[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 32 (Friday, March 12, 2004)]
[Senate]
[Pages S2774-S2775]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS

                                 ______
                                 

               SALUTING DELTA SIGMA THETA SORORITY, INC.

 Mr. CORZINE. Mr. President, I rise today to recognize the 
women of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., a service sorority dedicated 
to promoting sisterhood, scholarship and service, for their efforts in 
the battle against HIV/AIDS.
  According to statistics from the U.S. Department of Health and Human 
Services, as of the end of 2002, an estimated 42 million people 
worldwide--38.6 million adults and 3.2 million children younger than 15 
years of age--were living with HIV/AIDS. Approximately 70 percent of 
these people, 29.4 million, live in Sub-Saharan Africa; another 17 
percent, 7.2 million, live in Asia. Of the estimated 15,603 AIDS-
related deaths in the United States in the year 2001, approximately 52 
percent were among African Americans and Hispanics. Racial and ethnic 
minority populations constitute more than 57 percent of the more than 
800,000 cases of AIDS reported in the United States since the epidemic 
was discovered in 1981. Further, the Centers for Disease Control 
reports that as of December 2001, African Americans and Hispanics 
represented 52 percent of AIDS cases reported among males and 78 
percent of those in females. Fifty-eight percent of all women reported 
living with AIDS that year were African Americans and 20 percent were 
Hispanic. African American children represented 58 percent of all 
pediatric cases. Of the 175 pediatric AIDS cases reported in 2001, 139, 
79 percent, were African Americans and Hispanic. AIDS is one of the 
leading cause of death among African-American men ages 24 to 44. 
Recognizing the urgency of the issue, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. 
has taken a leadership role in educating the global community on how to 
decrease the AIDS pandemic, thus promoting health and wellness.
  Delta Sigma Theta's effort focuses on an intense HIV/AIDS Education 
Campaign beginning with encouraging local Delta chapters to implement 
internal

[[Page S2775]]

education awareness workshops. This enabled the sorority members to 
better understand the drastic impact HIV/AIDS is having on African 
American women of all ages. In addition, for the past 3 years, chapters 
have participated in the sorority's International Day of Service for 
HIV/AIDS, a public awareness program in which a day is committed to 
providing HIV/AIDS education and prevention services to communities 
around the world.
  On Saturday, March 13, 2004, the more than 900 chapters of the 
sorority located in 44 States, the District of Columbia, and in 6 
countries abroad will conduct forums and seminars, provide counseling 
and testing, raise funds for research and services, and petition 
lawmakers to enact legislation that effectively addresses HIV/AIDS 
issues. In my State of New Jersey alone, the Central Jersey Alumnae 
chapter will sponsor a community forum entitled ``Why Not Me? The 
Affect of HIV/AIDS on Our Families.'' The event will include key 
sessions for citizens of diverse age groups, helping participants to 
clarify perceptions/myths about HIV/AIDS and encouraging them to speak 
openly about the impact of the disease on their communities. There also 
will be an open general session in which TEEN PEP of Somerset County 
will perform some powerful and thought-provoking pieces.
  The Montclair Alumnae chapter will provide direct services to the 
Academy Street Firehouse After-School Project. As part of the AIDS 
Resource Foundation for Children in Newark, the Academy Street 
Firehouse addresses educational, vocational, social and medical needs 
of children and teens who are dealing with the loss of a parent due to 
AIDS. Approximately 50 children between the ages of 7 and 17 will 
receive services.
  The North Jersey Alumnae chapter will hold three seminars on topics 
related to the HIV/AIDS: (1) The Secret Lives of AIDS; (2) The role of 
the church in the fight against HIV/AIDS; and (3) How individuals can 
protect themselves. There will be free testing and counseling. Speakers 
will include community activists and church leaders. There also will be 
a dramatization by the ``POWER'' group, a youth organization that 
teaches about HIV/AIDS and its affects.
  The Rancocas Valley Alumnae chapter will partner with the Township of 
Willingboro to present workshops for men, women and children on (1) 
HIV/AIDS prevention; (2) Functioning as a person living with HIV/AIDS; 
(3) Caring for people with AIDS; and (4) Volunteerism with HIV/AIDS 
organizations. The day will be filled with a variety of activities such 
as panel discussions, videos, dramatic presentations, praise dancers, 
and step teams.
  The Trenton Alumnae chapter along with the Rho Epsilon and Tau Kappa 
collegiate chapters will host Trenton's 2nd Annual Aids Walk. The Walk 
will begin at a local school and end at City Hall where the chapters 
will host a rally and speakers who will discuss the impact of HIV/AIDS. 
Donations will be collected to benefit the Rainbow House, a nonprofit 
organization that provides housing for children and adults living with 
HIV/AIDS in the city of Trenton.
  The membership of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. provides an 
extensive array of public service programs and projects through the 
sorority's Five-Point Program Thrust: Economic, Development, 
Educational Development, International Awareness and Involvement, 
Physical and Mental Health, and Political Awareness and Involvement. 
The ``International Day of Service'' is an activity of the sorority's 
mental and physical health focus ``Summit V: Let It Continue--Heal and 
Healing: Promoting Health and Wellness on HIV/AIDS.'' Summit V is a 
means through which Deltas throughout the world assist in informing and 
educating the public and families about women's health issues, develop 
community partnerships to help inform the public and provide access to 
services; provide leadership for supporting policy development and 
promoting and enforcing legal requirements that protect the health and 
safety of women; and support research and political efforts to gain new 
insights and innovate solutions to health problems impacting women.
  Delta Sigma Theta Sorority was founded on the campus of Howard 
University in 1913 by 22 visionary college women. Notable members 
include our colleague in the other Chamber. Congresswoman Stephanie 
Tubbs Jones of Ohio, civil rights pioneer and Congressional Gold Medal 
recipient Dr. Dorothy I. Height, and former Labor Secretary Alexis 
Herman.
  I invite my colleagues to join me in saluting the women of Delta 
Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., for their global efforts in the battle 
against HIV/AIDS, and I urge fellow Americans to participate in the 
Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., ``International Day of Service'' 
projects in their communities on March 13, 2004.

                          ____________________