA who denounced in 2015! Freedom feels good! Your obedience will save many!” another person stated.
But some Instagram users disapprove of her outing the sorority’s rituals, which are supposed to be reserved for members only, and warned she could face legal reprecussions.
“I don’t really care that the girl denounced,” an X user wrote. “I care that she shared sorority secrets. But if there’s one thing you should know, it’s Delta is a BUSINESS. The lawyers are already lawyering I’m sure.”
A representative for the sorority responded to the viral post, acknowledging that they had been made aware that the young woman had posted excerpts from the covenant handbook and were working with National Headquarters and their legal team. As of May 21, there had not been any additional updates.
Before the dust could settle on Sanders’ drama, a resurfaced clip of Angelise Prince, a former student of Spelman College, had started to go viral. Prince attended Spelman in Atlanta from 2012 to 2016 and in January 2024, she uploaded a video denouncing the institution claiming God put it on her heart and uncovered “A lot of things” in her life that are “just not OK with Him.”
“One of the things that has come up is Spelman College and the covenant I made with the demon operating behind Spelman College. The demonic covenants that are there, all of the rituals, and all the things that are going on,” she said in the hour-long video.
Prince is clear to differentiate herself from other fake Christians, saying that she is not the type of Christian who believes in “demonic rainbows,” unicorns, the tooth fairy, or the type of Christian who believes in letting their children have imaginary friends.
She goes on to talk about traditions and rituals at the school she feels are demonic.
“There was a departing ceremony that took place […] where a woman poured out water on the grass, and she spoke some sort of incantation, saying […] something to the effect of ashes to ashes, dust to dust. Something like that.”
Prince claims the departing ceremony was when first-year students arrived on campus and departed from their families to be with their sisters in Sister’s Chapel. At one point, she says anyone who has gone to an HBCU needs to break some demonic covenant out of their life — a statement people are calling anti-Black.
“This just proves that all of this denouncing/renouncing stuff is just anti-Black,” a commenter stated.
Other commenters couldn’t believe what they were hearing.
“Now there’s someone denouncing Spelman. You couldn’t denounce those student loans first,” asked one confused X user.
“Not the school that was founded by Christian missionaries,” one person commented under Prince’s video. “Not the school whose first textbook was the BIBLE. Not the school whose motto is, ‘Our whole school for Christ.’ Can’t be.”
Spelman has not issued a statement in response to Prince’s video. However, many are questioning whether she plans to denounce her degree as well.
