Published: July 14, 2007 11:59 pm      

Local sorority hosts social action gala

Constance Iona Slaughter-Harvey, attorney and president of Elections Inc., will be guest speaker at a meet-and-greet elected officials dinner on July 21.

The semi-formal affair is sponsored by Meridian Alumna Chapter, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc. “Empowering Communities for the Future” is the theme of the social action gala.

Slaughter-Harvey earned her bachelor’s degree (political science and economics) cum laude from Tougaloo College in May 1967. She was elected president of the Student Government Association becoming the first female to serve in that capacity. She was the first African American female to receive a law degree from the University of Mississippi in 1970.

Upon graduation, Slaughter-Harvey joined the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law as a staff attorney and worked there until 1972 when she returned to Forest and established her private law practice. She was executive director of Southern Legal Rights and later became director of East Mississippi Legal Services in 1979.

In 1980, she joined Governor William Winter’s staff as director of Human Development, where she was responsible for six agencies, namely Council on Aging, Handicapped Services, Children’s Services, Volunteer Participation, Community Services and Energy Assistance.

In 1984, she left the governor’s office to serve as assistant secretary of state for Elections and Public Lands with Secretary of State Dick Molpus. Together, she and Molpus reformed Sixteenth Section School Trustlands and Public Trustlands, and lobbied for Mail In Voter Registration which was signed into law in 1991. She further led the fight for Motor Voter Registration and became a member of the National Motor Voter Advisory Board. In 1991, she was promoted to general counsel and continued to serve as assistant secretary for elections.

In 1995, Slaughter-Harvey became coordinator of the Mississippi State Democratic Party Coordinating Campaign and coordinated campaigns for all Democratic statewide candidates. She returned to the practice of law in her hometown of Forest in 1996 and became president of Elections, Inc. She remains president of Elections, Inc. and still practices law while serving as president of the Slaughter Memorial Foundation. As president, she supervises an after-school tutorial/enhancement program, Y:WAIT Rural Abstinence Program and several other youth programs.

Slaughter-Harvey served as adjunct professor at Tougaloo College from 1970-2005. In November 1999, she was honored with the establishment of the Constance Slaughter-Harvey Endowed Chair in Political Science/Pre-law at Tougaloo College.



WANT TO GO?



What: Social Action Gala

When: July 21, 5:30 p.m.

Where: MSU Kahlmus Auditorium

Tickets: $25

Additional information: Semi-formal affair. For more information, contact Dr. Veronica Johnson, program chairman, (601) 692-3058 or Kim Houston, president of Meridian Alumnae Chapter, (601) 483-9043