--- title: HR 20. Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc.; 112 years of service; Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc. Founders Day; 01/13/25; recognize collection: bills id: 2025-2026/hr20 cite_as: HR 20, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.) canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr20 md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr20.md text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr20/text source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/69361 date: 2025-01-14 status: passed corpus_version: bills-2026-09-13 license: Public record of the Georgia General Assembly, via LegiScan; see about.md publisher: Georgia Commons, an independent project of Georgia Civic Data. Not the State of Georgia. Not legal advice. up: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026.md previous: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr19.md next: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr21.md index: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/index.md omitted: votes and history omitted_chars: 131 omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr20.md?full=1 bill_number: HR 20 session: 2025-2026 Regular Session session_slug: 2025-2026 chamber: House bill_type: resolution status_date: 2025-01-14 last_action: House Read and Adopted sponsors: - Viola Davis - Edna Jackson - Terry Cummings - Rhonda Burnough - Sheila Jones - Mekyah McQueen text_version: Introduced has_text: true legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/HR20/2025 upstream_id: 1919116 summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5 topic_tags: - ceremonial resolution - Delta Sigma Theta Sorority - Georgia House of Representatives - Founders Day - civic organizations --- # HR 20. Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc.; 112 years of service; Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc. Founders Day; 01/13/25; recognize ## Text House Resolution 20 By: Representatives Davis of the 87th, Jackson of the 165th, Cummings of the 39th, Burnough of the 77th, Jones of the 60th, and others A RESOLUTION Commending Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc. for its 112 years of service and recognizing January 13, 2025, as Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc. Founders Day; and for other purposes. WHEREAS, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc. is a public service organization that was founded on January 13, 1913, by 22 visionary collegiate women at Howard University in Washington, D.C., dedicated to sisterhood, scholarship, and public service; and WHEREAS, its founding members included Osceola Macarthy Adams, Marguerite Young Alexander, Winona Cargile Alexander, Ethel Cuff Black, Bertha Pitts Campbell, Zephyr Chisom Carter, Edna Brown Coleman, Jessie McGuire Dent, Frederica Chase Dodd, Myra Davis Hemmings, Olive Jones, Jimmie Bugg Middleton, Pauline Oberdorfer Minor, Vashti Turley Murphy, Naomi Sewell Richardson, Mamie Reddy Rose, Eliza P. Shippen, Florence Letcher Toms, Ethel Carr Watson, Wertie Blackwell Weaver, Madree Penn White, and Edith Motte Young; and WHEREAS, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc. has grown into a global sisterhood of over 300,000 initiated members with more than 1,000 collegiate and alumnae chapters across the United States and internationally, including in England, Japan, Germany, the Virgin Islands, Bermuda, the Bahamas, and South Korea; and WHEREAS, the sorority's Five-Point Programmatic Thrust focuses on Economic Development, Educational Development, International Awareness and Involvement, Physical and Mental Health, and Political Awareness and Involvement, reflecting its enduring commitment to positive social change; and WHEREAS, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc. has produced trailblazers and civic leaders, including civil rights icons, educators, business leaders, and public servants dedicated to justice and equality; and WHEREAS, distinguished members of the Georgia General Assembly who are proud members of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc. include state representatives Viola Davis (D-Stone Mountain), Rhonda Burnough (D-Riverdale), Sheila Jones (D-Atlanta), Edna Jackson (D-Savannah), MeKyah McQueen (D-Smyrna), and Terry Cummings (D-Mableton), each of whom exemplifies the sorority's ideals of public service and leadership; and WHEREAS, the sorority's first public act was its participation in the historic 1913 Women's Suffrage March in Washington, D.C., underscoring its legacy of civic engagement and social action; and WHEREAS, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc. continues to advance its legacy of advocacy through hosting signature events such as Delta Days at the State Capitol and by addressing critical issues impacting communities across Georgia and the nation. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES that the members of this body commend Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc. for its 112 years of impactful service; recognize January 13, 2025, as Founders Day; and celebrate the sorority's ongoing contributions toward building stronger communities through advocacy, education, and leadership. BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Clerk of the House of Representatives is authorized and directed to make an appropriate copy of this resolution available for distribution to Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc. ## Summaries written by Georgia Commons The following was written by claude-sonnet-5 from the text above and is not part of the resolution. Quote the text, not the summary. A Georgia House resolution commends Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc. for 112 years of service and recognizes January 13, 2025, as Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc. Founders Day. ### Plain-language summary This resolution is a ceremonial statement from the Georgia House of Representatives honoring Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc., a public service organization founded in 1913 at Howard University. It recounts the sorority's history, founding members, growth into a global organization with more than 300,000 members, and its Five-Point Programmatic Thrust covering economic development, education, international awareness, health, and political involvement. The resolution names several Georgia state representatives who are members of the sorority and highlights its history of civic engagement, including participation in the 1913 Women's Suffrage March and ongoing advocacy events like Delta Days at the State Capitol. It does not change any Georgia law; it formally commends the sorority and directs the Clerk of the House to provide a copy of the resolution to the organization. ### What it does - Commends Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc. for 112 years of public service, sisterhood, and scholarship. - Formally recognizes January 13, 2025, as Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc. Founders Day. - Directs the Clerk of the House of Representatives to prepare and distribute a copy of the resolution to the sorority. - Creates no new law, funding, or penalty; it is a symbolic statement of recognition rather than a regulatory action. ### Who it affects The resolution directly names and honors Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc. and its members, including several sitting Georgia state representatives identified as sorority members. It has no legal or regulatory effect on the general public. ### Why it matters Resolutions like this one carry symbolic rather than legal weight. Its practical effect is limited to formal recognition and a commemorative copy given to the sorority, without changing any rights, funding, or obligations for Georgians. ### Key provisions - The whereas clauses recount the sorority's 1913 founding at Howard University and list its 22 founding members. - The whereas clauses describe the sorority's growth to over 300,000 members and its Five-Point Programmatic Thrust. - The whereas clauses name Georgia House members who belong to the sorority and describe its civic engagement history. - The resolving clause commends the sorority and recognizes January 13, 2025 as Founders Day. - A further resolving clause directs the Clerk of the House to distribute a copy of the resolution to the sorority. ## Status - Status: Passed (2025-01-14) - Last action: House Read and Adopted (2025-01-14) - Sponsors: Viola Davis, Edna Jackson, Terry Cummings, Rhonda Burnough, Sheila Jones, Mekyah McQueen - Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/69361 > The history, votes, and amendments (131 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr20.md?full=1