Resolution 200212

..Title Congratulating and honoring the Pennsylvania Chapter of the National Coalition of 100 Black Women, Inc. on the 34th Anniversary of the Madam CJ Walker Awards Luncheon and for the organization's commitment to the educational, health, public policy, and economic empowerment of African American women throughout the City of Philadelphia. ..Body WHEREAS, The Pennsylvania Chapter of the National Coalition of 100 Black Women, Inc. was chartered in 1981 by Sylvia G. Webster, purposed to serve as a collective voice for progressive women of African descent committed to advocating for meaningful sociopolitical change; and WHEREAS, The Pennsylvania Chapter of the National Coalition of 100 Black Women, Inc. in 1982 swore in forty-two trailblazing leaders, of varying professional affiliations, including the Honorable Marian B. Tasco, Charisse Lillie-McGill, Audrey R. Johnson Thornton, the Honorable Augusta A. Clark, Joann Bell, Velma Goode, Leslie Kernodle, and Dr. Marschal-Neil E. Young; and WHEREAS, The organization's leaders quickly sprung into action, implementing an aggressive campaign to address the educational, economic, public policy, and physical needs of women throughout the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, with a keen focus on urban cities and an array of programmatic and legislative remedies; and WHEREAS, The organization boasts several signature programs that exhibit its unwavering mission, most notably the Economic Empowerment Seminar and Scholarship Awards, designed to support women and girls pursuing a post-secondary education, and the Madam CJ Walker Awards Luncheon; and WHEREAS, Named in honor of the nation's first woman to become a self-made millionaire, the Madam CJ Walker Awards Luncheon celebrates local female entrepreneurs who successfully operate their own companies and demonstrate sound business practices; and WHEREAS, The Madam CJ Walker Awards Luncheon also provides the Coalition's leaders with the opportunity to publicly acknowledge girls and women deeply invested in their academic advancement as recipients of its annual Scholarship Awards; and WHEREAS, The Madam CJ Walker Awards Luncheon, in its 34th year, is a Coalition staple which continues to be a shining example of the organization's commitment to female economic empowerment by generating over 1,000 attendees annually, providing a platform for networking, and strengthening an unbreakable bond of female camaraderie; and WHEREAS, In addition to commemorating this auspicious Luncheon, the Pennsylvania Chapter of the National Coalition of 100 Black Women, Inc. revel in several noteworthy accomplishments including receiving the Susan G. Komen "Women's Champion Award," receiving the "Chapter of the Year Award" and "Model Chapter Award" from the National Coalition of 100 Black Women, Inc., rededicating the Iris V. Henderson Cancer Center at Mercy Hospital in memoriam of a Coalition sister, and leveraging local resources alongside National Leadership to successfully influence the confirmation of the first African American female U.S. Attorney General, Ms. Loretta Lynch; and WHEREAS, In honor of Women's History Month and in the closing of Black History Month, the women of the Pennsylvania Chapter of the National Coalition of 100 Black Women, Inc. continue to be lauded and deservingly so, as local leaders invested in the educational, economic, and political advancement of our local communities; now, therefore, be it RESOLVED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA, That it hereby honors and recognizes the Pennsylvania Chapter of the National Coalition of 100 Black Women, Inc. on the 34th Anniversary of the Madam CJ Walker Luncheon and for the organization's commitment to empowering African American women throughout the City of Philadelphia. FURTHER RESOLVED, That an Engrossed copy of this resolution be presented to the National Coalition of 100 Black Women, Inc. Pennsylvania Chapter, as evidence of the sincere sentiments of this legislative body. ..End