A HOUSE RESOLUTION honoring the founders of delta sigma theta sorority while OBSERVING the organization's one hundredth anniversary.
Whereas, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated, was founded on January 13, 1913, by a group of 22 undergraduate women on the campus of Howard University in Washington, DC; and
Whereas, the founders of the sorority included Osceola McCarthy Adams, Marguerite Young Alexander, Winona Cargile Alexander, Ethel Cuff Black, Bertha Pitts Campbell, Zepher Chisome Carter, Edna Brown Coleman, Jessie McGuire Dent, Fredericka Chase Dodd, Myra Davis Hemmings, Olive C. Jones, Jimmie Bugg Middleton, Pauline Oberdorfer Minor, Vashti Turley Murphy, Naomi Sewell Richardson, Mamie Reddy Rose, Eliza Pearl Shippen, Florence Letcher Toms, Ethel Carr Watson, Wertie Blackwell Weaver, Madree Penn White, and Edith Motte Young; and
Whereas, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated, is a private, nonprofit organization whose purpose is to provide assistance and support through established programs in local communities throughout the world; and
Whereas, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated, is the largest African‑American Greek letter sorority, a sisterhood of more than 250,000 predominately African‑American college‑educated women, comprised of over 900 chapters in the United States, England, Japan, Germany, the Virgin Islands, Bermuda, the Bahamas, and the Republic of Korea; and
Whereas, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated, is able to carry out its mission through its Five‑Point Programmatic Thrust of Economic Development, Educational Development, International Awareness and Involvement, Physical and Mental Health, and Political Awareness and Involvement; and
Whereas, throughout its 100‑year history, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated, has demonstrated a steadfast commitment to service by implementing and sustaining programs such as those through the Financial Fortitude initiative, which seek to close the widening gap between the poor and wealthy, and through educational programs, such as the established Dr. Betty Shabazz Delta Academy, which provides opportunity for local chapters to enrich and enhance the education that young women receive in public schools across the nation to prepare them for full participation as leaders in the 21st Century; and
Whereas, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated, has demonstrated an unwavering global commitment of service by establishing and maintaining the Mary Help of the Sick Mission Hospital in Thika, Kenya, and as evidenced by its designation as a nongovernmental organization to the Economic and Social Council of the United Nation and its promotion to special consultative status, as a result of its volunteer services and humanitarian efforts performed to address issues throughout the world; and
Whereas, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated, has remained an active and committed participant in the democratic process by instituting its annual Delta Days at the United Nations and Delta Days at the Nation's Capital; and
Whereas, as part the Sorority's centennial celebration, the Delta Torch has been making a symbolic journey across the country stopping in 22 cities significant in Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated's history, including Greensboro and Charlotte and culminating in Washington DC for the Sorority's 51st national convention; and
Whereas, on May 22, 2013, members of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated, along with members of the Links, Inc., North Carolina Black Women Empowerment Network, Triangle Chapter of the National Coalition of 100 Black Women, National Council of Negro Women, Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc., and Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc., will participate in the "Gathering: Women at the General Assembly" to bring attention to issues affecting women in North Carolina; and
Whereas, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated, should be commended for making a difference in American and international communities, always following in the footsteps of its founders and upholding its commitment to be great stewards of sisterhood, scholarship, and service; Now, therefore,
Be it resolved by the House of Representatives:
SECTION 1.  The House of Representatives honors the memory of the founders of the Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated, and commends them for their vision in establishing this public service organization.
SECTION 2.  The House of Representatives applauds and acknowledges the women of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated, for their commitment on improving the lives of those in their communities and around the world.
SECTION 3.  The Principal Clerk shall transmit a certified copy of this resolution to the Director of the South Atlantic Region of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated.
SECTION 4.  This resolution is effective upon adoption.