Happy July!!!
Happy Black Family / Family Reunion Month!
Happy Delta Sigma Theta Centennial Celebration!!!
This Month, Pledge to: Vacation Safely and with Purpose! Spend Time with Your Family! Interview and Honor Your Elders! Congratulate a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. on 100 Years of Service! Guild and Protect Your Children! Be of Service to Your Community! Remember You Ancestors! Support Black Family-Owned Businesses! Love and Forgive! Be a Part of the Solution!
This edition of The Crystal News is dedicated to the Founders of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated: Osceola Macarthy Adams, Marguerite Young Alexander, Winona Cargile Alexander, Ethel Cuff Black, Bertha Pitts Campbell, Zephyr Chisom Carter, Edna Brown Coleman, Jessie McGuire Dent, Frederica Chase Dodd, Myra Davis Hemmings, Olive C Jones, Jimmie Bugg Middleton, Pauline Oberdorfer Minor, Vashti Turley Murphy, Naomi Sewell Richardson, Mamie Reddy Rose, Eliza Pearl Shippen, Florence Letcher Toms, Ethel Carr Watson, Wertie Blackwell Weaver, Madree Penn White, and Edith Motte Young for creating a legacy of civic action, social justice and public service and for being a constant inspiration to thousands of women who are likewise called to serve.
WHERE THE ACTION IS: Formerly "T'Keyah Fights City Hall" which was formerly the "Do Something" and sometimes the "T'Keyah's Two Cents" columns of this newsletter, this is what the action should be...
Color of Change writes, "George Zimmerman stalked and killed Trayvon Martin in late February of last year. It took 45 days for Sanford, Florida police to arrest 17-year-old Trayvon Martin's admitted killer — and only 16 hours for jurors to acquit him of second-degree murder and manslaughter last night. We are angry. We are sad. And we are in pain. We send our love and support to Trayvon’s parents — Sybrina Fulton and Tracy Martin — and we grieve with them and the countless other families of Black children who have been killed just for being Black. In this time of national sorrow, let's turn our rightful frustration into action and grow a movement to hold the criminal justice system that fails Black Americans every day accountable. Since the beginning, the Department of Justice has closely monitored the state's case against George Zimmerman, and the DOJ can still bring charges against Trayvon's killer. Please join us in calling on Attorney General Eric Holder to bring federal civil rights charges against Zimmerman, and help us strengthen our efforts to end racial profiling and the violence it creates." To join me in signing this petition, Click here: This is where the action is...
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Calling All Deltas to the Floor!
Following years of planning and a series of events starting with a spectacular historic float in the Rose Bowl Parade on January 1, 2013, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated celebrates one hundred years of sisterly social action and community service at their 51st National Convention in Washington, DC, July 12-18. Since its inception on Howard University's campus on January 13, 1913, the sorority has participated in thousands of actions for social justice for the disadvantaged and underserved, beginning with the twenty-two founders of the organization's participation in the March 1913 Women's Suffrage March on Washington. They were the only Black women to do so. Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated has since remained true to its founders mission, civil right, social action and charitable endeavors National President Cynthia M. A. Butler-McIntyer will welcome more than 41 thousand members to the United States capitol city for the convention and centennial celebration! Members attending include: National Chaplain Bishop Vashti Murphy McKenzie, Dr. Johnetta Cole, Kym E. Whitley, and T'Keyah Crystal Keymáh, Honorary members Sheryl Lee Ralph, Daphne Maxwell Reid, and Gwen Ifill, and Past National Presidents Frankie Muse Freeman, Mona Humphries Bailey, Marcia Lydia Fudge, Gwendolyn Boyd, and Louise Allen Rice.
