Delta Firsts

[KappaKittyCat]

Originally posted by candygirl
Carol Mosely-Braun has made history with a lot of first. As stated on her website, Carol Mosely-Braun was the first female senator from Illinois, first female African-American senator as well as the first African-American Democratic senator. She also aspires to be the 1st African American president.

Wouldn't that be great!? Imagine that, a member of Delta Sigma Theta, the president of the United States.

Check her out at http://www.moseley-braun.org/

I just watched the Congressional Black Conference Institute's Democratic Primary Debate and I have to say that Ambassador Mosely-Braun was one of the most articulate people on stage. When I first heard her addressed as "Ambassador," a bell rang in my head. Remembering what I learned about Delta and African-American female ambassadors, I said, "Hold that thought!" and ran into my room to do a Google search. Sure enough, Ms. Mosely-Braun is a sister of DSQ.

She did your organization proud tonight. I can think of many worse fates for this country than to have her taking the Oath of Office in January, 2005.

[stillwater15]

here's my contribution on dr. shirley ann jackson, the first black woman president of rensselaer polytechnic institute. soror is doin' the damn thing. info is copied and pasted directly from their website...

Dr. Jackson is the first African-American woman to receive a doctorate from M.I.T. — in any subject.

She is one of the first two African-American women to receive a doctorate in physics in the U.S.

She is the first African-American to become a Commissioner of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

She is both the first woman and the first African-American to serve as the chairman of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, and now the first African-American woman to lead a national research university.

She is also the first African-American woman elected to the National Academy of Engineering.

[Senusret I]

What a nice idea for a thread....I think I'll borrow it!

Oh yeah, Patricia Roberts Harris was on the Board of my alma mater....and Charlayne Hunter Gault was my commencement speaker!

[ykimber]

1946 Jean Murrell Capers Esq
First Black woman to serve as Assistant County Prosecutor in Cuyahoga County (Cleveland, OH).

[CrimsonTide4]

Congresswoman Stephanie Tubbs Jones is the first African-American woman elected to the United States House of Representatives from Ohio. The Congresswoman's committee assignments include being the first African American Woman to serve on the powerful Ways and Means Committee, with her subcommittees being Social Security and Select Revenue Measures.

taken from her website:
http://www.house.gov/tubbsjones/

Soror Stephanie and I attended the same church (when I lived in Cleveland, growing up as a youngster)

[Live_Wire17]

Originally posted by ladygreek
Please don't feel bad. I have been around waaayyyyy longer than you so of course my knowledge base is larger. But if it makes you feel better, when I first read your post I started doubting myself, so I looked it up to be sure.

LIVING IS AN EVERY DAY LEARNING EXPERIENCE!!!!

I Love My Sorors...we continue to educate each other in the best of ways....It is a EVERY DAY LEARNING EXPERIENCE. This IS THE best organization.

[NoChaser3]

Soror Gwendolyn Boyd was the first black woman to graduate from Yale University School of Engineering.

And I'm not sure if she's honorary or not, but Soror Beverly Harvard was the first black woman to run a major city police department (when she was Atlanta's police chief).

[CrimsonTide4]

While reading Soror Dorothy I. Height's illustrious autobiography, I reveled in reading about another Delta first:


from pg. 252 of Open Wide the Freedom Gates:

"The 1948 convention was slated for St. Louis, Missouri, where I knew that no hotels would accept us because of segregation. Local Delta members had already made a commitment to a church, but learning of my resolve, they agreed to work with me. Our convention theme was "Human Rights from Charter to Practice," and that helped us to persuade Mrs. Eugene Ross McCarthy, a member of the national board of the YWCA to use her influence with city officials. As a result, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority became the first Black group to hold a convention at St. Louis's Kiel Auditorium."

Any typos are mine.

[CrimsonTide4]

Per the DST in the news thread, I did a little more research on Soror Juanita Kidd Stout:

Juanita Kidd Stout, (March 7, 1919 - August 21, 1998 in Wewoka, Oklahoma, United States), was a Justice of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania from 1988-1989, and the first African-American woman elected to any judgeship in the United States and the first to serve on the Supreme Court of any state.

[DramaQueen42401]

Ericka Dunlap was crowned the first Black Miss Florida

[ladygreek]

Mary McLeod Bethune was the founder and first president of NCNW.

[CrimsonTide4]

Marian Wright Edelman was the first African-American woman admitted to the state bar in Mississippi.

[blackbird]

Wisconsin Secretary of State Vel R. Phillips - First African American female elected to statewide office.

[CrimsonTide4]

DST history will soon reflect another GREAT SOROR, #7 Beta Chi Spr '91, Soror Angelita Blackshear Dalton, the FIRST African American woman elected Judge in Nashville, TN!

[CrimsonTide4]

Thanks to Soror Diva ISOS

Carrie Meek, per http://thehistorymakers.com

Elected as a Florida state representative in 1979, Meek was the first African American female elected to the Florida State Senate in 1982.

In 1992, Meek was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives from Florida's 17th Congressional District. This made her the first black lawmaker elected to represent Florida in Congress since Reconstruction.