CARY, N.C. –
During a reception on Friday, hosted by Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority during the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation legislative conference at the Conrad Hotel in Washington, D.C., the organization unveiled public service announcements for the 2020 Census and the Women’s Suffrage Centennial Commission and awarded its prestigious 2019 President’s Award to the late Congresswoman and U.S. Ambassador Marie Corinne Morrison Claiborne Boggs, affectionately known as Lindy Boggs.
“We are gratified to help increase awareness and participation in the 2020 census count,” said Deborah Catchings-Smith, international president of Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority. The sorority has produced a 30-second public service announcement that will be distributed to the media early next year.
Passage of the 19th Amendment, giving women the right to vote, is celebrated as the nonpartisan Women’s Suffrage Centennial Commission (WSCC) implements its nationwide program to educate the American public about the women’s suffrage movement. Catchings-Smith premiered a public service announcement and informational video about the work of WSCC and the 19th Amendment. Throughout the coming year, Sigma Gamma Rho will distribute yellow roses—a symbol of the suffragists and the sorority’s official flower— distribute a public service announcement and editorials, and members will attend WSCC celebration activities.
Lindy Boggs, inducted in 1978 as an honorary member of Sigma Gamma Rho, was awarded posthumously the sorority’s President’s Award for her many firsts and the impact she made in Louisiana on Capitol Hill and as a member of the sorority. According to Catchings-Smith, “We believe Boggs became an active member of Sigma Gamma Rho because our mission and slogan of ‘Greater Service, Greater Progress’ aligned with her life’s work as a public servant.” Rebecca Boggs Roberts, daughter of journalist Cokie Roberts and granddaughter of Lindy Boggs, accepted the award on behalf of the family.
About Sigma Gamma Rho
Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc., an international collegiate and nonprofit community service organization, was founded in 1922 on the Butler University campus in Indianapolis. It has welcomed more than 90,000 members who have joined the organization as undergraduates and professionals. Official affiliate groups include Rhoer Club (young girls) and Philos (friends of the sorority). The sorority has more than 500 chapters in the United States, Bahamas, Bermuda, Canada, Germany, South Korea and the U.S. Virgin Islands. It is the mission of the sorority to enhance the quality of life for women and their families in the U.S. and globally through community service. Programs, initiatives and partnerships are devoted to progress in the areas of education, healthcare, political action, and leadership development. The sorority is headquartered in Cary, N.C., and is a member of the National Pan-Hellenic Council’s “Divine Nine.” For more information, visit www.sgrho1922.org.
