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TO REQUEST THE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION NAME THE PORTION OF UNITED STATES HIGHWAY 78 IN DORCHESTER COUNTY FROM ITS INTERSECTION WITH THE ENTRANCE TO THE RIDGEVILLE INDUSTRIAL CAMPUS TO TIMOTHY CREEK "VICTORIA W. DELEE MEMORIAL HIGHWAY" AND ERECT APPROPRIATE MARKERS OR SIGNS ALONG THIS PORTION OF HIGHWAY CONTAINING THESE WORDS.
Whereas, born April 8, 1925, and a lifelong resident of Ridgeville, Victoria W. DeLee departed this life on June 14, 2010. She was married to the late Mr. S.B. DeLee for fifty-two years and together they were the parents of ten children; and
Whereas, a champion of civil and human rights who marched with Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Mrs. DeLee was a staunch fighter for integration, the education of black voters, and the rights of other minority groups, including Native Americans; and
Whereas, from 1964 to 1970 Mrs. DeLee fought for school integration for Blacks and Native Americans. In 1965, she led a voter registration drive which saw as many as five hundred Blacks refused a voter certificate in one day. She demanded and got federal registrars appointed after a weeklong lobbying effort in Washington, D.C.; and
Whereas, in 1971 Mrs. DeLee helped form the United Citizens Party, as Blacks were being excluded in the local Democratic Party, and launched a campaign for South Carolina's First Congressional District with hopes of becoming the first Black woman in the South to be elected to the United States Congress; and
Whereas, throughout her trailblazing career Mrs. DeLee was the recipient of numerous awards, including an honorary doctorate degree in humane letters from Amherst College in Massachusetts, and the 2007 Citation Civil Rights Advocate Award given by former President Bill Clinton; and
Whereas, it would be fitting and proper to honor the legacy of this pioneer who fought tirelessly for freedom and justice for Blacks and other minority groups by naming a portion of highway in Dorchester County in her memory. Now, therefore,
Be it resolved by the House of Representatives, the Senate concurring:
That the members of the General Assembly request the Department of Transportation name the portion of United States Highway 78 in Dorchester County from its intersection with the entrance to the Ridgeville Industrial Campus to Timothy Creek "Victoria W. DeLee Memorial Highway" and erect appropriate markers or signs along this portion of highway containing these words.
Be it further resolved that a copy of this resolution be forwarded to the Department of Transportation.
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