National History
In fall of 1989, a group of women met to form an organization that would provide empowerment to Latina women. With its beginnings at the University of Iowa, the vision was to create a network of academic and social support. Although the first meeting had 19 women, membership fluctuated during the planning process. Under the guidance of Esther Materon Arum and Mary Peterson, the members continued to draft a sorority that would be inclusive and empowering to women. A retreat was held to establish the constitution and the purpose of the organization. They also participated in volunteer projects such as the National Association of Chicano Studies (NACS), as well as on-campus programs such as the Leadership Conference.
Eventually, only five women remained. These women are Gloria Cuevas, Julieta Maria Miller, Maria Ester Pineda, Danell Marie Riojas, and Guadalupe Temiquel. Despite the decrease in number, the five women continued to polish up the constitution and structure for their sorority as well as keeping with their commitment to the community. On April 9, 1990, the University of Iowa Panhellenic Council officially recognized the organization as a sorority. Sigma Lambda Gamma celebrates this as their founding date. The five women became known as the Five Founding Mothers and would continue to actively establish Sigma Lambda Gamma as the sorority it is today by demonstrating a commitment to being Hermanas Por Vida (Sisters For Life). The first inductees to the sorority in the Spring 1991 term played a vital role in promoting the ideals of the organization on the University of Iowa campus, and helped with the first wave of expansion to the University of Michigan. |