Winona Cargile Alexander (June 21, 1893 – October 16, 1984) was a founder of Delta Sigma Theta sorority, Incorporated at

Howard University Howard University (Howard) is a Private university, private, University charter#Federal, federally chartered historically black research university in Washington, D.C. It is Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education, classifie ...

on January 13, 1913. It was the second sorority founded for and by

African-American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ensl ...

women and was influential in women's building civic institutions and charities. In 1915, she was the first African-American admitted to the New York School of Philanthropy (now

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...

's School of Social Work), where she received a graduate

fellow A fellow is a concept whose exact meaning depends on context. In learned or professional societies, it refers to a privileged member who is specially elected in recognition of their work and achievements. Within the context of higher education ...

ship for her studies. She was the first African-American hired as a social worker in New York.

Early life and education

Winona Cargile was born Winona Lucile Cargile in

Columbus, Georgia Columbus is a consolidated city-county located on the west-central border of the U.S. state of Georgia. Columbus lies on the Chattahoochee River directly across from Phenix City, Alabama. It is the county seat of Muscogee County, with which it ...

on June 21st, 1893, as the second of four daughters to Sarah Frances (Fannie) Sloan Cargile and Rev. Charles H. Cargile. Her father being an African Methodist Episcopal (AME) minister and

divinity school A seminary, school of theology, theological seminary, or divinity school is an educational institution for educating students (sometimes called ''seminarians'') in scripture, theology, generally to prepare them for ordination to serve as clergy ...

graduate, highly supported a thorough education for each of his daughters as well as a steadfast faith in Christianity. Winona's family moved from Columbus to Macon, Georgia by the start of her secondary school career. There she attended Ballard Normal High School, a private college preparatory school for African-American students. Cargile graduated as

salutatorian Salutatorian is an academic title given in the United States, Armenia, and the Philippines to the second-highest-ranked graduate of the entire graduating class of a specific discipline. Only the valedictorian is ranked higher. This honor is tradi ...

from Ballard Normal in 1910. That fall, Cargile started at

Washington, DC ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan ...

, which was both her uncle and her father's alma mater. During her time there, Cargile became Vice President of her Class, joined clubs such as Social Science Club, Alpha Phi Literary Society, German Club, Classical Club, Yearbook Staff, and the YWCA Cabinet. Winona Co-Founded the Delta Sigma Theta Sorority during her penultimate year at

. Cargile graduated cum laude with a

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four year ...

degree in English in 1914. Cargile was one of 22 founders of Delta Sigma Theta sorority in 1913.

Career

After graduation, Cargile was hired as a high school English teacher in

Sedalia, Missouri Sedalia is a city located approximately south of the Missouri River and, as the county seat of Pettis County, Missouri, United States, it is the principal city of the Sedalia Micropolitan Statistical Area. As of the 2010 census, the city had ...

. She received a graduate

ship to the New York School of Philanthropy. In 1915 she was the first black person admitted to the graduate studies program, and earned a degree in social work in 1916. After graduation, Cargile was the first black social worker hired for New York City and New York County Charities.Gregory Parks, ed., ''Black Greek-Letter Organizations in the Twenty-First Century: Our Fight Has Just Begun''
p. 78, Lexington, KY: University Press of Kentucky, 2008 Cargile moved to

Jacksonville, Florida Jacksonville is a city located on the Atlantic coast of northeast Florida, the most populous city proper in the state and is the List of United States cities by area, largest city by area in the contiguous United States as of 2020. It is the co ...

when hired as a social worker the Duval County Welfare Board. In 1917 she married attorney Edward L. Alexander. They moved to Switzerland, Florida, where Edward had a law practice. Cargile had two sons, Edward L., Jr. and James S. Four daughters died during birth.

Later life and death

After her husband's death in 1943, Alexander moved her family back to Jacksonville. She worked in social work, first as an administrator with Travelers' Aid. She worked from 1950 until 1960 as admissions officer at

Brewster Hospital The Brewster Hospital building is a historic U.S. hospital in the LaVilla neighborhood of Jacksonville, Florida. It was located at 915 West Monroe Street. On May 13, 1976, the building was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places. In ...

. Alexander founded the Jacksonville alumnae chapter of Delta Sigma Theta. She was active in the Laura Street Presbyterian Church, where she taught and was chosen as an elder. She volunteered with the

YWCA The Young Women's Christian Association (YWCA) is a nonprofit organization with a focus on empowerment, leadership, and rights of women, young women, and girls in more than 100 countries. The World office is currently based in Geneva, Swi ...

, where she was on the board of directors, and also on the Methodist Hospital Board of Directors. She died in 1984.

Honors and legacy

The Jacksonville chapter of the Delta Sigma Theta has a scholarship named after Alexander which is awarded to high school graduates. In 2018,

Lenny Curry Leonard Boyd Curry (born July 19, 1970) is an American politician, accountant, and businessman serving as the 8th mayor of Jacksonville, Florida. He assumed office on July 1, 2015, after defeating incumbent Alvin Brown in the city's 2015 mayoral ...

, the mayor of Jacksonville, declared June 9, 2018 as Winona Cargile Alexander Memorial Day in honor of her legacy.

References

External links

"Delta Sigma Theta Founder History"
University of Texas {{DEFAULTSORT:Alexander, Winona Cargile 1893 births 1984 deaths African-American academics American social workers Howard University alumni Columbia University School of Social Work alumni People from Columbus, Georgia People from Sedalia, Missouri Delta Sigma Theta founders Academics from Georgia (U.S. state) 20th-century American educators 20th-century African-American educators