Guests include Sweet Honey and the Rock, Patti LaBelle, member Roberta Flack, Traci Lynn Blackwell, United States Attorney General Eric Holder, Unites States Surgeon General and member Dr. Regina Benjamin, Rev. Bernice A. King, Sherrilyn Ifil, and former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton. www.deltasigmatheta.org/
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WHERE THE ACTION IS: Help Repeal Shoot First Laws
Credo Action writes, "The result of the George Zimmerman case forces us to confront a
painful question: What does the Rule of Law mean when it lets people get away with murder? Trayvon Martin was an unarmed teenager walking home who was first stalked and then shot dead by a self-appointed vigilante. As sad as this senseless tragedy is, what’s worse is knowing that the dangerous trifecta of endemic racism, lax gun regulations and “Shoot First” laws (also known as “Stand Your Ground” laws) virtually ensures that Trayvon Martin will not be the last child in this country murdered with impunity by a gun-toting vigilante. It may be too late to hold George Zimmerman accountable. But we must push to change the law to make sure that future Zimmermans don’t go free. The NRA and politicians associated with the shadowy rightwing American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), helped shepherd Shoot First laws through dozens of states. And there has been a lot of misinformation about the role Shoot First laws factored into the Zimmerman case. Shoot First laws give armed vigilantes like George Zimmerman virtual carte blanche to shoot anyone they deem as a threat, with no legal requirement to first attempt to remove themselves from a dangerous situation. Shoot First is why police didn't arrest Zimmerman for six weeks after he killed Trayvon Martin. It’s why police failed to conduct a proper homicide investigation or collect key evidence in the case. The law was also referenced by the judge in her jury instructions, and the only juror who has spoken out cited this law as a key reason they let Zimmerman walk free. Instead of balancing the value of each human life against the legitimate right of self defense, Shoot First gives the legal stamp of approval to a “shoot first, ask questions later” mentality. Throw in the eye-popping number of concealed-carry permits (which now stands at 8 million nationally) and lax gun laws generally, and you have a dangerous recipe for unnecessarily violent, often fatal, conflict. In Florida, for example, the rate of “justifiable” homicides has tripled since the state passed its Shoot First law in 2005. Tell elected officials across the country that it’s time to undo dangerous Shoot First laws. Click here to sign the petition. Now it’s time for the public to push back against these dangerous laws. The legislators who currently support their state's "Shoot First" law need to know their constituents are horrified by the consequences of this law and want it repealed..." To join me in signing this petition, Click here: This is where the action is...
Vincent E. Walker Photography
(312) 719-6830
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Keymáh Appears at New LaPlata School Fundraiser
On Friday, July 19, 2013, at 7 P.M. actress T'Keyah Crystal Keymáh joins fellow Florida A&M University (FAMU) alum and Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. member Rev. Amina Aretha Fola-Rose, for a fundraising open house supporting the newly established school, the Nia Imani Academy of Excellence (NIA), 101 Catalpa Drive, Unit 104 in LaPlata, MD. During the event which begins at 7pm, Keymáh will pose for photos for a small fee and sign photos that will be among the items for sale to benefit the school, a long time dream of Fola-Rose, pastor of Nia Imani Christian Center in La Plata. Fola-Rose, who earned an MBA from FAMU, worked in corporate America before making the shift to education. An educator for 14 years, most recently as a Vice Principal, Fola-Rose felt that something more was needed and after years of planning, decided to open Nia Imani Academy of Excellence this fall.
Serving kindergarten through fifth-graders, Fola-Rose said the classes will be “looped,” meaning that students who begin with a teacher in kindergarten will have the same teacher by the time they reach fifth grade. As a Christian school, the children also will receive a spiritual education, Fola-Rose said. She has gotten the support of many FAMU Alumi and Delta Sigma Theta members and countless others. Charles County commissioners’ Vice President Reuben B. Collins II (D) considers her “a brilliant woman and educator” and plans to enroll his own daughter at the school. Fola-Rose is now accepting applications for students, staff and teachers. To apply, make a donation, support in others ways, or for more information, call 301-392-1848, emailniaimaniacademyofexcellence@gmail.com or go to ourniaacademy.com. News on NIA . News on NIA
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WHERE THE ACTION IS: Help Restore Voting Rights...
Recently, the United States Supreme Court, in a 5 to 4 decision, ruled Section 4 of the landmark Voting Rights Acts of 1965 (VRA) unconstitutional. To discourage racially discriminatory voting practices, Section 4 required that states (particularly those with a history of discrimination) obtain pre-clearance from the Department of Justice or a Federal court in Washington before changes were made to voting rights laws in their states. The ruling will have immediate consequences in Alabama, Alaska, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Virginia Arizona, Hawaii, Idaho, and North Carolina. This would be understandable if the right to vote was enjoyed by all US citizens, but it is not. It would be conscionable if there had not been voter intimidation, vote tampering and highly questionable counting practices in recent elections, but there has been. Sadly, the protective laws enacted in 1965 by our Congress and most recently updated in 2006 are still needed today. Join me in urging Congress to enact through legislation, a law to protect the rights of all Americans, by contacting your Senate and Congress representatives to restore a newer, stronger Section 4 of the VRA. For more information on contacting your United States House of Representative visit: http://www.house.gov/representatives/find/. For more information on contacting your United States Senator visit: http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm This is where the action is...
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The Walker Group, LLC
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Thank you to: again, my St. Sabina Birthday Benefit sponsors: Florida A & M University, Orbert Davis’s Chicago Jazz Philharmonic, Nubian Heritage, Vincent E. Walker Photography (312) 719-6830, The Walker Group, LLC, CHRIS CURSE & Co, Pierce Pediatric Association, Southside Community Credit Union, Alpha Nu Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta's Inseparable Nine and Human Resources Development Institute, Inc. MUAH! And I mean it!!!!
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KUDOS KUDOS KUDOS KUDOS
Congratulations to: the organizers of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.'s 51st National Convention - go on girls women!
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Have you hugged someone you love today?
