House Concurrent Resolution 74

(As Adopted by House and Senate)

A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION HONORING AND COMMENDING ATTORNEY CONSTANCE IONA SLAUGHTER-HARVEY ON HER MANY LEGAL ACCOMPLISHMENTS, HISTORIC ACHIEVEMENTS AND AS A LIVING LEGACY FOR POSITIVE SOCIAL CHANGE.

WHEREAS, Attorney Constance Iona Slaughter-Harvey is a living Civil Rights and Women's Rights icon, whose earnest desire to achieve academic excellence became the catalyst for what is now her historic significance to this state and this nation; and

WHEREAS, she is a woman of many firsts that have triggered indelible and significant changes in this state's history, as well as this great nation's history; and

WHEREAS, a small town girl at heart, Attorney Slaughter-Harvey is a native of Forest, Mississippi, where she graduated from Hawkins High School; and

WHEREAS, after high school graduation, she earned her place at Tougaloo College, where she began her historic streak of firsts; and

WHEREAS, she was soon elected as the first African-American female to serve as Student Government President at Tougaloo College, an experience, which molded her desire to pursue a law degree; and

WHEREAS, after earning her undergraduate degree in Political Science and Economics from Tougaloo College in 1967, she entered the University of Mississippi School of Law, and on January 27, 1970, she became the first African American to receive a law degree from the University of Mississippi School of Law; and

WHEREAS, driven by her passion to fight social injustice, Attorney Slaughter-Harvey worked as a staff attorney for the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, as the Executive Director of Southern Legal Rights, and as the Director of East Mississippi Legal Services, an organization she helped found and incorporate; and

WHEREAS, among her other outstanding "first" achievements, Attorney Slaughter-Harvey was the first African-American female to be appointed to serve as judge in Mississippi (1976); to be the first female president of the National Association of State Elections Directors (1991); to be the Executive Director of the Governor's Office of Human Development (1980-1984); to serve as Assistant Secretary of State for Elections, Public Lands and General Counsel for the State of Mississippi (1984-1995); and the first African-American female to receive the Outstanding Woman Lawyer Award (2001) presented by the Mississippi Women Lawyers' Association; and

WHEREAS, as the Assistant Secretary of State for Elections, Public Lands and General Counsel, Attorney Slaughter-Harvey, with then Secretary of State Dick Molphus, led reforms for Sixteenth Section School and Public Trust Lands, lobbied for Mail-In Voter Registration, and led the fight for Motor Voter Registration, which resulted in her being appointed as a member of the National Motor Voter Advisory Board; and

WHEREAS, in 1996, Attorney Slaughter-Harvey returned to her law practice and became President of Elections, Inc., a position she currently holds; and

WHEREAS, she is also the President of the W.L. Slaughter Memorial Foundation, which she founded in honor of her parents, that houses a library, residential subdivision and office building, where she supervises programs in after-school tutorial and enhancement, abstinence, and several other youth initiatives; and

WHEREAS, in 2011, Attorney Slaughter-Harvey became a family activist and founded the Legacy Education and Community Empowerment Foundation, where she implemented a "one-stop educational enhancement program" that nurtures the entire family as the best solution to tackle educational inefficiencies; and

WHEREAS, she is a woman of strength and faith, who is an active member of Saint Michael Catholic Church; and

WHEREAS, in addition to her many accomplishments, she has added author, local public speaker and national public speaker to her distinguished resume; and

WHEREAS, in honor of a request by her mother, Olivia Kelley, Attorney Slaughter-Harvey is following in the footsteps of her mother by serving as a columnist for the Scott County Times; and

WHEREAS, this attorney, activist, author and public speaker touts motherhood as her greatest accomplishment, as she is the mother of her beloved daughter, Constance Olivia Slaughter-Harvey Burwell, who is the Education Organizer/Policy Liaison for Southern Echo, and President of the OLIVIA group, and grandmother to her adorable grandson, James Arthur Emmanuel Burwell, III; and

WHEREAS, it is our policy to honor and commend the grand accomplishments of Mississippi history makers, who continue to improve the conditions of our communities:

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, THE SENATE CONCURRING THEREIN, That we hereby commend Attorney Constance Iona Slaughter-Harvey on her many legal accomplishments, historic achievements and as a living legacy for positive social change.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That copies of this resolution be furnished to Constance Iona Slaughter-Harvey and to the members of the Capitol Press Corps.