The Decatur Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated awarded over $28,000 in scholarships and book stipends to area students at its Annual Scholarship Recognition Breakfast at Beulah Missionary Baptist Church. More than 40 high school seniors from DeKalb County and surrounding areas competed in this year’s scholarship competition.

Top honors went to the following winners:

1st Place – Christina Lynne Evans of Druid Hills High School: $5000.00

2nd Place – Teryn Thornton of Chamblee Charter High School: $3500.00

3rd Place – Henderson Johnson of Chamblee Charter High School: $1500.00

Additionally, the following 26 students who qualified as finalists will receive a $500.00 book stipend. Jalal Abdul-Azeez, W. D. Mohammad High School; Jasmine Bailey, Southwest DeKalb HighSchool; Johnna Bateman, Columbia high school; James S. Brown, Southwest DeKalb High School; Sydny Caldwell, DeKalb School of the Arts; Austin Copper, Clarkston High School; Jesse Harris, Parkview High School; Shannon Hodge, Druid Hills High School; Kierra Jarman, Druid Hills High School; Daria Johnson, Druid Hills High School; Jabari Kilcrease, Dunwoody High School; Deric Long, Jr., Westminster High School; Elandra Loyal, Chamblee Charter High School; Kamry Mack, Dunwoody High School; Valentine Mba, Chamblee Charter High School; Gabrielle Miller, Lakeside High School; Elaine Mills, Southwest DeKalb High School; Breyanna Morning, Chamblee Charter High School; Sakinah Muhammad, Druid Hills High School; Danielle Reed, Chamblee Charter High School; Kayla Rhynes, Druid Hills High School; Taylor Saab, DeKalb School of the Arts; Jordan Smith, Chamblee Charter High School; Roshaud Turner, Whitewater High School; Tony Weaver, Greenforest Christian Academy High School; Erica Williams, Chamblee Charter High School.

As part of the sorority’s continuing commitment to education, the top winners from the 2009, 2010 and 2011 competitions are also eligible to receive a continuing book stipend in the amount of $500. Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. was founded on the campus of Howard University on January 13, 1913. Since its inception, the sorority has been involved in providing service and support to local communities, leading the dialogue on public policy issues, supporting quality education, providing scholarships, sponsoring artistic innovation, creating positive opportunities for the development of youth, and producing new projects to stimulate current and future growth. The Decatur Alumnae Chapter was chartered in 1973 to expand the sorority’s mission, including a commitment to providing public service to the DeKalb County community.

For further information regarding upcoming scholarships or other chapter programs, please visit the Decatur Alumnae Chapter website at http://www.dstdac.org.

Actor Hill Harper is supporting a new national partnership with St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and National Pan-Hellenic Council (NPHC),  Call to Service for St. Jude initiative, which launched earlier this month.

“NPHC organizations have deep roots in education and making a difference in the lives of our youth. Engaging this richly diverse membership through the Call to Service for St. Jude initiative will help raise awareness about St. Jude in the African-American community, while sharing the hospital’s mission of treating the world’s sickest children with the best care.”  Key messages: There’s still time for NPHC members, family and friends to support help St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital provide the best care to the world’s sickest children at no cost to their family by visiting stjude.org/nphc.

One reason this partnership is of such significance is because it is critical that we continue to educate communities about the importance of resources and treatment for pediatric cancer, sickle cell screening and treatment for the disease as well as research aimed at improving the quality of life for those living with sickle cell disease.  The NPHC is composed of historically African-American international Greek letter Sororities and Fraternities. Participating organizations include: Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc., Iota Phi Theta Fraternity, Inc., Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc. Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc. and Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc.

The shooting death of Trayvon Martin is one that has struck a chord with communities throughout the country, and students at Marshall University gathered Friday to remember Martin and to make the national conversation a local one.

