Youngstown Chapter of Links Inc. will celebrate its 60th anniversary

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SPECIAL TO THE VINDICATOR The Youngstown Chapter of the Links, Inc. will celebrate its 60th anniversary at a dinner and dance on Sept. 26. Officers of the chapter, from left, are Krishmu Shipmon, vice president; Anne Cobbin, president; Janice Beachum, recording secretary; Margaret Staples, financial secretary; and Sarah Brown-Clark, parliamentarian. Not shown are Monica Hoskins-Vann, treasurer, and Juanita Davis, corresponding secretary.

Staff report

HOWLAND

The Youngstown Chapter of the Links Inc. will celebrate its 60th anniversary dinner dance at 7 p.m. Sept. 26 at Leo’s Banquet Center, 7043 E. Market St.

Dr. Glenda Newell-Harris of Oakland, Calif., will present “Building a Healthy Legacy, Our Prescription for the Future.” She is national president of the Links Inc. Formal attire is required, and music will be provided by Howard and the Five Point Trio.

The Links Inc. was founded in 1946 in the wake of World War II in Philadelphia by Margaret Roselle Hawkins and Sarah Scott Strickland, who envisioned a service-oriented organization that would have a twofold purpose: to promote civic, educational and cultural concerns and to lead black women into postwar America. The founding meeting took place Nov. 8, 1946, and expanded its mission and membership, endured social and racial upheavals and today has a membership of nearly 12,000 women of African descent in 280 chapters located in 42 states, the District of Columbia and the Commonwealth of the Bahamas. In 1949 The Links became a national organization and has been incorporated since March 29, 1951.

The Youngstown Chapter of the Links Inc. was organized by Anita Brown, Margaret Smith and Grace Hill Walker and sponsored by the Columbus and Pittsburgh chapters. It was chartered Oct. 17, 1955. Its first officers were installed Dec. 5, 1955, by Lillian Brown, Pittsburgh Chapter president, and Charlotte Fish, Columbus Chapter president. The officers were Grace Hill Walker, president; Virginia Dickerson, vice president; Elsie Fugett, recording secretary; Isy Young, treasurer; and Almeda Underwood-Dodson, financial secretary. Other charter members include Thelma Reid, Florence Logan and Zoe Maxwell.

The chapter uses its resources to improve the quality of life for others in the community through five facets, the Arts, Services to Youth, International Trends, National Trends and Health and Human Services.

In the Arts facet, the Youngstown chapter has presented the modern dance group of West Virginia University, Children Concerts; The Dance Troupe of Harlem featuring Heir-O-Link Stephanie Dabney, daughter of the late Link Harriet Dabney; purchased art from two African American artists, Jacob Lawrence and Al Bright, a native of Youngstown and a Connecting Link, and donated these to the Butler Institute of American Art in the gallery’s permanent collection.

In the Health and Human Services facet, the chapter received recognition from the Central Area for its results in hosting 300 Sisters in Red in April at Youngstown State University with the collaboration of Mercy Health, the Black Nurses Association, Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield, the American Heart Association, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, American Family Insurance, Health and Fitness Instructors and local physicians who lecture on diabetes, heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure, depression, eating healthy and understanding how to read food labels.

A grant has been given to the chapter from the W.H. Kellogg Foundation for the education of black males on financial literacy and economic building emphasizing that black lives matter.

Several other programs are sponsored by the chapter:

The Black Diamond Program to celebrate African American males, in which men age 8 and older were nominated and rewarded for academic success, volunteerism and positive roles in the community.

The Closing the Achievement Gap Program through the National Trends facet helps to support those who need assistance in reading and math skills.

A Community Forum, Fertilizing the Dream, a literacy initiative, took place May 30, 2015, at the Jewish Community Center.

A Christmas Gathering Luncheon was provided to address the Service to Youth facet which provides gifts for underprivileged children; scholarships have been given for college tuition and book bags with school supplies were given to needy children.

Under the International Trends facet, books were donated, Mama kits were donated to promote healthy clean delivery births to third-world countries, and under The Rawanda Project, women were supported who have been beaten and abused by men.