LaConnie Taylor-Jones

Pledging ON and IN Purpose!

I have been a Delta for seventeen years. I remember watching the women of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Incorporated on the campus of Florida State University. They were intelligent, they were involved in every facet of the University and they appeared to really be united. I remember saying, “I want to be a part of that organization!” I was a senior when my heart’s desire was manifested. I was one of the oldest members on my line, “Dawn of a Crimson Revolution!” Many people didn’t think a senior would be chosen for the line. They thought it would be too late for me. However, a Delta woman possesses certain qualities and characteristics that draw her to Delta…and Delta to her!

When people ask me why I chose to pledge, I respond that I pledged ON and IN Purpose! I know today we call it membership intake, but seventeen years ago, I think the term pledge said a mouth full!

I pledged to commit myself to a life time of community service. I pledged to embrace a wonderful sisterhood of women around the world. I pledged to uphold the ideals and values of this sisterhood. I pledged to seek justice for all people. I pledged to be a woman of great character and integrity. I pledged to use my gifts and talents for the betterment of mankind. I pledged ON purpose!
Read the rest of this entry �

FOUNDER SPOTLIGHT

Jessie McGuire Dent - A native of Texas, Jessie Dent was recognized for her many contributions to the Galveston community. She was instrumental in the integration of the Galveston Public School System. As a result of her efforts, her portrait was placed on permanent display in the Texas Cultural Archives.

~ ~ ~

The National Library Project
The sorority’s first nationwide effort to provide library services in the rural South was the National Library Project, which was authorized in 1937. It was implemented in 1945, with the goal of establishing a traveling library in the South where library services were not available for Blacks. The project arose from concerns that few adequate resources were available, outside of those provided by segregated school systems. In 1939, only ninety-four out of seven hundred and seventy-four public libraries served Blacks living in the South. Additionally, only five percent of Blacks living in rural areas had access to any public institution at all. The first traveling library was based in Franklin County, North Carolina where twenty-five book baskets containing thirty-five books were circulated.

Read the rest of this entry �

Chasing Tiffany

Freshman year in high school presents everyone with new and varied challenges. For me, appearance was the Achilles heel. I was so concerned with how I looked to other people. I wouldn’t go as far as to call it vanity, because at that time I didn’t see myself as much to look at. Yet, even in my naïveté, I realized that some girls had IT. What is IT? Oh, you know what I’m talking about. IT is that thing that makes the boys smile when you walk in the room. IT did not have to try to get the attention – IT was automatically received. IT was this appeal that made the other girls wonder how they could be like you. IT seemed to be unadulterated admiration.

Well, upon entering high school, I’d personally decided that this enigma I called IT was tied to one’s outer appearance. Likewise, I assumed that selecting the cutest outfits from “5-7-9” and wearing make-up provided by “Wet n’ Wild” (2 for $1) was the shortest route to IT. Unfortunately, much of the attention that I spent on my outer appearance would have been put to better use in Algebra 1. Nevertheless, I was always well dressed, well groomed, and, well, overlooked. Especially compared to Tiffany.

Tiffany, whose last name I will withhold, was a girl in my freshman class. We were both in the same homeroom and saw each other every day. Therefore, on a daily basis, I got to see the boys react to Tiffany. And I also heard them talk about her when she wasn’t around. For weeks, I sat dumbfounded as to why she was Miss IT. On the surface, she was about 5’5, with an athletic build and not a curve yet to be found. On most days she wore (and I’m not kidding) navy blue jogging pants, a pink oxford shirt, and gray running shoes. In the face, she looked like a cute version of Bugs Bunny – mainly because of the large, round, purple and black eyeglasses that she couldn’t see without. To add insult to injury, she wore her ash-black shoulder-length hair pulled back in a plain ponytail with her bangs held back from her face with a bobby pin. The Lord knew not to give me hair like that back then because I would have given myself a severe case of whiplash…

Read the rest of this entry �

FOUNDER SPOTLIGHT

Zephyr Chisom Carter - Featured as one of two seniors in Crisis Magazine in 1913, Zephyr Carter soon after began her teaching career in San Antonio, TX. Further pursuits led her to California where she attended business college and went on to sing backgrounds for movies and television shows.

