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[Congressional Bills 111th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 1711 Introduced in House (IH)]

111th CONGRESS
  2d Session
H. RES. 1711

   Commemorating the eminently successful performance and record of 
    excellence of Barbara A. McKinzie, immediate past international 
           president of the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.

_______________________________________________________________________

                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           September 29, 2010

 Ms. Watson submitted the following resolution; which was referred to 
                  the Committee on Education and Labor

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION

 
   Commemorating the eminently successful performance and record of 
    excellence of Barbara A. McKinzie, immediate past international 
           president of the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.

Whereas Barbara A. McKinzie has proven to be an extremely successful president 
        of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority (AKA);
Whereas inspired by the AKA ESP theme of ``Economics, Service and 
        Partnerships,'' the last 4 years have been marked by achievements and 
        milestones that are unparalleled in the 102-year history of the 
        organization;
Whereas the ESP narrative chronicles international president McKinzie's 
        triumphant 4 years;
Whereas under her leadership, Alpha Kappa Alpha has been: ``E'' for effective;
Whereas AKA served more than 17,000,000 individuals worldwide through ESP 
        programs from 2006 to 2010 and it has also logged over 1,500,000 
        volunteer hours executing the ESP program over the past 3 years;
Whereas AKA has been entrepreneurial by launching a multitude of programs and 
        activities directed at building a strong foundation for women in 
        business and those women aspiring to be entrepreneurs, and the 
        information and insights provided under these programs and activities 
        has resulted in over 400 formerly emerging entrepreneurs opening their 
        own firms and becoming employers;
Whereas AKA instituted the ``On Top of the Game'', a youth business plan 
        competition to support the development of youth entrepreneurs in 9th 
        through 12th grades;
Whereas for their achievement, regional and national winners received monetary 
        awards to reinvest in their businesses;
Whereas AKA has been environmentally conscious by transforming a rundown park in 
        Anchorage, Alaska, into a beautiful park by planting flowers, removing 
        weeds and other environmental toxins, and leaving AKA's environmental 
        signature on the area;
Whereas all totaled, members of AKA volunteered over 1,000 hours of hands-on 
        beautification activities amounting to over $18,000 of donated work in 
        July 2009;
Whereas AKA has been economically forward thinking by carrying out an exemplary 
        service program that recognized economic empowerment as the key to the 
        success of the Black community and other people of color;
Whereas the focus of AKA on all issues economic--Economic Awareness, Economic 
        Sufficiency and Economic Empowerment resulted in programs that have 
        pumped more than $23,000,000 into the local communities throughout the 
        globe;
Whereas AKA sponsored forums and discussions on economic issues that increased 
        economic literacy and economic growth, improved living standards, 
        fostered health consciousness, and led to implementation of programs to 
        make individuals and communities more economically viable by adopting 
        families to increase their viability and economic growth;
Whereas AKA instituted a series of systematic administrative and financial 
        reforms that enabled the sorority to eliminate a $1,200,000 Federal tax 
        liability and return the organization to sound financial footing;
Whereas AKA has served as educational guardians by launching the Undergraduate 
        Signature Program: Economic Educational Advancement through Technology 
        on 10 beta site college campuses worldwide where residents were taught 
        technology skills, which all 300 undergraduate chapters implemented;
Whereas AKA initiated ABCs for HBCUs (Advocates for Black Colleges), which 
        resulted in more than $650,000 distributed to Black colleges and 
        strengthened Alpha Kappa Alpha's long-standing position as a board 
        member of the United Negro College Fund;
Whereas AKA made an historic $1,000,000 donation to Howard University;
Whereas under the McKinzie Administration, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority members 
        have been ``spectacular achievers'' through the establishment of its 
        position as a global influence when the United Nations' Economic and 
        Social Council (ECOSOC) granted AKA special consultative status;
Whereas AKA was inducted into the Guinness Book of World Records for the largest 
        ever sit down dinner in the history of conventions worldwide, when 
        16,206 members dined at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center 
        during the Centennial Celebration;
Whereas AKA has served as a servant to services nationally by donating and 
        helping to build Habitat for Humanity Homes for 2 families displaced by 
        Katrina from New Orleans and Gulfport, Mississippi, and in so doing, 