More than 100 students, faculty and community members gathered at the Memorial Student Center Plaza for its own Justice for Trayvon rally, where the message was not one of anger, but one seeking camaraderie between people with any kind of difference said Jonathan Austin, vice president of Marshall’s chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha.

“We’re not looking for a rebellion. It’s not about one race versus another. It’s about respecting and valuing another person’s life,” Austin said. “It’s a tribute to the life of a 17-year-old kid, who, for all we know, could have been a Marshall student next year. We’re commemorating a life lost.”

Reports indicate that Martin, 17, was wearing a hoodie and carrying candy and a bottle of tea he had purchased at a store in the neighborhood of his father’s home in Sanford, Fla., on Feb. 26 when he was shot and killed by volunteer neighborhood watchman George Zimmerman.

Conflicting information has been reported as to what happened after Zimmerman called 911 to report Martin as a “suspicious person” until Martin was shot. Zimmerman told authorities he acted in self defense.

Zimmerman has not been arrested in connection to the shooting, and rallies, like the one on campus, have taken place throughout the country to call attention to the incident.

In a sign of support for Martin’s family, people throughout the country, including celebrities, a Congressman and participants in the event at Marshall, have worn hoodies to draw attention to the case.

Friday’s event was organized by Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity & Delta Sigma Theta Sorority members.

Keelon Hinton, a professor of psychology at Marshall said the coverage of the event stems, in part, from how surprised many people were to have heard the incident occurred.

“We’re not here to debate what happened. We all know something wrong happened, that a boy was shot and killed. We are here to decide what we are going to do about it. We need to decide if this is the kind of society we want to live in,” Hinton said. “Wouldn’t it be nice if we were all the same color and had the same family lives? It isn’t about whether you’re black, white, red, yellow or purple. We’re all different. Our skin is different colors and our family lives are different. Instead of pretending like we don’t see these differences, we need to acknowledge them and accept them.”

In addition to Hinton and Austin, speakers at the event included Brenda Green, executive director of the West Virginia ACLU, Kimberly White, president of the Huntington Branch of the National Association of Social Workers and the Rev. Donte’ Jackson, Pastor of First Baptist Church in Huntington.

The event will begin at 10:00AM with a breakfast card party followed by the luncheon at 12:00Noon. The luncheon will feature retail vendors, formal presentation of scholarship awards and a fashion showcase.

For the past 49 years, the luncheon has served as North Jersey Alumnae Chapter’s major fundraising effort to provide scholarships to deserving high school students from Essex, Hudson, and Union counties. Since the benefit’s inception, more than $700,000 in scholarships has been awarded. Students are selected through a rigorous application process and must meet a number of criteria including academic requirements, college acceptance, and teacher/faculty recommendations.

The fundraiser is open to the public. Scholarship Benefit Luncheon tickets are $75 and must be purchased in advance. This year more than 600 attendees are expected to attend. Additional opportunities to support the scholarship benefit are available and local retail small businesses are invited to participate in the vendor showcase. For tickets and more information, Email: ScholarshipBenefit@NorthJerseyDeltas.org, call 973-324-3600 or visit the organization online at www.NorthJerseyDeltas.org. The North Jersey Minerva Corporation is a 501(c) 3 not-for-profit public charity. All donations are tax-deductible as permitted by law.

 About North Jersey Alumnae Chapter. Chartered in 1939, the North Jersey Alumnae Chapter serves Essex, Hudson and Union counties through the development of programs and initiatives that promote the Sorority’s national five-point program. The chapter has successfully implemented a number of programs in the community such as the Delta Teen Lift Program, Dr. Betty Shabazz Delta Academy, and School America Literacy Initiative as well as workshops and seminars on health education, financial literacy and voter education. The chapter’s signature event is the scholarship benefit, held annually each spring, which provides tuition assistance to college bound high school students. For more information, visit: www.NorthJerseyDeltas.org.