~ ~ ~

The History of Jabberwock
In an interpretation of the immortal classic “Alice in Wonderland,” Lewis Carroll created the delightful character known as “Jabberwock” who summoned all of the creatures in the kingdom to perform a gala event. Being mindful of this concept, Delta member Marian G. Conover Hope of Iota Chapter (Boston, Massachusetts) creatively recalled this mystical character, but in a dramatically different manner, when faced with the challenge of devising plans for a fundraising project. Conceptualized in 1925 as a musical variety show that consisted of skits and dances, the Jabberwock has since evolved into a more diverse program that continues to raise funds for scholarships and other Delta sponsored public service projects.

Read the rest of this entry �

FOUNDER SPOTLIGHT

Bertha Pitts Campbell - born in Kansas, Mrs. Campbell became a teacher there after graduating with distinction from Howard. In 1917, she married Earl Campbell and they became parents of a son, Earl Jr. The family lived in Colorado before moving to Seattle in 1923. In Seattle, Campbell was a committed activist and organizer as well as a Charter Member of the Christian Friends for Racial Equality. She was the recipient of a YMCA Achievement Award. At the age of 92, she led 10,000 Deltas in Washington, D.C. to commemorate the Founders of Delta Sigma Theta’s participation in the 1913 suffrage march.

~ ~ ~

1913 Women Suffrage March
Less than two months after their founding, Delta Sigma Theta’s first public service act took place during the 1913 Women’s Suffrage March on Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington, D.C. The twenty-two founders marched with honorary member, Soror Mary Church Terrell under the Delta Sigma Theta Sorority banner on the day prior to Woodrow Wilson’s inauguration. They felt Black women needed the right to vote in order to protect themselves against sexual exploitation as well as promote quality education, assist in the work force, and racial empowerment.

However, Delta’s founders and other Black female marchers were subjected to racism, not only by people who were opposed to the enfranchisement of women, but by march organizers reluctant to advocate suffrage for Blacks. For example, Soror Mary Church Terrell recalled how she and Delta Sigma Theta’s founders had to assemble in an area specifically allocated for Black women. Although the young twenty-two founders were criticized, none regretted their participation in the march. Years later, Founder Florence Toms commented, “We marched that day in order that women might come into their own, because we believed that women not only needed an education, but they needed a broader horizon in which they may use that education. And the right to vote would give them that privilege.”

Read the rest of this entry �

R.S.V.P.

My daughter loves this time of year. The approach of fall has always been a time for her to enjoy the scents that linger in the air. Stimulating aromas float through her open windows, encasing a crispness which doesn’t allow impurities to invade her mind, and she is able to cleanse her spirit and renew her soul. The possibilities that this season brings is something she has always looked forward to. As fall approaches, and her sense of renewal emerges, new opportunities are unveiled. The atmosphere is charged with promise and she yearns for change. Each one of us face seasons of change. Is this your season?

We can choose to fight change, fear change, deny change, or embrace change, but change is going to happen. Such I’m sure was the tenor in the air during the fall of 1912. I sometimes imagine the conversations of twenty two young ladies as they grew restless. They saw a need for change, and they answered the call, looking forward to the promise of new possibilities, of a new season. They sought to move towards social activism and public service, rather than continuing a narrow journey. They realized they were called to a higher purpose. They were Renaissance Women, and to the call for change they responded. Our Founders had a wide array of accomplishments and intellectual interests and chose to use their talents to “rebirth” the philosophy of social organizations. They were dominating forces in political, civil and social welfare, as well as arts and education, all while forming a foundation of service to all. The collective vision of our Founders and the collective strength of our members propel us to be the dynamic power that can move a nation to change. We have been invited to respond.

