She had one son, Clifton, Jr., and two grandchildren. JOY was named the 6th fastest growing agency of 2019 by Adweek, and recently won the 2019 SABRE Award for the Best Campaign for Dove/The CROWN Act. Saint Pauls College, Lawrenceville, Virginia, awarded her the honorary degree of Doctor of Humane Letters. Among numerous awards is The O. Max Gardner Award from the North Carolina Consolidated System of Higher Education given in 1975 for the greatest contribution to the welfare of the human race; the William Hugh McEniry Award from the North Carolina Association of Colleges and Universities in recognition of principles of dedication and commitment to the education and advancement of the state. A unique tribute was the establishment in 1977 of the Helen G. Edmonds Graduate Colloquium of History at North Carolina Central University, by the (then) 25 Ph.D. holders in History and Social Sciences, her former students who had completed their work in the undergraduate and graduate departments at North Carolina Central University. She began her higher education in an early entrance program at Fisk University, and completed her undergraduate studies at Oberlin College. Glenda F. Newell-Harris, M.D, is a board-certified physician in internal medicine and a media spokesperson whose opinions on new advances in medicine and controversial medical issues have made her a valued medical expert. The Durham (NC) Chapter of The Links, Incorporated Historical Overview The Durham (NC) Chapter of The Links, Incorporated was chartered on October 11, 1958 as the seventy-seventh chapter of the national body. Her volunteer efforts have earned wide recognition for her as a tireless worker and community leader. (This region included eleven states and Puerto-Rico.). The Constitution and Bylaws, and rituals were circulated in their revised formats, and a membership directorythe most comprehensive and detailed ever published by The Links, or any similar groupwas completed and distributed to each Links member. Johnnetta Betsch Cole, is an accomplished educator and museum professional; noted speaker and author on issues of diversity, equity, accessibility, and inclusion; and a committed advocate for social justice. The membership consists of more than 16,000 professional women of African descent in 292 chapters located in 41 states, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of the Bahamas, and the United Kingdom. Smith is a member of Omicron Delta Kappa, Mortar Board and Golden Torch Honor Societies. In 1990, Vice President Harris joined the Alameda County District Attorneys Office where she specialized in prosecuting child sexual assault cases. Over the course of her career, she has held teaching and administrative positions in anthropology, womens studies, and African American studies at several major universities. Virginia enjoys traveling, reading, tennis and is learning to play golf. When you give you make a lasting impact on someones life an accomplishment that carries more weight than any personal purchase. With a near-perfect record of meeting chapter obligations, the Grants-in-Aid for the first biennium exceeded $132,000.00 and ultimately exceeded $1,000,000.00. Mr. Sutherland attended every Links National Assembly and Western Area Conference since 1971 as well as many other Area Conferences. It is one of the nations oldest and largest volunteer service organizations of women who are committed to enriching, sustaining and ensuring the culture and economic survival of African Americans and other people of African ancestry. Further, she has secured more than $10 million in grants for visionary programs involving the professional community in cutting-edge issues such as adolescent pregnancy prevention, family planning, promotion of physical activity among African American youth, school-age child care, and recruitment and retention of minority youth in undergraduate and graduate programs. She has been a member of the chapters International Trends and Services committee, and the Services To Youth committee. Frazier is national parliamentarian for the Association of Black Hospital Pharmacists. She then served as a managing attorney in the San Francisco District Attorneys Office and later was chief of the Division on Children and Families for the San Francisco City Attorneys Office. Ultimately, Adjoa is the go-to change agent to mobilize leaders and communities for thoughtful, collective social and political action. During her tenure as head of marketing, communications, creative services, and events for BET Networks, Kelli led all event-related elements of all of the biggest tentpole events in the country, including the BET Awards, Celebration of Gospel, Hip Hop Awards, BET Honors, and more. Pauline Ellison 7. She was the Western Areas director of International Trends and Services and became national director of this program facet under President Purnell. Her best-selling book,Disrupt Aging: A Bold New Path to Living Your Best Life at Every Age, has become a signature rallying cry for revolutionizing societys views on aging by driving a new social consciousness and sparking innovative solutions for all generations. During this same period, Ellison was also pursuing her community interest in young people by founding the Northern Virginia Chapter of Jack and Jill and serving on the board of directors of Burgundy Farm Country Day School and the United Way. Many awards and recognitions were presented to her, including the Elks Oratorical Scholarship for her exceptional ability, talent and skill in the art of public speaking. Her interest in Black-operated businesses probably reflects the contributions made in this field by her famous family. Dr. Newell-Harris is the recipient of the National Medical Associations highest honor, the Scroll of Merit, as well as numerous awards and honors from many organizations including Sigma Pi Phi Fraternity, Incorporated, Jack and Jill of America, Inc., Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Bay Area Black United Fund, John Hale Medical Society, and Cinnamongirl, Inc. She is a life member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated. Her loyalty to achieving, often against the odds, is, in a word, unforgettable. The daughter of Dr. George G. and Minnie L. Strickland, she was also the sister and widow of physicians. She served on the Historic & Cultural Landmarks Commission, AIDS Outreach committee, Evans Avenue Business Association, Good Samaritans, and Riverside Neighborhood Advisory Council. Her brother, the late Thirlee Smith, Jr., was the first full-time