More than 600 ladies and gents adorned in Detroit-styled hats will gather to celebrate the 20^th anniversary of the Minerva Education and Development Foundation (MEDF). “Hats off to MEDF” will be held at 2 p.m. on Sunday, March 25, at the Detroit Marriott at the Renaissance Center. VIP reception begins at 1:30 p.m.

Born about the time the Tuskegee Airmen were earning their reputation over the skies of North Africa and Italy, Marcelite Harris would go on to break a number of racial and gender barriers during an illustrious Air Force career.

Harris was born Jan. 16, 1943, in Houston and attended Spelman College in Atlanta, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in speech and drama in 1964. She then attended Officer Training School at Lackland Air Force Base, Texas, where she was commissioned a second lieutenant in 1965.

During the early days of her career, Harris held assignments as an administrative officer in California and West Germany, before transitioning into the maintenance field by attending the aircraft maintenance officer’s course at Chanute Air Force Base, Ill., and graduating as the first female aircraft maintenance officer.

Her first assignment as a maintenance officer was to support the Vietnam War as a maintenance supervisor with the 49th Tactical Fighter Squadron in Korat Royal Thai air base, Thailand. After stints back in California and Washington, D.C., Harris broke another barrier as one of the first women to be an air officer commanding at the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colo.

After commanding an avionics maintenance squadron and a field maintenance squadron, both in Kansas, and a director of maintenance in Okinawa, Japan, Harris would make another first – this time as the first woman deputy commander for maintenance.

But her biggest accomplishment lay ahead, when in 1991, Harris became the first female African-American general, when she pinned on her first star as the vice commander of the Oklahoma Center Air Logistics Center.

Harris retired from the Air Force in early 1997, where she had been serving as the director of maintenance, deputy chief of staff for logistics, Headquarters, U.S. Air Force. At that time, she was the highest ranking female officer in the Air Force and the highest ranking African-American female within the Department of Defense.

Harris continues to contribute to the Air Force even after her retirement. In 2010, President Barack Obama appointed her a member of the Board of Visitors for the United States Air Force Academy. As a board member, she inquiries into the morale, discipline, curriculum and other matters deemed appropriate. The board submits reports to the secretary of defense and the Committees on Armed Services of the Senate and Congress via the secretary of the Air Force.

As she continues to serve the Air Force she serves her community. She is a member of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. For her works, in 2010 she was nationally recognized by the Black Girls Rock Foundation with the Trailblazer Award.

Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. and Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. partner with Delaware Valley Baptist Church to raise heart health awareness

Leading Ladies: “Go Red & Think Pink”

The “Leading Ladies Go Red & Think Pink” campaign is an initiative sponsored by the American Heart Association, American Stroke Association, American Cancer Society, and the Cancer Coalition of Burlington County.  Locally, the women of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., Theta Pi Omega, Pi Mu Omega, and Epsilon Upsilon Omega chapters; have partnered along with the Rancocas Valley Alumnae chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. and Delaware Valley Baptist Church to bring this worthwhile program to the African-American community on Friday, February 24, 2012 at Delaware Valley Baptist Church, located at 493 Beverly-Rancocas Road, Willingboro, NJ 08060.  This event is free and open to the public.

This is a collaborative event to share information about the importance of living life in healthy ways while sampling of “Healthy Food Recipes for the Soul” prepared by local chefs and food specialists. The goal of this collaborative is to share information with the hope of raising awareness about the importance of living life in healthy ways to prevent heart disease, stroke, and breast cancer among African-Americans.

The highlights of the evening will be health information workshops on heart health and breast cancer awareness. In addition, participants will be provided a sampling of heart healthy foods prepared by local chefs and food specialist. Further, there will be a video on display, which will feature women who will share their testimonies about living with or having overcome heart health issues and breast cancer.

Heart disease is still the No. 1 killer of women, taking the life of one in three women each year, and this is especially important for African-American women, who are at increased risk due to factors such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, obesity and diabetes.

Breast cancer is the most common cancer among African-American women. It is also the second leading cause of cancer death among African-American women, exceeded only by lung cancer.

