---
title: HR 401. Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc.; 112 years of service; Delta Day at the state capitol; March 3, 2025; recognize
collection: bills
id: 2025-2026/hr401
cite_as: HR 401, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.)
canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr401
md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr401.md
text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr401/text
source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/70863
date: 2025-02-26
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/hr400.md
next: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr402.md
index: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/index.md
omitted: votes and history
omitted_chars: 131
omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr401.md?full=1
bill_number: HR 401
session: 2025-2026 Regular Session
session_slug: 2025-2026
chamber: House
bill_type: resolution
status_date: 2025-02-26
last_action: House Read and Adopted
sponsors:
  - Viola Davis
  - Sheila Jones
  - Rhonda Burnough
  - Terry Cummings
  - Edna Jackson
  - Mekyah McQueen
text_version: Introduced
has_text: true
legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/HR401/2025
upstream_id: 1985911
summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5
topic_tags:
  - commemorative resolution
  - Delta Sigma Theta Sorority
  - Georgia House of Representatives
  - Delta Day
  - civic organizations
---

# HR 401. Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc.; 112 years of service; Delta Day at the state capitol; March 3, 2025; recognize

## Text

House Resolution 401
By: Representatives Davis of the 87th, Jones of the 60th, Burnough of the 77th, Cummings of
the 39th, Jackson of the 165th, and others
A RESOLUTION
Commending Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc. for its 112 years of service and recognizing
March 3, 2025, as Delta Day at the state capitol; and for other purposes.
WHEREAS, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc. is a public service organization founded on
January 13, 1913, by 22 visionary collegiate women at Howard University in Washington,
D.C.; and
WHEREAS, the 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. is a sisterhood of college educated women
dedicated to academic excellence and committed to community service; and
WHEREAS, more than 300,000 women have joined the organization to implement the
sorority's mission through its five point programmatic thrust of educational development,
economic development, political awareness and involvement, physical and mental health,
and international awareness and involvement; and
WHEREAS, the sorority has more than 1,000 collegiate and alumnae chapters located in the
United States as well as internationally, including Germany, England, Japan, the Virgin
Islands, Bermuda, the Bahamas, and the Republic of Korea; and
WHEREAS, Delta Days at Georgia State Capitol has instituted the Georganna Sinkfield
Servant Leadership Award in recognition of her service as the longest serving female in the
history of the Georgia General Assembly; the Pota E. Coston Trailblazer Award, named for
the first African American female commissioner elected in Fayette County, Georgia; and the
Social Action Collegiate Change Agent Award, which is awarded to a student actively
involved in student government association leadership or partner organizations who
demonstrates the ability to create change in either the campus or community environment;
and
WHEREAS, members of this illustrious sisterhood serve as elected officials, lend support
to various local communities, and lead dialogues on public policy throughout their
communities; and
WHEREAS, its members are committed to initiatives in alignment with its theme of "Our
Future, Our Fight: Making an impact for 112 years through sisterhood, scholarship, service,
and social action!," allowing the members to continue its legacy of social justice through
civic engagement.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES that
the members of this body commend the efforts of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc. for its 112
years of continued commitment to public service and its work in making the State of Georgia
a better place in which to live and recognize March 3, 2025, as Delta Day at the state capitol.
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 public service and recognizes March 3, 2025 as Delta Day at the state capitol.

### Plain-language summary

This resolution from the Georgia House of Representatives honors Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc., a public service organization founded in 1913 by 22 college women at Howard University. The text recounts the sorority's history, its founding members, its five point programmatic focus areas, and its growth to more than 300,000 members and 1,000 chapters worldwide.
The resolution formally commends the sorority for its service and designates March 3, 2025 as Delta Day at the state capitol. It also directs the Clerk of the House of Representatives to prepare a copy of the resolution for distribution to the sorority. The resolution does not change any Georgia law; it is a ceremonial statement by the House.

### What it does

- Commends Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc. for 112 years of public service and community work in Georgia.
- Officially recognizes March 3, 2025 as Delta Day at the state capitol.
- Directs the Clerk of the House of Representatives to prepare and distribute a copy of the resolution to the sorority.

### Who it affects

Members of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc., particularly its Georgia chapters, and the Clerk of the House of Representatives, who is directed to prepare and distribute a copy of the resolution to the organization.

### Why it matters

The resolution carries no legal or financial consequence but provides official state recognition of the sorority's history and service, giving the organization a formal day of acknowledgment at the Georgia Capitol.

### Key provisions

- The resolution recites the sorority's founding on January 13, 1913 at Howard University and names its 22 founders.
- It describes the sorority's five point programmatic focus: educational development, economic development, political awareness, health, and international awareness.
- It notes awards given during Delta Days at the Georgia Capitol, including the Georganna Sinkfield Servant Leadership Award and the Pota E. Coston Trailblazer Award.
- The resolving clause commends the sorority and designates March 3, 2025 as Delta Day at the state capitol.
- A further resolved clause directs the Clerk of the House to distribute a copy of the resolution to the sorority.

## Status

- Status: Passed (2025-02-26)
- Last action: House Read and Adopted (2025-02-26)
- Sponsors: Viola Davis, Sheila Jones, Rhonda Burnough, Terry Cummings, Edna Jackson, Mekyah McQueen
- Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/70863

> The history, votes, and amendments (131 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr401.md?full=1