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Regular Session, 2011 ENROLLED
SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTI ON NO. 35
BY SENATOR WILLARD-LEWIS
A CONCURRENT RESOLUTI ON
To commend and congratulate the "Mighty" Southern Region of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority,
Incorporated and to welcome the sorority to New Orleans on June 2-4, 2011, for its
82
nd
Southern Regional Leadership Conference and Youth Retreat.
WHEREAS, Anitra Kennedy Furlow is the current Regional Director of the "Mighty"
Southern Region of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Incorporated, with a spirit of gratitude,
excitement and teamwork and under this administration, the Southern Region strives to
strengthen the sisterhood, provide quality service, promote scholarship and continue to focus
on the purpose in which the sorority was founded; and
WHEREAS, Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Incorporated will host the 82nd Southern
Regional Conference and Youth Retreat in New Orleans, on June 2-4, 2011; and
WHEREAS, the sorority was founded January 16, 1920, on the campus of Howard
University in Washington, D.C., with the desire to provide true service, to embrace
scholarship, to set a standard for sisterly love and to define the noble concept of finer
womanhood; and
WHEREAS, the founders of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, known as the Five Pearls, are
Arizona Cleaver-Stemons, Myrtle Tyler-Faithful, Viola Tyler- Goings, Pearl Ann Neal, and
Fannie Pettie-Watts, who blazed a trail that has been traveled by thousands of women
dedicated to the emulation of the objectives and ideals of the sorority; and
WHEREAS, sorority members Myrtle Tyler, Gladys Warrington, Joanna Houston,
Josephine Johnson and O. Goldia Smith first incorporated Zeta Phi Beta Sorority on March
30, 1923, in Washington D.C., and in 1939, the sorority was incorporated in the state of
Illinois; and
WHEREAS, Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Incorporated was the first organization to charter
a chapter in Africa in 1948; to form adult and youth auxiliary groups, the Amicae,
Archonettes, Amicettes, and Pearlettes; and to be constitutionally bound to a brother group,
Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Incorporated; and SCR NO. 35 ENROLLED
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WHEREAS, since 1972, Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Incorporated has enjoyed a
partnership with the March of Dimes in an effort to encourage women to seek prenatal care
within the first trimester of pregnancy, thereby increasing the prevention of birth defects and
infant mortality; and
WHEREAS, the sorority sponsors over 175 Stork's Nests, designed to promote
prenatal care participation and healthy behaviors during the pregnancy, serving over 28,000
women; and
WHEREAS, Zetas Helping Other People Excel (Z-HOPE) is an outreach service
program that has six primary objectives, corresponding measures of success and a
mechanism for chapter recognition; and
WHEREAS, the National Educational Foundation of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority,
Incorporated is created and operated exclusively for charitable and educational purposes
with the principle activities and purpose of the trust being to award scholarship grants to
worthy students for the pursuit of higher education; to conduct community educational
programs which will aid in the educational and vocational improvement in individual and
community living standards; to engage in activities which will aid in the educational
development of all women; and to engage in any appropriate research related to the purposes
of the foundation scholarship; and
WHEREAS, the Southern Region traces its origins to when a beautiful visionary,
Roberta F. Bell-Sims was elected as the National First Anti-Basileus serving through 1934,
who moved Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Incorporated to the "Mighty" Southern Region in 1929,
and which has for the past 81 years been effectively carrying out the programmatic thrust
of its national presidents as well as fulfilling the needs of the sisterhood; and
WHEREAS, there is no explanation or mention of "Boule" before this; and
WHEREAS, at the same Boule in 1929, Roberta was appointed to serve as the
Southern Regional Director and given the assignment of organizing a region to be comprised
of Louisiana, Texas, Arkansas, Mississippi, and Alabama and from 1929 to 1934, Roberta
organized new chapters in every section of the region; and
WHEREAS, between 1937 and 1943, the region grew into the largest region in the
sorority, being named "The Mighty Southern Region", because it was so strong and gave SCR NO. 35 ENROLLED
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such excellent leadership to the national body; the region growing so rapidly and so large
that eventually all states except Texas and Louisiana were reassigned to other regions; and
WHEREAS, in 1937, the Southern Region invited the Boule to Houston, the first
held south of the Mason-Dixon line, where forty-five voting delegates attended; and
WHEREAS, the region is proud to have three very active Past Grand Basilei who
have added and continue to add wisdom, guidance, and stability to the region - Lullelia
Walker Harrison from Houston, is the 12th Grand Basileus, Isabel Morgan Herson from
Baton Rouge, is the 16th Grand Basileus and Dr. Barbara West Carpenter from Baton
Rouge, is the 21st Grand Basileus; and
WHEREAS, the achievements of the "Mighty Southern Region" are remarkable and
in many cases have set a precedent in Zeta as the Southern Region is the only region to hold
a separate auxiliary leadership conference; and
WHEREAS, the first undergraduate chapter established south of the Mason-Dixon
line was Theta Chapter at Wiley College in Marshall, Texas, in 1923 and Lambda Gamma
Chapter of McNeese State University in Lake Charles was the first undergraduate chapter
established on a predominantly white college campus in the South in 1969; and
WHEREAS, the first executive office of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Incorporated was
located in Houston, at 1721 Worms Street, and in 1948 Houston Amicae was the first to be
granted a charter by national; and
WHEREAS, the first fully paid life members of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Incorporated
were Gertrude Jimson and Eola Lyons Baker of Alpha Gamma Zeta Chapter in New
Orleans; and
WHEREAS, the first graduate chapter to be chartered in the region was Gamma Zeta
on April 3, 1925, in Shreveport, by Zetas in the teaching profession; and
WHEREAS, the oldest active graduate chapter in the region is Kappa Zeta in Dallas,
established in 1931 which held Blue Revue, a national scholarship observance, in 1933 and
presented at the 1933 Boule; and
WHEREAS, the first honorary member from the Southern Region was Barbara Ann
Webb-Spriggs, a concert singer from Houston, receiving the honor in 1952; and
WHEREAS, the first regional youth retreat was held at Bishop College in Dallas in SCR NO. 35 ENROLLED
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June 1979, and the first Southern Region youth director was Hattie Marshall of Gamma
Omega Zeta in Houston; and
WHEREAS, the Southern Region was the first to hold a joint Sigma/ Zeta Leadership
Conference (Gulf Coast Region/Sigma and Southern Region/Zeta), in Lake Charles in 1987
and initiated the Project SOS (Save Our Sons) in New Orleans in 1989; and
WHEREAS, the Southern Region is the only region that functions without state
meetings since there are only two states in the region; and
WHEREAS, Zeta's national and local programs include endowment of its National
Education Foundation; community outreach services; and support of multiple affiliate
organizations and Zeta chapters and auxiliary groups have given untold hours of voluntary
service to educate the public, assist youth, provide scholarships, support organized charities,
and promote legislation for social and civic change.
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Legislature of Louisiana does hereby
commend and congratulate the "Mighty" Southern Region of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority,
Incorporated and welcome the sorority to New Orleans on June 2-4, 2011, for its 82
nd
Southern Regional Leadership Conference and Youth Retreat.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this Resolution be transmitted to the
Southern Region of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority.
PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE
SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES