Yvette Clarke: “As a proud member of the Brooklyn Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated, under the leadership of…”

“As a proud member of the Brooklyn Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated, under the leadership of Ms. Sohndra Stone-Snead, president, it is my deepest honor to extend a hearty congratulations to our outgoing national president, Ms. Cynthia Butler-McIntyre, and our new and incoming national president, Dr. Paulette Walker, on the historic centennial and 51st national convention here in Washington, D.C., over the past 7 days, the largest gathering of college-educated Black women ever. Blanketing our National Capital in a sea of red, close to 40,000 attended the convention, which is part of a year-long celebration to mark the sorority's 100th anniversary. This great sorority and glorious sisterhood started on January 13, 1913, when 22 young college women at Howard University in Washington, D.C., founded the organization. Many prominent community leaders and members have been members of this sorority, including the Honorable Marcia Fudge, past national president; and Congresswoman Joyce Beatty; as well as former Congresswoman Stephanie Tubbs Jones and former Congresswoman Barbara Jordan. My predecessor in Congress, the great Congresswoman Shirley Chisholm, was also a member, a pioneer for women and African Americans in elected office. So I not only followed her footsteps in my journey into Congress, but also my journey into Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated. Mr.…”