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2022 SESSION


HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 370
Commending the Delta Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.

 

Agreed to by the House of Delegates, March 9, 2022
Agreed to by the Senate, March 11, 2022

 

WHEREAS, the Delta Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., a prominent and respected organization serving the communities of Virginia State University and the Greater Petersburg area, celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2021; and

WHEREAS, Alpha Kappa Alpha was established on January 15, 1908, on the campus of Howard University, becoming the first African American sorority in the United States; and

WHEREAS, the Delta Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha was chartered on February 26, 1921, on the campus of what was then the Virginia Normal and Industrial Institute, now Virginia State University; and

WHEREAS, the Delta Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha is the oldest chapter in the organization’s Mid-Atlantic Region, which includes the Commonwealth and North Carolina, and the first graduate chapter chartered on the East Coast; and

WHEREAS, charter member and first president of the Delta Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha, Pauline Sims Puryear, became the fourth president of the sorority’s national organization in 1925, setting an example of excellence for subsequent generations; and

WHEREAS, over the past 100 years, members of the Delta Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha have become leaders in all sectors of society, including education, the arts, business, the military, health care, the law, and government; and

WHEREAS, guided by Alpha Kappa Alpha’s founding principles of sisterhood, scholarship, and service to all mankind, members of the Delta Omega Chapter have excelled in all aspects of community life and service; and

WHEREAS, the Delta Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha’s local, regional, and international programs and initiatives include partnerships with Yeshua’s House, a shelter in Petersburg for women and children; Central State Hospital; Soles4Souls; Lions Clubs International; the American Heart Association; and the Refugees in America Assistance Program; and

WHEREAS, the Delta Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha incorporated the Ivy Community Foundation on May 7, 2001, to serve as its Building Property and Investment Committee and to conduct the organization’s business and fundraising efforts; and

WHEREAS, the Delta Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha supports various endeavors in the community to foster economic security, youth leadership, and health and personal fitness and to end homelessness and hunger; and

WHEREAS, as a testament to the accomplishments of the Delta Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha, many buildings at Virginia State University bear the names of its members, including the Lindsay-Montague Building, Branch Hall, Whiting Hall, Howard Hall, the Anderson Turner Auditorium, Louise Barrett Hall, the Colson Auditorium, Harris Hall, and the Elizabeth Anderson Cooper Library; and

WHEREAS, the Delta Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha celebrated its centennial in 2021 with a series of commemorative events, culminating in the installation of a historic highway marker by the Virginia Department of Historic Resources along River Road in Ettrick-Matoaca; and

WHEREAS, in carrying out its mission to provide care and support to the global community, the Delta Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha has helped to make the Greater Petersburg area a wonderful place to live, work, and play; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That the General Assembly hereby commend the Delta Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., on the occasion of its 100th anniversary; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to the Delta Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., as an expression of the General Assembly’s admiration for the organization’s history, mission, and many contributions to the Commonwealth.