State Senator Kevin Parker Hosts Annual Youth Symposium

Brooklyn, N.Y. – In his continued efforts to support and empower young people to navigate the many struggles and temptations of everyday life, State Senator Kevin Parker hosted yet another Youth Symposium and EmpoWOMENt. The annual event was held in conjunction with Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority Inc. and Councilmember Farrah Louis.

Now in its 27th year, the event provides a platform for young people to engage in meaningful dialogue with their peers as well as community stakeholders. Wrapping around the serious panel discussion and workshop are opportunities for lighthearted games and other fun activities. Some of the EmpoWOMENt workshops of the day focused on financial literacy and mental, physical, and spiritual health.

“I am always excited to collaborate with the amazing Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority Inc.,” said Senator Parker, adding "This is a relationship that spans 30 years and will only continue to grow and get better as work toward our common interest of building and empowering community.”

Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority Inc. was created in the 1920s by seven young educators at Butler University. An annual one-day symposium is a nationwide event created in 1996 by the Past Grand Basileus of the sorority, the Late Dr. LaRona J. Morrisin. Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority continues to carry her legacy.

                                             About State Senator Kevin Parker

Senator Kevin S. Parker is intimately familiar with the needs of his ethnically diverse Brooklyn district comprising sections of Flatbush, East Flatbush, Kensington, Ditmas Park Midwood, Flatlands, Canarsie, Georgetown, Old Mill Basin, Mill Basin, and Bergen Beach. A lifelong Brooklyn resident, he is the Chairman of the Senate Energy and Telecommunications Committee and sits on the Senate Finance; Rules; Banks; Internet and Technology; Rules; and Budget and Revenue.

                                        About Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority Inc.

Seven young educators organized Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc. on November 12, 1922, in Indianapolis, Indiana: Mary Lou Allison Gardner Little, Dorothy Hanley Whiteside, Vivian Irene White Marbury, Nannie Mae Gahn Johnson, Hattie Mae Annette Dulin Redford, Bessie Mae Downey Rhoades Martin, and Cubena McClure. The group became an incorporated national collegiate sorority on December 30, 1929, when a charter was granted to the Alpha chapter at Butler University. Since its inception, the dynamic women of Sigma Gamma Rho have built and sustained a well-known and well-respected reputation for leading positive change to help uplift the community through sisterhood, leadership, and service.

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