It will be a ’90s-inspired, red carpet theme as the Madison Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. hosts its 28th annual Heart and Soul Ball on Saturday, Feb. 10, at the Madison Club in downtown Madison. The annual fundraiser is an opportunity to get dressed up and to celebrate while raising funds for scholarships for students of color in the Madison area.
“We have a really nice entertainment lineup and we also are going to be honoring some organizations in the community for community impacts and their humanitarianism,” Constance Miles, president of the Madison Alumnae Chapter of the Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., tells Madison365.
That entertainment for the night will include an amazing saxophonist, Marcus Adams, and music from vocalist Michelle Bozeman. Vanessa McDowell, a.k.a. DJ Ace, will also perform throughout the night.
“It’s a fun-filled evening, but we definitely are focused on raising money for scholarships. We’re excited to come back in person after a couple of years,” Miles says. “There’s always great food and great camaraderie at this event and, of course, we have a really nice place this year [at the Madison Club]. The atmosphere is so nice at this event and it’s for such a wonderful cause.
Jalessa Bryant, the chairperson of this year’s Heart and Soul Scholarship Ball, tells Madison365 that this will be her first Heart and Soul Ball. “This is an event that I know many people are very fond of in Madison and I am most looking forward to dressing to the theme, which is the ’90s red carpet,” Bryant says. “We’re encouraging folks to tap into an era of music that I feel like is one of my favorites for hip hop. It’s a chance to get festive for an evening of celebration. I’m most looking forward to getting to know sorors in person and getting to know sorors from outside of the area and also getting to see who in the community aligns with what we’re trying to do as far as raising funds for young people to support their educational endeavors.”
Beyond educational scholarships, the Madison Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. is involved in the community in a variety of areas including economic development, international awareness and involvement, physical and mental health and social action. Recently, the Wisconsin chapters of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. teamed up with State Rep. Shelia Stubbs, a longtime Delta, to tackle the critical issue of missing and murdered African American women and girls.
“Deltas came from throughout the state to the Wisconsin State Capitol and interacted with individual representatives and supporters and we were so happy to support soror Rep. Shelia Stubbs and the bill,” Miles says.
The Committee on Criminal Justice and Public Safety voted unanimously in favor of Assembly Bill 615 last week at the state Capitol to create a task force on missing and murdered African American women and girls.
“Big picture, we’ve had several projects going on … projects around clothing drives, around the homeless, creative writing contests … we’re in partnership with one of our other Midwest chapters in Minnesota dealing with issues around physical and mental health,” Miles says.
In April, the Deltas’ education committee, along with Blacks for Political & Social Action Dane County, hosted a community engagement session and interactive summit titled ”The State of Black Children and Their Education” at the Madison College-Goodman South Campus in the heart of South Madison. The Deltas also hosted a community-wide event with Black Girls Magic around the viewing of “The Color Purple” at the Marcus Plaza in Sun Prairie.
“We partner with the Urban League of Greater Madison and the American Red Cross for sickle cell blood drives,” Miles says. “We have a Midwest service initiative every March. This last one was a literacy book drive for Black girls where we collaborated with Black Girls Magic and Women in Focus. We had an event where we gave out books to young Black girls.”
The Deltas economic development committee will also be holding workshops around financial literacy and afterlife planning.
“On top of that, we’re collaborating with the Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority, the AKAs, on a social action venture where every year we offer a panel discussion for the community about the local elections,” she adds. The Urban League of Greater Madison is also a partner in this.
A sisterhood of more than 200,000 predominately Black college-educated women, the Delta Sigma Theta Sorority currently has over 900 chapters located in the United States, England, Japan (Tokyo and Okinawa), Germany, the Virgin Islands, Bermuda, the Bahamas and the Republic of Korea.
Jimmy Carter was president of the United States when 23 trailblazing women from the Madison area first decided they wanted to make a difference in their community and got together to charter the Madison Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. on August 27, 1977.
“There are now currently 49 members of the Madison alumnae chapter,” Miles says.
The annual Heart and Soul Ball has become the chapter’s signature event, but for a variety of reasons, the Deltas were unable to host it last year but were able to present scholarships to students in 2023.
“We’re excited to be around people and just having that personal connection that you get at the Heart and Soul event,” Bryant says. “We’re excited to be connecting back with people from the community at this community event …. and we’re all connecting for a good common cause.
“But it’s also just a really fun time with great entertainment while raising money for our students of color to pursue their educational goals. Our past scholarship recipients will also be recognized at this event. It’s just great camaraderie and great fun.”
To get tickets to the 28th annual Heart and Soul Ball, click here.
