Which sorority did Aretha Franklin join as an honorary member?

Aretha Franklin joined Delta Sigma Theta as an honorary member.

Franklin was inducted into the historically Black sorority in 1992. Her honorary membership reflected her long connection to African American cultural institutions, community service, gospel traditions, and the civil-rights values associated with the organization.

Delta Sigma Theta was founded in 1913 at Howard University by 22 students. Its mission emphasizes public service, scholarship, sisterhood, and political awareness. Franklin’s music and public identity strongly resonated with those ideals, especially through songs and performances connected to Black pride, dignity, and social justice.

The sorority publicly honored Franklin after her death in 2018 with an Omega Omega ceremony, a traditional service for members before burial. Her family also used Delta’s crimson color in her viewing attire. Honorary membership is not the same as attending a sorority chapter as a college student; Franklin was recognized as an honorary soror later in life.