First black U.S. Secretary of Labor to speak
Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., St. Louis Alumnae Chapter will begin its Founders Day Weekend Celebration with a luncheon on Saturday, January 21 at 11:30 a.m. at the Adam’s Mark Hotel. The theme is “Empowering Communities through Committed Service.” Alexis M. Herman will give this year’s keynote address.
Born in Mobile, Alabama, Herman began her career working for Catholic Charities helping young out-of-school men and women find work in the Pascagoula, Mississippi shipyard.
At the age of 29, President Jimmy Carter’s appointment made her the youngest director of the Women’s Bureau in the history of the Labor Department.
On May 1, 1997, she was sworn in as America’s 23rd Secretary of Labor and the first African American ever to lead the department. She also served as a valued member of the National Economic Council.
As Secretary of Labor, she consolidated the department’s wide array of skills development programs into a simpler, more efficient system. She led the effort to institute a global child labor standard; moved people from welfare to work with dignity; and launched the most aggressive unemployment youth initiative since the 1970s. Under her tenure, unemployment in this country reached a 30-year low and the nation witnessed the safest workplace record in the history of the Labor Department.
Currently, Herman serves as chair and CEO of New Ventures. Presently, she is the chairwoman of the Coca-Cola Company’s Human Resources Task Force, chair of the Toyota Diversity Advisory Board, and a member of the Boards of Directors of Cummins, Inc., Entergy, Inc., and MGM Mirage. Her nonprofit work includes the National Urban League, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. and The National Council of Negro Women.
The Founders Day Weekend will conclude on Sunday, January 22, when members will worship and fellowship together. Service will be held at Washington Tabernacle M.B. Church, 3200 Washington Avenue. The worship service will begin at 10 a.m. The Reverend Jesse T. Williams is the pastor.
Attorney Frankie Muse Freeman, Delta’s 14th National President is the honorary chair; Valerie E. Patton is chair; Krista M. Holmes is co-chair; Sherita M. Haigler is co-chair and Cheryl L. Jordan is chapter president.
Delta Sigma Theta, founded on the campus of Howard University on January 13, 1913 by 22 college women, fosters academic excellence, social action and cultural enrichment, and is located in 45 states in America and several communities abroad. Since its inception, there have been more than 250,000 women initiated into its membership.
For more information, please call the chapter office at (314) 531-5157 or visit the St. Louis Alumnae Chapter web site at www.dst-sla.org.
