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