SLS 183ES-36 ORIGINAL
2018 Third Extraordinary Session
SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 17
BY SENATOR PETERSON
CONDOLENCES. Expresses condolences upon the death of Felicia Kahn.
1 A RESOLUTION
2 To express the sincere condolences of the Senate of the Legislature of Louisiana upon the
3 death of Felicia Kahn.
4 WHEREAS, it is with deep regret and profound sorrow that the citizens of Louisiana
5 learned of the death of Felicia Kahn, a local legend in political circles and the civil rights and
6 women's advocacy movements, at the age of ninety-one; and
7 WHEREAS, Felicia Schornstein Kahn was born in New Orleans, Louisiana, to
8 Richard and Sarah Schornstein on July 11, 1926; and
9 WHEREAS, she attended Isidore Newman School and graduated from Newcomb
10 College in 1948; and
11 WHEREAS, Ms. Kahn had several professors who were interested in political action
12 in the Democratic Party, and she joined the organization, casting her first ballot for Harry
13 Truman; and
14 WHEREAS, in her senior year at Newcomb College, she met Martha Robinson who
15 was on the campus looking for students to join the League of Women Voters New Orleans
16 (LWVNO); and
17 WHEREAS, Ms. Kahn joined the group and assisted in registering women to vote
18 and raising voter awareness; and
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SLS 183ES-36 ORIGINAL
1 WHEREAS, soon after graduating from college in 1948, she married Charles Kahn
2 Jr. and began working as a client visitor with the Louisiana Department of Public Welfare,
3 but she quit working to start a family; and
4 WHEREAS, pushing her son, Chip, in a stroller, Ms. Kahn campaigned for Mayor
5 Chep Morrison and for Ms. Robinson, then a candidate for New Orleans City Council; and
6 WHEREAS, Ms. Kahn found her passion with the LWVNO, and volunteering with
7 the organization gave her a solid background in all the important issues of the day and
8 introduced her to New Orleans' first wave of women political leaders, including Mathilde
9 Dreyfous, Betty Wisdom, Margaret "Pokey" McIlhenny, Carolyn Gay "Blondie" Labouisse,
10 Mildred Osborne, and Marion Abramson; and
11 WHEREAS, often with a toddler on her knee, she served the organization in many
12 capacities, including president from 1966 to 1969, and became a frequent visitor of
13 newsrooms pushing for coverage and traveling to Baton Rouge to lobby the legislature on
14 issues such as voting, school integration, and poverty programs; and
15 WHEREAS, after leaving the LWVNO board in 1969, Ms. Kahn became active in
16 many other organizations, including the New Orleans Coalition, the Independent Women's
17 Organization, the National Women's Political Caucus, Common Cause, and the National
18 Council of Jewish Women; and
19 WHEREAS, in 1972, Ms. Kahn worked with the biracial National Women's Political
20 Caucus to encourage women to attend the Democratic Convention and won a seat on the
21 Democratic State Central Committee backed by Mayor Landrieu and the New Orleans
22 Coalition; and
23 WHEREAS, in 1976, she joined Jimmy Carter's presidential campaign, was a Carter
24 appointee to the convention's Rules Committee, began to meet people from around the
25 country who thought differently about women's roles, and was a candidate in a race for the
26 Louisiana Legislature; and
27 WHEREAS, from 1976 to 2016, Ms. Kahn was a delegate to five Democratic
28 National Conventions for Jimmy Carter, Gary Hart, Bill Clinton, and twice for Hillary
29 Clinton, and once as an alternate; and
30 WHEREAS, in 2016, she was one of the oldest delegates to the historic convention
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1 that elected Hillary Rodham Clinton to serve as the first woman presidential candidate of a
2 major political party; and
3 WHEREAS, at the time of her passing, Ms. Kahn was serving as an elected member
4 of the Orleans Parish Democratic Executive Committee representing District "B"; and
5 WHEREAS, Felicia Kahn spent a lifetime supporting Democratic ideals and was an
6 integral part in promoting gender equality within the party; and
7 WHEREAS, she will be missed by her loving children, Charles "Chip" Kahn,
8 Elizabeth Kahn, and Felicia "Taffy" Kahn; and
9 WHEREAS, her words sum up her lifetime of political activism best, "Women play
10 an important role in society. It is absolutely essential that a woman be elected president.
11 Electing male presidents every four years is just wrong. The people in charge of our country
12 should look like the population. You can't really have representative government without
13 true representation of the population."; and
14 WHEREAS, Felicia Kahn was a passionate feminist, political activist, and lifelong
15 advocate of citizen education and social justice; and
16 WHEREAS, the success of the state of Louisiana, the strength of its communities,
17 and the overall vitality of American society depend in great measure upon people like Felicia
18 Kahn; and
19 WHEREAS, with the death of Felicia Kahn, Louisiana has lost one of its finest
20 daughters, a quintessential southern lady who loved her community and whose
21 accomplishments have left an indelible mark upon her community, state, and nation.
22 THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Senate of the Legislature of Louisiana
23 does hereby express sincere and heartfelt condolences upon the death of Felicia Kahn,
24 records for posterity her outstanding achievements and contributions, and extends enduring
25 appreciation for the tremendous pride and honor that she will forever bring to the
26 Democratic Party, the New Orleans community, the state of Louisiana, and the United States
27 of America.
28 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this Resolution be transmitted to the
29 family of Felicia Kahn.
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The original instrument and the following digest, which constitutes no part
of the legislative instrument, were prepared by Nancy Vicknair.
DIGEST
SR 17 Original 2018 Third Extraordinary Session Peterson
Expresses condolences upon the death of Felicia Kahn.
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