        performed 1,150 hours of construction work and, in July 2007, became the 
        first organization of its kind to make such a donation;
Whereas AKA distributed food to more than 400 New Orleans families in one day 
        through a partnership with Feed the Children;
Whereas AKA fanned out to communities worldwide as part of President Barack 
        Obama and the First Lady's Day of National Service;
Whereas AKA has served as servants to service on a global level by cementing a 
        $500,000 partnership with Liberian President and AKA member Ellen 
        Johnson Sirleaf to build the Omega Market Village that will provide 
        financial and other support for the empowerment of Liberian women market 
        traders and to help restore their livelihood as they recover from 14 
        years of civil war;
Whereas AKA has served as strong guardians of the sorority by assuring that all 
        chapters are in compliance with the rules and regulations of the 
        organization through an extensive evaluation of each chapter;
Whereas AKA revamped the Membership Intake Process as a way to institutionalize 
        the sorority's value system and reduce inactivity;
Whereas AKA increased the membership 15 percent, doubled the sorority's revenue, 
        and pursued a professional investment strategy that beat market 
        performance that helped increase the organization's assets by 
        $8,000,000;
Whereas AKA created a communications arm that blitzed the media with news about 
        the organization and generated over $2,000,000 in free exposure 
        including global coverage that elevated AKA's brand and cemented its 
        position and stature as one of the world's foremost service 
        organizations;
Whereas under McKinzie's inspired leadership, Alpha Kappa Alpha members have 
        been philanthropists;
Whereas AKA members and chapters donated over $130,000 to CARE's Haiti Disaster 
        Fund;
Whereas AKA stepped up and contributed during crises that upended members and 
        citizens including the raging fires in California, the floods in Texas, 
        and the oil spill on the Gulf Coast;
Whereas AKA contributed over $500,000 to Alpha Phi Alpha's Memorial to Dr. 
        Martin Luther King, Jr.;
Whereas as partners, AKA collaborated with Africare to focus on challenges 
        confronting the continent of Africa, Chase Bank to create homeownership 
        opportunities for members, Loop21 to gauge the 2010 State of Black 
        America, and many more;
Whereas AKA served as proactivists when AKA coordinated a formidable voter 
        registration and education campaign whose reach extended to hard-to-
        penetrate areas and to formerly apathetic citizens;
Whereas this all-out offensive resulted in record numbers of citizens joining 
        the voter rolls, becoming more politically empowered, and casting their 
        vote in the historic 2008 election;
Whereas AKA spearheaded and led a March to the Capitol steps in a massive show 
        of solidarity by Black Greek organizations;
Whereas the Unity March culminated in the presentation of a Unity Resolution 
        that was presented to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi;
Whereas AKA spoke out against injustice and in support of equality wherever it 
        occurred including Don Imus' comments about the Rutgers women's 
        basketball team, the Jena Six, and global hunger;
Whereas as preservers of Alpha Kappa Alpha's Legacy, AKA instituted a program to 
        preserve, maintain, and protect Alpha Kappa Alpha's legacy by 
        continually collecting and storing documents and maintaining them at 
        Howard University's Moorland Spingarn Collection;
Whereas the AKA Collection includes the digitized Ivy Leaf, AKA's official 
        magazine, mementoes, letters, papers, documents, photographs and other 
        memorabilia that captures the 102-year-old legacy of AKA and serves as a 
        repository for researchers and others interested in the comprehensive 
        history of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority;
Whereas AKA donated the Centennial Traveling Exhibit to the Washington 
        Historical Society (valued at $450,000), and produced documentary films 
        celebrating 100 years of sisterhood and service;
Whereas AKA acted as protectors and mounted a variety of initiatives to protect, 
        uplift and inspire women and girls Nationwide and worldwide, including 
        on the continent of Africa; and
Whereas AKA has been progressive in implementing a ``best in class'' leadership 
        development program that created a core of highly knowledgeable and 
        qualified members to lead the nation and world as problem solvers and 
        service providers during the challenging times that lie ahead: Now, 
        therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
            (1) acknowledges the leadership of immediate past 
        international president Barbara Mckinzie of the Alpha Kappa 
        Alpha Sorority, Inc., and her efforts on behalf of the sorority 
        to fulfill its motto of ``service to all mankind'';
            (2) salutes the efforts of the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, 
        Inc., on a domestic and international level; and
            (3) recognizes the significance of Alpha Kappa Sorority, 
        Inc., as an organization that continues to make a global impact 
        worldwide.
                                 <all>
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