Gladys Merritt Ross, a teacher in Jersey City, New Jersey, held an organizational meeting with other teachers on March 30, 1923 to discuss forming an educational sorority for African American women who were prohibited from joining existing organizations due to segregation.

[1][2] Phi Delta Kappa was officially incorporated on May 23, 1923, as a sorority for women in the field of education.

[1] Its founders were Julia Asbury Barnes, Ella Wells Butler, Marguerite Gross, Florence Steele Hunt, Edna McConnell, Gladys Cannon Nunery, Gladys Merritt Ross, and Mildred Morris Williams.

[4] In the 1970s, the sorority formed a youth group called Xinos to support academic achievement, community service, and leadership amongst high school girls.

Phi Delta Kappa's national headquarters is at 8233 South King Drive in Chicago, Illinois.