We hope that you will join us on February 24th for a casual evening of caring, sharing, and fun.

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Mrs. Otis Ruffin Colwell Douglas, 85, passed away Sunday, Jan. 15, 2012, in Charlottesville, where she had been living with her daughter, Beverly “BeBe” Colwell Adams since 2008.

Otis was born Nov. 5, 1926, in Youngstown, a daughter of Mr. Clarence and Mrs. Ida (Campbell) Ruffin.

She graduated from The Rayen School, The Ohio State University, where she received a B.A. from the School of Social Administration in 1948, Youngstown State University, where she received a Teaching Certificate in 1962, and Akron University, where she received her M.A. in School Psychology in 1970.

Otis lived all of her life in Youngstown, except during college and her first job in her field of social work at Aid for the Aged in Columbus.

While working in Columbus, she met her first husband, William A. Colwell.

Returning to Youngstown, she worked as a legal secretary for the law firm of Green, Schiavone and Murphy from 1953 to 1962.

In 1957, she married her second husband, Clifton O. Douglas Jr.

In 1962, she worked as a first-grade elementary school teacher at the Kimmel Brook Elementary School. In 1969, she was the first African American female visiting teacher and in 1970, she became the first African American school psychologist in the Youngstown Public School System. She retired in 1987.

Otis was an active member of the Third Baptist Church. She served on the Missionary Board and various other church committees.

Otis pledged the Epsilon Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. (OSU) in 1946. In 1953, she began her lifelong membership in the Delta Lambda Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc., now called the Youngstown Alumnae Chapter. Otis had been chapter president and held almost every elected and appointed position in the chapter. She was a Delta for 66 years and was honored with the Delta Sigma Theta Educator of the Year award in 2002.

Otis became a member of the Youngstown Chapter of the Links, Inc. in 1970. She was chapter president and held numerous other positions. Nationally, she was awarded alumna and platinum status in the Links Inc. in 2008.

Otis was a charter member of the Youngstown Branch of the Negro Women’s Business and Professional Club (organized by Mrs. Margaret Linton). She was a longtime member of the Socialite Bridge Club. She served on the board of directors of the Youngstown Area Urban League, Campfire Girls, Mahoning Children and Family Service Board, and Diagnostic Evaluation Counseling Center. She served as the Urban League representative for the publication of“Opportunities Unlimited” along with the Youngstown Area Chamber of Commerce. She worked also on the Urban League’s bicentennial booklet,“Rediscover of the Past” in 1976. She was celebrated as one of the YWCA Women of the Year in 1983.

Otis is survived by her daughter, Beverly Colwell Adams, Ph.D. of Charlottesville; two sons, Clifton O. Douglas III of Youngstown and Dennis P. Douglas of Florida; grandchildren, Jasmine Adams of Florida, Shawn Douglas, Samoa Douglas Haskins, Clifton Douglas IV, and Kimberly Douglas, all of Columbus, and Dennis Douglas Jr. of Charlotte, N.C.; great-grandchildren; her cousin, Alice Ruth Triplett (Clyde) and daughter, Cecilia Catley of Youngstown; and godchildren, Stephen, Cynthia, and Dean Francis, all of Columbus, who were also dear to her.

Otis was preceded in death by her parents; both husbands; and a grandchild, Nicole Douglas.

The family will receive friends today from 5 to 7 p.m. at the Washington Funeral Home, where the Youngstown Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Soroity Inc. will perform the Omega Omega ceremony at 6 p.m. followed by a memorial tribute presented by the Youngstown Chaper of the Links Inc.

Funeral services will be held Saturday at 10 a.m. at the Third Baptist Church, with the Rev. Morris W. Lee officiating.

Interment will be at Tod Homestead Cemetery.

Condolences may be emailed to Jewashton@aol.com or faxed to 330-782-2050.

Ministry of comfort provided by J.E. Washington Funeral Services Inc.