| |||||||
| |||||||
| |||||||
1 | HOUSE RESOLUTION
| ||||||
2 | WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of | ||||||
3 | Representatives are pleased to recognize Delta Sigma Theta | ||||||
4 | Sorority Incorporated on the occasion of its 100th anniversary; | ||||||
5 | and
| ||||||
6 | WHEREAS, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Incorporated is the | ||||||
7 | single-largest predominantly African-American women's | ||||||
8 | organization in the nation and the only African-American | ||||||
9 | women's
organization to participate in the Women's Suffrage | ||||||
10 | March of 1913; and
| ||||||
11 | WHEREAS, The sorority was founded on January 13, 1913, on | ||||||
12 | the Howard University campus by 22
young women hoping to make | ||||||
13 | strides in community service and education; Delta Sigma
Theta | ||||||
14 | Sorority has amassed a membership of over 250,000 | ||||||
15 | college-educated, esteemed and
accomplished women, and has 900 | ||||||
16 | chapters both in the U.S. and around the world; many of
these | ||||||
17 | women are distinguished trailblazers in their industry and | ||||||
18 | well-known famous faces
in education, television, film, | ||||||
19 | politics, public service, civic engagement, medicine, science,
| ||||||
20 | entrepreneurship, and more; Delta women have marched for | ||||||
21 | women's suffrage and participated
on the public policy stage in | ||||||
22 | state legislatures across the country and at the nation's | ||||||
23 | capital; they have hosted countless mentorship and service |
| |||||||
| |||||||
1 | programs in an effort to create
change in their community; and
| ||||||
2 | WHEREAS, Members have included activists Mary McLeod | ||||||
3 | Bethune and Dorothy Height and congresswomen Shirley Chisholm | ||||||
4 | and Barbara Jordan; other notable members include poet
Nikki | ||||||
5 | Giovanni, Marian Wright Edelman, journalists Gwen Ifill and | ||||||
6 | Soledad 0'Brien, singers
Aretha Franklin, Lena Horne, Leontyne | ||||||
7 | Price, and Roberta Flack, and actresses Cicely Tyson
and Ruby | ||||||
8 | Dee, and others including Alexis Herman, Camille Cosby, Betty | ||||||
9 | Shabzz, and many
other notable women's history makers and | ||||||
10 | household names; and
| ||||||
11 | WHEREAS, Over the past 100 years, Delta Chapter's across | ||||||
12 | the globe have developed rich programs that
initiate social | ||||||
13 | change and advocacy, encourage academic excellence, and | ||||||
14 | elevate cultural
awareness, based on the organization's Five | ||||||
15 | Point Programmatic Thrust: Economic
Development, International | ||||||
16 | Awareness and Involvement, Physical and Mental Health, and | ||||||
17 | Political
Awareness and Involvement; the impressive efforts of | ||||||
18 | the Delta Sigma Theta Sorority founders
can be seen and felt | ||||||
19 | across the country and the world; and
| ||||||
20 | WHEREAS, A year-long celebration, 22-city tour of the Delta | ||||||
21 | Torch, which symbolizes the "passion
and commitment to the | ||||||
22 | organization's global reach", which kicked off in Los Angeles | ||||||
23 | with
Delta's historic participation in the 2013 Tournament of |
| |||||||
| |||||||
1 | Roses Parade and will continue
through Seattle, Dallas, Little | ||||||
2 | Rock, Chicago, Detroit, Atlanta, Charlotte, New York City, and
| ||||||
3 | Baltimore; and | ||||||
4 | WHEREAS, The tour will culminate in Washington, D.C. at the | ||||||
5 | 51st national convention which is
scheduled for July 11-17, | ||||||
6 | 2013, when the torch is passed to the national president, | ||||||
7 | signifying the start
of the organizations national convention; | ||||||
8 | therefore, be it
| ||||||
9 | RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE | ||||||
10 | NINETY-EIGHTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that | ||||||
11 | we recognize the 100th anniversary of the founding of Delta | ||||||
12 | Sigma Theta Sorority and we pay honor to those women who have | ||||||
13 | blazed the trail and led us to this
exciting point in history; | ||||||
14 | and be it further
| ||||||
15 | RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be | ||||||
16 | presented to Delta Sigma Theta Sorority as an expression of our | ||||||
17 | esteem and respect.
|