African-American sorority event a win for MS Coast business owners, tornado victims

The leaders of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. are grateful.

At an annual gathering held last month in Biloxi, members of the African-American sorority raised so much money for Moss Point tornado victims they said they need time to make sure they count it all correctly.

The women met for the sorority’s State Cluster, which brought together members young and old from across Mississippi. The event took place Feb. 23-25 at the Mississippi Gulf Coast Coliseum and Convention Center.

The sorority expected to raise over $5,000 in Amazon wish list items and monetary donations for people still recovering from a tornado that hit Moss Point last June. Donations were still rolling in last week, said Cece Shabazz, media and communications co-lead at the Mississippi Gulf Coast Alumnae Chapter.

“The tornado victims are still struggling,” said Angela Haynes, president of the Moss Point Alumnae Chapter. “Riding through Moss Point I see vacant lots that used to be elderly people’s homes.”

The sorority also brought money to the Coast economy.

This year, organizers estimated 1,000 women would attend the cluster in Biloxi. The final attendance count was more 1,100, Shabazz said.

An initial event impact summary showed those visitors spent an estimated $577,000 on hotels, restaurants and other direct business over three days of the event, Shabazz said.

The State Cluster is an annual gathering that brings members together for workshops, business sessions, professional development and public service. The Coast is home to two of the sorority’s chapters – the Mississippi Gulf Coast Alumnae Chapter and the Moss Point Alumnae Chapter.

Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. began more than 100 years ago at Howard University, a historically Black university in Washington D.C. Now, the sorority has more than 350,000 members around the world, and 34 chapters in Mississippi.

In February, organizers sent members to shop and eat at small Black owned businesses on the Coast.

Members discussed voter registration ahead of the election year, said Searcy Taylor, president of the Mississippi Gulf Coast Alumnae Chapter.

The sorority also collected donations for Back Bay Mission in Biloxi and Gone Fishing Ministries in Pass Christian.

“Everybody left with a renewed spirit to serve,” Taylor said.

“Renewed is the word,” Haynes said. “It reinvigorates our mission and our purpose. We exist to do that – to enhance, empower and educate our communities.”