SEARCH SITE

VIRGINIA LAW PORTAL

SEARCHABLE DATABASES

ACROSS SESSIONS

Developed and maintained by the Division of Legislative Automated Systems.

2016 SESSION


HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 461
Celebrating the life of Lettie Coleman Madison.

 

Agreed to by the House of Delegates, March 8, 2016
Agreed to by the Senate, March 10, 2016

 

WHEREAS, Lettie Coleman Madison of Richmond, founder of the Department of Social Work at Virginia Union University, an author, a philanthropist, a person of great faith who sought to make a positive difference in her community, and a lifelong advocate for social justice, died on May 23, 2015; and

WHEREAS, Lettie Madison, who died at the age of 105, was born in Montpelier in Hanover County and was the daughter of sharecroppers and the granddaughter of freed slaves; and

WHEREAS, Lettie Madison received a high school diploma from Hampton Institute, now known as Hampton University, in 1929, and was the first person in her family to graduate from high school; she then enrolled at Rutgers University in 1930; and

WHEREAS, Lettie Madison worked for the New Jersey Department of Public Welfare as a family visitor; she later earned a master’s degree from Fordham University and pursued further studies at Columbia University and Montclair State Teachers College, now known as Montclair State University; and

WHEREAS, Lettie Madison moved back to the Commonwealth in 1937 and joined the faculty at Hampton Institute; during her three years in Hampton she was a student personnel advisor and later became dean of women; and

WHEREAS, in 1940, Lettie Madison returned to New Jersey and married Thomas D. Madison; she was a devoted homemaker and in the years that followed, she worked for the New Jersey Department of Child Welfare and the Essex County, New Jersey, Mental Hygiene Clinics for 12 years as a psychiatric social work supervisor; and

WHEREAS, in 1965, Lettie Madison moved to Richmond to work at Virginia Union University; the university offered a single class in social work, and it was one of Lettie Madison’s proudest achievements to see the program grow and become a fully accredited Department of Social Work; and

WHEREAS, Lettie Madison was a highly regarded teacher at Virginia Union University who taught many people who have become respected leaders in the community; she also helped organize the National Association of Social Workers and the Association of Black Social Workers; and

WHEREAS, countless professional and civic organizations benefited from Lettie Madison’s involvement, and she received numerous accolades and awards; additionally, she established the Lettie Coleman Madison Fund, which benefits students at Hampton University and Virginia Union University; and

WHEREAS, Lettie Madison was the author of four books, two of which documented her research and career, The Black Social Worker and Upward Mobility, and two other books about her life, A Soul Looks Back and Step by Step; and

WHEREAS, a woman of great faith who never stopped striving and who always looked to help others and give back to her community, Lettie Madison belonged to Ebenezer Baptist Church, where she enjoyed fellowship and was an active participant in the church’s ministries; and

WHEREAS, Lettie Madison was predeceased by her husband and stepdaughter, Ione; she will be greatly missed and fondly remembered by many family members, friends, and colleagues, and her work will continue to benefit the community for years to come; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That the General Assembly hereby note with great sadness the loss of Lettie Coleman Madison, an outstanding Virginian who developed the Department of Social Work at Virginia Union University and made other notable contributions to the Commonwealth; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to the family of Lettie Coleman Madison as an expression of the General Assembly’s respect for her memory.