[Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 7 (Tuesday, January 14, 2025)]
[House]
[Page H121]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




           HONORING DELTA SIGMA THETA SORORITY, INCORPORATED

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from 
Ohio (Mrs. Beatty) for 5 minutes.
  Mrs. BEATTY. Madam Speaker, I rise today in honor of the celebration 
yesterday of my sorority, Delta Sigma Theta, Incorporated.
  Let me say that it was 112 years ago yesterday that 22 visionary, 
young, Black women at Howard University came together to create a 
sorority rooted in the ideas of change, justice, and empowerment.
  I am a proud life member of this esteemed sisterhood. For me, it 
started at the Delta Kappa chapter as a freshman at Central State 
University and then as a member of the Dayton alumni chapter and now 
the Columbus, Ohio, alumni chapter.
  I am honored to recognize the extraordinary legacy and contributions 
of this organization which have been a beacon of service, sisterhood, 
and social action since its beginning in 1913.
  These trailblazers envisioned an organization that would prioritize 
service over socialization, and they had the foundation for what would 
become one of the world's largest African-American women's 
organizations.
  Over the decades, this organization has tackled some of the most 
pressing challenges facing our community. The National Library Project 
provided books to underserved Black communities in the segregated 
South. Deltas became the first sorority to establish employment 
counseling and career development for Black women. They partnered with 
Habitat for Humanity, building homes for families in need at home and 
abroad.
  Delta Sigma Theta has earned special NGO status with the United 
Nations, ensuring our voices are heard on the world's stage.
  Delta Sigma Theta women are among the most powerful changemakers in 
history. Their history includes ceiling-shattering public servants like 
Lieutenant Colonel Charity Adams Earley, who I fondly called Aunt Edna, 
serving as the highest-ranking Black woman officer during World War II.
  It includes the Honorable Shirley Chisolm, the first Black woman 
elected to Congress, the first Black woman to seek a major party's 
nomination for President of these United States and, yes, the only 
female of the 13 Members who founded the Congressional Black Caucus.
  It also includes individuals like Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, the 
first Black woman to serve on the Supreme Court.
  Delta has defined leadership in a broad spectrum of influence, from 
civil rights icons like Ida B. Wells to cultural legends like Aretha 
Franklin to leaders in this very Chamber like chair of the 
Congressional Black Caucus, Yvette Clarke, and our brilliant sisters 
who serve here: Congresswoman Valerie Foushee, Congresswoman Stacey 
Plaskett, Congresswoman Lucy McBath, Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett, 
Congresswoman Summer Lee, Congresswoman Jennifer McClellan, and Senator 
Angela Alsobrooks.
  Madam Speaker, as we celebrate Founders' Day in Ohio, we recommit 
ourselves to the mission and the vision of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, 
Incorporated: Fostering economic empowerment, advancing education, 
improving physical and mental health, promoting international 
awareness, and, lastly, engaging in political advocacy. These values 
have guided us for 112 years and will continue to light our way 
forward.
  Let me add that I associate myself with every word that Congresswoman 
Ayanna Pressley said with respect to what we are rightly naming. When 
we think about this bill being proposed, it is really the child 
predator empowerment act. There is nothing fair or safe about a 
teacher, a counselor, a nonmedical professional asking a young child to 
remove their garments so they can be inspected.

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