[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 171 (Tuesday, October 24, 2017)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1419]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   HONORING THE 80TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE DELTA SIGMA THETA SORORITY'S 
                      NEWPORT NEWS ALUMNAE CHAPTER

                                 ______
                                 

                     HON. ROBERT C. ``BOBBY'' SCOTT

                              of virginia

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, October 24, 2017

  Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the 80th 
anniversary of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority's Newport News Alumnae 
Chapter.
  Delta Sigma Theta Sorority was founded in 1913 by 22 students 
attending Howard University. These women all saw education and 
community service as the key to pushing forward the cause of civil 
rights and progress for the African American community, and that 
mission remains strong to this day. Today, Delta Sigma Theta has grown 
to an organization with over 250,000 members and over 940 local 
chapters operating all over the United States and the world.
  The Newport News Alumnae Chapter was originally charted in 1937 as 
the Beta Kappa Chapter. It was then changed to the Gamma Iota Sigma 
Chapter in 1947 before officially becoming the Newport News Alumnae 
Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority in 1960. The Chapter was 
dutifully led in these early years by Charter members Marian Palmer 
Capps, Clara Pannell, Ethel Pannell, Sallie Watkins Roberts, Dorothy 
Roles Watkins, Olivia Williamson, and Christine Jefferson Haynes.
  The women of the Newport News Alumnae Chapter are committed to the 
same honored tradition of community service that has driven all of 
Delta Sigma Theta's members since its inception. Delta Sigma Theta's 
sisterhood has always been guided by the sorority's Five-Point 
Programmatic Thrust of Economic Development, Education Development, 
International Awareness and Involvement, Physical and Mental Health, 
and Political Awareness and Involvement. It is with these principles in 
mind that the Newport News Alumnae Chapter established the programs 
that continue to serve their local community to this day.
  Delta Sigma Theta's unwavering commitment to serving the needs of 
African Americans has been truly reflected through the good work 
pursued by the Newport News Alumnae Chapter over the years. The Dr. 
Betty Shabazz Delta Academy provides young girls between 11 and 14 
years old with the opportunity to pursue their interests in math, 
science, and technology. The Delta GEMS program offers college and 
career planning to at-risk teenage girls who may otherwise not 
understand the opportunities available to them. The EMBODI program 
addresses the challenges facing African-American boys by providing 
middle and high schoolers with counseling and support in subject areas 
such as fostering healthy relationships, fiscal management, physical 
and mental health, self-efficacy, and more. These programs provide an 
invaluable service to the youth of Newport News.
  Mr. Speaker, as the Newport News Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta 
Sorority celebrates this exciting milestone, its members can feel 
affirmed that these past 80 years of fellowship and outreach have left 
the Newport News community stronger and more united than it otherwise 
would have been. I would like to congratulate Chapter President Joyce 
Melvin-Jones and all of the members of the Newport News sisterhood on 
this special occasion.

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