Courtesy of Delaware State University
DSU Division of Administrative Service has launched new initiative – a Women’s Impact Series that began on Jan. 17 with daylong Champions of Character forum in the Martin Luther King Jr. Student Center.
DSU undergraduate females were exposed during the day to top level executive women, the wisdom of very seasoned ladies, information about Women’s health and how to “Dress for Success,” and representatives of the several sororities to discuss the value and importance of sisterhood.
The Champions of Character event began with a panel discussion featuring Dr. Vilicia Cade, the first Black CEO and Superintendent of the Capital School District of Greater Dover, and Kenyetta McCurdy-Byrd, the COO of REACH Riverside, a community organization working to transform Wilmington’s Riverside neighborhood.
A Fireside Chat session featured the wisdom and life stories of BeBe Coker, a Wilmington education, housing, and healthcare advocate for more than 50 years, and Dr. Reba Hollingsworth, a 1949 alumna of Delaware State University, an education advocate and an inductee of the Delaware Women’s Hall of Fame.
Semaj Hazzard, DSU Class of 1922 and a Youth Pastor at Gloucester County Community Church in Sewell, N.J. led a conversation on “Honoring Our Sisters.” That was followed by a session on “From Myth-Busting to Sharing the Facts about Women’s Health and Hygiene” led by Dr. Michelle Fisher, Associate Vice President of Campus Health, along with panelists Chayna Hardy-Reid and Dr. Regina Smith.
A session on “Dress for Success” was led by panelists Shana Williams, owner of Cecile Boutique of Newark, Del., and Tetra Shockley, Esquire, a 2004 alumna of DSU.
A “Sisterhood Session” focused on the benefits of involvement in the “Divine Nine” Greek sorority organizations. On the panel were Dr. Amber Ward and Gizelle Bryant of Alpha Kappa Alpha, Charmaine Whyte and Dr. Vilicia Cade of Zeta Phi Beta, Dr. Gwen Scott-Jones of Delta Sigma Theta, and Dr. Nakishia Bailey of Sigma Gamma Rho.
The women’s conference concluded with a music performance by the DSU female student trio WEST (When Everyone Stands Together).