NAACP Legal Defense Fund Receives $1 Million Gift From Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.
Largest African-American Women’s Sorority Challenges Others to Give
Washington, DC - Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc. has pledged a million dollars to The NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc. (LDF) to support its voting rights work. The gift will mark the 40th Anniversary of the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
Sorority President Louise Rice formally made the presentation to LDF Director-Counsel and President Theodore M. Shaw on May 17th, the anniversary of Brown v. Board of Education, the landmark case argued by LDF founding Director-Counsel Thurgood Marshall before the U.S. Supreme Court. The gift was presented at the Delta headquarters in Washington, DC and awarded in the name of Shaw’s predecessor and Delta member Elaine R. Jones.
“This is an extension of our commitment to support social change that empowers the African American community. What better recipient than an organization with a stellar track record like LDF’s,” said Dr. Rice. “We recognize the role that LDF has played in the passage of the Voting Rights Act and their ongoing efforts to protect voting rights for disfranchised communities. LDF helps change lives and this requires resources. We also challenge other organizations to support this important work.”
“This generous gift embodies the strength, leadership and spirit of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority,” said Shaw. “We are eternally grateful and will make our appreciation complete by working harder on behalf of our community.” He noted that LDF will argue an important case before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit in June defending the voting rights of New York citizens incarcerated or released on parole for a felony conviction.
The case, Muntaqim/Hayden v. Pataki, is part of a national movement to restore voting rights to individuals convicted of felony offenses. Nearly five million Americans are denied voting rights because of felony convictions, of which 1.4 million are African-American men. This reflects about 13 percent of the Black male population and results in dilution of voting strength of the entire Black community.
Delta Sigma Theta Sorority’s Social Action Commission, which facilitated the LDF gift, has supported voting rights campaigns along with other projects in criminal justice, education, economic development and public health. Dr. Rice described the gift as a “call to action” and challenge to other membership organizations and individuals to give back to the community. The nation’s largest African American sorority, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority is drawing on the resources of over 200,000 members and a tradition of philanthropy dating back to its inception in 1913.
About the NAACP Legal Defense Fund
LDF is one of the nation’s oldest civil rights and public interest law firms and is at the forefront of the struggle for political empowerment and racial justice. For 65 years, the organization has been involved in nearly all precedent-setting minority voting rights litigation and advocacy. This includes the Voting Rights Act of 1965 and its 1982 amendments, along with the National Voter Registration Act of 1993.
About Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.
Founded in 1913 by 22 collegiate women at Howard University, the sorority has more than 200,000 members worldwide with over 900 alumnae and collegiate chapters in the U.S. and abroad. Since its founding, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority has demonstrated a commitment to supporting programs that address education, civil rights, health and housing. In addition to its national programs, the sorority maintains two national commissions: the Social Action Commission and the Arts and Letters Commission; both of which support programs that enhance the quality of life of families and individuals.
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