Members of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority have organized to force its National Executive Board to recognize the official winners of the sorority’s national election for the positions of International President and Undergraduate Member-at-Large. The general election was held at the sorority’s bi-annual convention in July 2008.
None of the four candidates competing for the office of International President, and the three candidates competing for National Undergraduate Member-at-Large received a majority of votes as required by the governing documents of the organization.
A run-off election was held prior to the conference adjournment and Kim D. Sawyer, and Al-Qumar Akins were the clear winners with a majority of the votes cast. They, along with the other elected officers were officially installed as members of the 2008-2010 Executive Board.
However, the losing candidate, comedian Sheryl Underwood, was illegally installed by outgoing International President Barbara C. Moore and has been unofficially and illegitimately performing as the sorority’s leadership.
The membership is protesting this illegal action, and demand that the National Executive Board move with deliberate speed and due diligence to right this wrong. For the past six years, the Board has refused to perform its fiduciary responsibility to protect the assets of the sorority and to hold accountable those who have performed with misfeasance, malfeasance, and nonfeasance.
The Board has exercised blatant disregard for the will of the membership, ignored the governing documents of the sorority, allowed the misspending of hundreds of thousands of dollars, and has so demoralized the sisterhood that membership is now down by more than 50 percent.
It is alleged that Sheryl Underwood in her illegal capacity as president has physically assaulted a member of the headquarters staff, verbally abused other staff members, and has removed all names, but hers from the sorority bank account, an illegal act for a non-profit entity.
The membership is pursuing possible criminal and civil action against the entire National Executive Board to include Sheryl Underwood and Barbara C. Moore, who in 2006 admitted to misuse of tens of thousands of dollars of sorority funds, but has yet to be held accountable.