Read the rest of this entry �

Before I became a writer of romantic fiction, I was a sucker for a great love story. Later, when I was on line as a pyramid, I was instantly fascinated by the marriage of Edna Brown Coleman and Frank Coleman.

The long-standing relationship between the sorors of Delta Sigma Theta and the brothers of Omega Psi Phi began when Edna Brown and Frank Coleman came together at Howard University. Edna Brown, valedictorian and class president at Howard University, became one of the twenty-two founders of Delta in 1913. Two years earlier, Frank Coleman, quite an accomplished brother in his own right, had joined three other progressive Howard men to found the Omega Psi Phi fraternity. Through Edna and Frank, the purple and gold of Omega Psi Phi and the crimson and cream of Delta became inextricably linked. Coleman Love, the name for that special relationship, was born.

One can only imagine the challenges that Edna and Frank, as a couple of color, had to endure during that time in our nation’s history. World War I broke out during the decade in which Delta Sigma Theta and Omega Psi Phi were founded. Opportunities were limited. Jim Crow was in full effect; this was, after all, way before the freedoms of the civil rights movement loosened the yoke of second-class citizenship. Nonetheless, their love, along with the cohesion of a sisterhood and brotherhood rooted in traditions, must have galvanized them. After all, they were like-minded individuals who recognized the power of love and of the collective to foster change.

Read the rest of this entry �

Happy TGIF!!

Well, it’s the last day of the A Love For All Times Virtual Book Tour and to help us close out my wonderful month-long celebration of When a Man Loves a Woman is new author, Terra Little, who will feature my book and book trailer to all the readers and writers at Writers of Color Blog Tour!

Writers of Color Blog Tour is a place to review, discuss, and promote books, art, culture, and music by minority creatives. Terra Little, contributing author and moderator for the Writers of Color Blog Tour, is the author of Running from Mercy (JAN 2008: Q-Boro Books) & Where There’s Smoke (JAN 2009: Urban Books).

Visit Terra Little and her blog online today!!

Until next time – stay well and be blessed.

The celebration of When A Man Loves A Woman continues and we invite all of our virtual book travelers to listen to the Nia Promotions’ Podcast as founder and president, Dana Pittman, talks with me about my new book and new career as a romance writer!

Nia Promotions is a marketing company that provides a variety of marketing services. We assist authors and publishers with Internet book marketing using strategy, branding, and education. We connect with our readers through Nia Virtual Book Tours and by hosting live webcasts with authors and publishing professionals, teleseminars, online workshops, chats, and virtual books tours. Expect it all from email marketing to creating and distributing online content using blogs, articles and more. Let us assist you in virtually promoting your product. For information about Nia Promotions visit www.niapromotions.com.

Dana Pittman, JD is the founder and president of Nia Promotions. She started Nia Promotions after running a family-owned website development company since 2001. Now, she and her team assist authors, publishing companies, small businesses and independent entrepreneurs with marketing strategy, implementation and maintenance.

Until next time – stay well and be blessed!!

Tune in today to hear a candid discussion about my writing life with Writers Interlude host, Ann Brown!

The discussion will center on my latest release, When a Man Loves a Woman, and how handsome Dr. Alcee Jules (AJ) Baptiste is determined to find answers to two questions: What do you do when you are in love with a woman who won’t give you the time of day? How do you convince her that she really is meant to spend the rest of her life with you when she avoids you at all costs? A. J. knows that he wants to spend the rest of his life with Victoria (Vic) Bennett. But Vic wants nothing to do with love, and even less to do with him. So what is A. J. to do? He will do what a man has to do – resort to a bit of scheming to win her over! And when he does, Victoria Bennett will confess that when a man loves a woman, it really is . . . a love for all times!

Feel free to leave your thoughts via the Comment Line at (214) 615-6505 ext 9377. Thank you for listening to Writers Interlude!

The link to hear the podcast is: – The Grits.com Radio

Until next time – stay well and be blessed!