The Wrath of Redness

Newsletter of the Lambda Iota Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated

 

Volume 9, Issue 1, September 2002

 

Delta Research and Educational Foundation

Empowering Us to Break Barriers…

 

The Delta Research and Educational Foundation (DREF) was established by Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. to help strengthen and expand the charitable, educational, and scientific programs of Delta Sigma Theta and other organizations with similar goals. DREF provides benefits for contributors to the national, regional, and chapter activities of Delta Sigma Theta.

 

DREF also has spearheaded many research and program initiatives, the most recent of these being Science Everyday Experiences (SEE) Initiative in partnership with the Directorate for Education and Human Resources Programs. The SEE Initiative will help parents and caregivers of Black American elementary and middle school age children to develop effective ways to support children’s informal science and mathematics learning experiences.

 

Another research initiative established by DREF is the Center for Research on African American Women. Established in 1997, the Center was the first of its kind. The Center for Research on African American Women investigates prominent issues regarding education, technology, career tracks for the 21st century, and social policies that impact economic and social well-being

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DREF also sponsors the Vivian A. Ware Fellow Program for graduate students seeking a masters or doctorate degree. The study focus of the fellowship must be commensurate with a graduate degree in non-profit management or development or research on such topics as Black American women, health, education, or social welfare.

 

In addition to research and program initiatives and its research fellow program, DREF provides

tools and techniques for Parents As Partners for Science, Math, and Technology Education with the Dr. Betty Shabazz Delta Academies and community resource collaboration to get young girls interested in the science fields.

 

Through its work, DREF has provided the tools and the support for people of color to branch out and explore areas that were previously inaccessible thereby empowering us to “break the barriers” and reach goals never imagined.

 

 

DSQ Upcoming Events

 

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 2002

“Sistas Can We Talk”

7pm-9pm @ Brown University, Third World Center Informal Lounge (68 Brown Street)

Join the ladies of the Lambda Iota chapter and ladies from colleges in the Providence area as we come together to get to know each other. There will be games, refreshments, and an opportunity to discuss the issues that affect us.

 

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2002

Peppermint Social

Please RSVP to Celeste Malone at (401) 481-6326 for time and location.

Come and meet the members of the Lambda Iota chapter and ladies from the college community in an informal setting.

 

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 5, 2002

Habitat for Humanity

E-mail DeltaSigmaThetaLI@excite.com to RSVP and for details

The mission of Habitat for Humanity, a non-profit ecumenical Christian housing ministry, is to eliminate poverty housing from the world and to make decent shelter a matter of conscience and action. Join the ladies of the Lambda Iota chapter in fulfilling this mission by lending a hand to build a home in our community for the less fortunate.

 

Coming Soon…”SCANDALOUS”!


 

Sorors of the Month

“Breaking the Barriers”


 

Shirley Jackson, PhD has achieved many firsts through a career that spans government, industry, scientific research, and academia. Forced to attend an all-Black elementary school before the segregation was outlawed by the Supreme Court in 1954, Soror Jackson, in 1973, became the first Black woman in the United States to receive a PhD in physics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. In addition to her four-year tenure as the first Black American woman to head the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, a post she assumed in 1995, Soror Jackson was a full-time professor at Rutgers University and also worked as a researcher for AT&T Bell Laboratories for 15 years.

 

Elaine R. Jones is the first woman to serve as Director-Counsel of the NAACP Legal Defense Fund (LDF). She is also the first Black woman graduate of the University of Virginia Law School and the first Black woman elected to the American Bar Association Board of Governors. In 1975, Soror Jones was named special assistant to the US Secretary of Transportation. She returned to the LDF in 1977, where she originated the position of legislative advocate in the LDF’s Washington, DC office. In that capacity, Soror Jones earned a reputation as a skillful negotiator and an ardent voice for those who have been shut out of the economic, political, and social mainstream. She played a key role in securing the passage of legislative milestones such as the Voting Rights Act of 1982, the Fair Housing Act of 1988, the Civil Rights Restoration Act of 1988, and the Civil Rights Act of 1991. Soror Jones participates in a variety of conferences, seminars, and panels on the full range of issues that concern women, Black Americans, people of color, and all those who have sought equal justice under law.

 


“The Strength of a Black Woman”

by Najah Rahmaan, Spring 2001

 

The strength of a Black woman can never be denied

Others may wonder and, believe me, they try

Try to imitate her style and her grace

But a strong Black woman simply can’t be replaced.

She is your mother,

Your sister,

Your doctor,

Your lawyer,

Your politician.

She is your lover,

Your supporter,

Your friend,

And she will be there for you to the very end.

She knows all about the struggle

And what it means to really come out on top.

She is the foundation, built just as solid as a rock.

Sky is the limit because she knows she can do anything.

The strength of a Black woman is such a beautiful thing!


 

Brainchild - Josephine Ventura, Fall 1993

 

Visit the Lambda Iota Chapter on the World Wide Web!

http://www.brown.edu/Students/Delta_Sigma_Theta/lipage.html