Ethel L. Cuff Black

1890-1977

Founder Ethel L. Cuff Black was born on October 17, 1890, in Wilmington, Delaware to Richard and Lititia Wilson Cuff. She attended public school in Wilmington, later boarding at Bordentown in New Jersey, and graduated from Howard Academy in 1910 before continuing her studies at Howard University.

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On January 13, 1913, she and 21 fellow scholars founded Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., where she was installed as Vice President of Alpha Chapter. On March 3, 1913, she proudly marched with the Founders in the historic Women’s Suffrage Procession in Washington, D.C.—two events that would shape her legacy.

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Graduating cum laude in 1915 with a Teachers Diploma in Education, she began teaching in Missouri, Oklahoma City, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Maryland. After working for the 1920 Census, she taught at Delaware College for Colored Students (now Delaware State University) from 1921 to 1930.

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In 1930, she became the first Black teacher at P.S. 108 in Richmond Hill, later teaching at J.H.S. 40 in Jamaica, Queens. She was deeply respected by students and peers.

On June 4, 1951, she became one of 11 charter members of Delta Theta Sigma Chapter (now Queens Alumnae Chapter), playing a key role in launching its tutorial program and scholarship awards. She mentored many, especially educators, and her legacy continues to guide the chapter. Everything we do is an extension of her vision—beginning in 1913 at Howard University, and continuing in 1951 in Queens.

On May 5, 2024, the chapter honored her legacy with the unveiling of Ethel L. Cuff Black Way at Merrick and Foch Boulevards to 170th Street in Jamaica, Queens, recognizing her lifelong commitment to education, community, and women’s leadership.

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Chapter member Soror Laverne Corbett reflected:

“All of our Founders are special to those of us who chose the path of Delta Sigma Theta, but Founder Ethel Cuff Black is particularly dear to the members of Queens Alumnae. As an active member of the chapter, she contributed her time, energy, and ideas to the development and implementation of chapter programs. Founder Black inspired us all. Though she left us in 1977, her spirit remains and her legacy is still with us.”