African American reporter at theMiami Heraldand a long-time educator for Miami-Dade County Public Schools, who was responsible for implementing African-American history into the districts curriculum. In a March 1991, a feature article in theLouisiana Woman, the writer (Judy Pennington) noted that the Center was in essence a microcosm of Purnells lifelong work, manifested in a small community that helps the larger (community) make sense of itself.. All these words and more describe Virginia W. Harris. She is the first woman, the first Black American, and the first South Asian American to be elected Vice President, as was the case with other offices she has held. The 1974 National Assembly meeting in Washington, D.C. elected Pauline Ellison, a resident of Arlington, Virginia, and a charter member of the Arlington (VA) Chapter as the sixth national president. She is also a member of her chapters Presidents Advisory Board, an advisory group consisting of past chapter presidents created to provide ongoing guidance to the chapter. She quickly rose to become principal of Skyway Elementary School, which was recognized as one of the best schools in America in President George H. W. Bushs America 2000 plan to upgrade national education standards. The chartering ceremony was held at the home of Mrs. Albert L. Turner (Dessa), who also served as its first president. She is also the founder of ABMC, LLC, which is a full-service social impact consulting and strategy firm. Julia Brogdon Purnell, charter member and past President of the Baton Rouge Chapter, served as National President of The Links, Incorporated, 1978-1982. She is past chair of the Congressional Black Caucus Energy Braintrust, co-chair of the Justice Reform Task Force, and a leadership appointed member of the International Helsinki Commission. Leonard was tabbed for the post at the organizations 41st National Assembly in Indianapolis, Indiana. Her bipartisan anti-lynching bill passed the Senate in 2018. Myrtle C. Manigault Stratton was a native of Philadelphia although at the time of the organization she was living across the river in Camden, New Jersey, and she continued her residence in that locality. She served as President and Chairman of the Board of the Seattle First Baptist Church Corporation; member of the Board of Managers of the American Baptist Foreign Mission Society and president of the women of her church. Take charge of your health is her motto. It also highlighted the lawmakers ability to successfully work across party lines. Margaret Hawkins was born Margaret Josephine Rosell on January 12, 1908, in Philadelphia. During her years as editor of The Pacific Leader, she and her husband sponsored a group of high school girls, The Leaderettes, who were active in promoting good citizenship and wholesome entertainment for their peers. An 18-year member, prior to her historical election to the presidency by acclamation in July 2002, she has served as chair of the Grants-In-Aid Committee, director of the Services to Youth Program facet, chair of the Membership and national vice president. By doing so, the needs of people were met. On November 6, 2018, Congresswoman Pressley was elected to represent Massachusetts 7th Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives, making her the first woman of color to be elected to Congress from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Edmonds who drafted this original component and engaged the organization in its undertaking was the first individual so recognized, and in her honor, the award is named the Helen G. Edmonds International Trends and Services Award. Soon after graduating from Howard University, Frazier married. Guidelines for conducting National Assemblies, for selecting Honorary Members, and for identifying recipients of national awards have also been standardized. Julia Brogdon-Purnell 8. as a child, which had instilled in her a fundamental sense of right and wrong. In 2020, she broke another glass ceiling and continued her career as a guardian of the law when she became one of the first women and one of the first Black Americans to prosecute a presidential impeachment before the U.S. Senate. Woman of Influence Girl Scouts of Northeast Ohio Many young people were guided toward successes in college and in professions, which they might not have tried without her encouragement. 1949 is also the starting year of the first National President Sarah Strickland Scott. Under her leadership, AARP has been recognized as one of the Worlds Most Ethical Companies. She was subsequently designated as chair of the Civil Service Commission. In so doing, she was the first African American female to hold the position. from Baylor University in Waco, Texas and has continued post-doctoral study at Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois and the University of Washington in Seattle. Virginia served on the Board of Directors for the following organizations: Past President, Albany State University Foundation Board of Trustee; Past Chair, Georgia DOL-Statewide Youth Motivation Task Force Program; Vice President of the Gwinnett-Rockdale-Newton Community Service Board, National Forum for Black Public Administrators (NFBPA), Gwinnett Chapter, American Red Cross Advisory Board, Southern Education Foundation, Board Member, member of Women Ministry Council, and the Ladies Usher Board at The Historical Ebenezer Baptist Church. She died in 1975 and is buried in Cincinnati. Marion Sutherland 11. She was one of eight civil rights leaders who met regularly with the President and members of his Cabinet during the late 1970s. The Brooklyn, New York native is the Director of the Inforce Systems Division for New York Life Insurance Company in New York City, responsible for managing multi-million-dollar projects and programs, training personnel, and overseeing new product development as the chief administrator of one the companys major subsystems. It is one of the most ethnically and culturally diverse districts in the nation and includes parts of northwest Miami-Dade and southern Broward counties. Link Copeland is the 15th national president of The Links, Incorporated, and also a member of the Executive Leadership Council. Congresswoman Jackson Lee is also the past Chairwoman of theHomeland Security Subcommittee on Transportation Security and Infrastructure Protectionwhich under her leadership she passed the Transportation Security Act of 2007 which increased the funding for Americas transportation security. Sarah Strickland Scott 2. 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