SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 727
WHEREAS, Collegiate and alumnae members of Delta Sigma
Theta Sorority, Incorporated, are gathering in Austin on May 15,
2019, to celebrate Red and White Day, a day of advocacy and
action, at the State Capitol; and
WHEREAS, The Delta Sigma Theta Sorority was founded in 1913
at Howard University in Washington, D.C.; the 22 original members
included four young women from Texas, Zephyr Chisom Carter,
Jessie McGuire Dent, Frederica Chase Dodd, and Myra Davis
Hemmings, all of whom were committed to academic excellence and
social change; members marched in a women's suffrage parade soon
after the sorority's founding, and the sorority was incorporated
as a national organization in 1930; and
WHEREAS, Since its founding, more than 200,000 women have
joined Delta Sigma Theta in the United States and in several
foreign countries; the sorority has about 1,000 chapters, with
many in the Lone Star State; members work toward positive change
in their communities and are advocates for economic development,
international awareness, physical and mental health, and
improvements in education; moreover, they mentor at-risk young
women, conduct voter awareness drives, host political forums,
and help guide and inform public policy; and
WHEREAS, Many members of the sorority have gone on to have
distinguished careers in public service, including Texas state
representatives Rhetta Andrews Bowers and Toni Rose, as well as
the late state representative Ruth Jones McClendon and the late
congresswoman Barbara Jordan; and
WHEREAS, The women of Delta Sigma Theta have enriched the
State of Texas and the nation through their generosity and their
wide array of programs and services, and it is indeed a pleasure to
commend them for their noteworthy endeavors; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the Senate of the State of Texas, 86th
Legislature, hereby recognize May 15, 2019, as Red and White Day
at the State Capitol and extend to all those involved with Delta
Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated, sincere best wishes for the
future; and, be it further
RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution be prepared for the
sorority as an expression of high regard from the Texas Senate.
West
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President of the Senate
I hereby certify that the
above Resolution was adopted by
the Senate on May 15, 2019.
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Secretary of the Senate
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Member, Texas Senate