Chi Alpha Delta
Encyclopedia
Chi Alpha Delta ΧΑΔ is the oldest Asian-American
cultural interest
sorority in the United States
founded and chartered at UCLA
. The sorority focuses to bring together girls of all different descents together into a close-knit bond of sisterhood to last a lifetime.
(UCLA) by Helen Tomio Mizuhara and Alyce Asahi. The sorority originally had 14 Japanese-American
students. On April 5, 1929, the sorority was officially recognized by UCLA. In 2002, the sorority had 65 members, of which less than 10% are Japanese.
The sorority was founded due to racism
and segregation
. The 14 Japanese-American students were rejected from a Panhellenic Greek
sorority, so they decided to form one for the Japanese and those of other Asian descents. These women created this sorority because they thought that they "needed a same-sex, same-race organization in order to feel at home in the university."
In the 1940s, during the yearly Faculty Tea, members wore kimono
s and used Japanese styles to fix up their hair. During the 1940s, members were primarily second-generation Japanese Americans who conversed in English
.
Members of the sorority celebrate their Asian-American identity through food and fashion. They cook foods from different countries and host fashion show
s to recruit new members.
Greek System Seeks Members - 1998 Daily Bruin
Founding Sisters - 2001 Daily Bruin
Fashionable fundraiser fosters cancer research - 2001 Daily Bruin
Nurturing UCLA Women's Asian Roots and U.S. Lives - LA Times
A Greek Odyssey - 2003 Daily Bruin
Greek life’s fall recruitment to start Zero Week - 2007 Daily Bruin
Asian American
Asian Americans are Americans of Asian descent. The U.S. Census Bureau definition of Asians as "Asian” refers to a person having origins in any of the original peoples of the Far East, Southeast Asia, or the Indian subcontinent, including, for example, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Japan,...
cultural interest
Cultural interest fraternities and sororities
Cultural interest fraternities and sororities, in the North American student fraternity and sorority system, refer to general or social organizations oriented to students having a special interest in a culture or cultural identity....
sorority in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
founded and chartered at UCLA
University of California, Los Angeles
The University of California, Los Angeles is a public research university located in the Westwood neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, USA. It was founded in 1919 as the "Southern Branch" of the University of California and is the second oldest of the ten campuses...
. The sorority focuses to bring together girls of all different descents together into a close-knit bond of sisterhood to last a lifetime.
History
Chi Alpha Delta was founded in 1928 at the University of California, Los AngelesUniversity of California, Los Angeles
The University of California, Los Angeles is a public research university located in the Westwood neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, USA. It was founded in 1919 as the "Southern Branch" of the University of California and is the second oldest of the ten campuses...
(UCLA) by Helen Tomio Mizuhara and Alyce Asahi. The sorority originally had 14 Japanese-American
Japanese American
are American people of Japanese heritage. Japanese Americans have historically been among the three largest Asian American communities, but in recent decades have become the sixth largest group at roughly 1,204,205, including those of mixed-race or mixed-ethnicity...
students. On April 5, 1929, the sorority was officially recognized by UCLA. In 2002, the sorority had 65 members, of which less than 10% are Japanese.
The sorority was founded due to racism
Racism
Racism is the belief that inherent different traits in human racial groups justify discrimination. In the modern English language, the term "racism" is used predominantly as a pejorative epithet. It is applied especially to the practice or advocacy of racial discrimination of a pernicious nature...
and segregation
Racial segregation
Racial segregation is the separation of humans into racial groups in daily life. It may apply to activities such as eating in a restaurant, drinking from a water fountain, using a public toilet, attending school, going to the movies, or in the rental or purchase of a home...
. The 14 Japanese-American students were rejected from a Panhellenic Greek
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
sorority, so they decided to form one for the Japanese and those of other Asian descents. These women created this sorority because they thought that they "needed a same-sex, same-race organization in order to feel at home in the university."
In the 1940s, during the yearly Faculty Tea, members wore kimono
Kimono
The is a Japanese traditional garment worn by men, women and children. The word "kimono", which literally means a "thing to wear" , has come to denote these full-length robes...
s and used Japanese styles to fix up their hair. During the 1940s, members were primarily second-generation Japanese Americans who conversed in English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
.
Members of the sorority celebrate their Asian-American identity through food and fashion. They cook foods from different countries and host fashion show
Fashion show
A fashion show is an event put on by a fashion designer to showcase his or her upcoming line of clothing during Fashion Week. Fashion shows debut every season, particularly the Spring/Summer and Fall/Winter seasons. This is where the latest fashion trends are made...
s to recruit new members.
In the news
You Heard it First - 1998 Daily BruinGreek System Seeks Members - 1998 Daily Bruin
Founding Sisters - 2001 Daily Bruin
Fashionable fundraiser fosters cancer research - 2001 Daily Bruin
Nurturing UCLA Women's Asian Roots and U.S. Lives - LA Times
A Greek Odyssey - 2003 Daily Bruin
Greek life’s fall recruitment to start Zero Week - 2007 Daily Bruin