THE FOUNDATION OF WESLEY WOODS HONORS
BWA BOARD MEMBER DR. DOLLY DESSELLE ADAMS & HER HUSBAND BISHOP JOHN HURST ADAMS
Dr. Dolly Desselle Adams, past president and executive board member of The Black Women’s Agenda, Inc., and her husband John Hurst Adams, Senior Bishop of the African Methodist Episcopal Church (ret.), were among four individuals honored recently by the Foundation of Wesley Woods – a senior living not-for-profit that provides retirement solutions for more than 1,800 older adults in communities across Georgia.
Bishop and Dr. Adams were recognized for their involvement in civil rights and social justice and raising awareness in the African-American community around cognitive disorders affecting seniors. “My parents are amazing people who have spent their entire lives giving back to every community in which they’ve lived , and they have worked tirelessly to make this world a better place for others,” said Marilyn H. Adams, one of the couple’s three daughters.
A native of Marksville, LA, Dr. Adams was raised in New Orleans. She earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Southern University in Baton Rouge, a Masters of Arts degree from the University of Michigan, and a Doctorate of Education from Baylor University, and she has lived a life of service as an educator, civic leader, church woman, wife, and mother.
Dr. Adams has been a teacher and administrator at each level of schooling – from pre-school Head Start through professional school – and has held faculty positions at eight different colleges and universities. Her community volunteer service includes serving as a member of the board of directors of the United Negro College Fund; Children’s Protective Services, and the Family Counseling and Children’s Services of McLennan County, Texas; Paul Quinn College Foundation; the Southern University Foundation, and Sisters of Charity Foundation. She was the newsletter editor for Church Women United, and is a member of the NAACP, the Washington Women’s Forum, the American Association of University Women and Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority. In addition, as the wife of the Bishop, Dr. Adams served as the Episcopal Supervisor of the Women’s Missionary Society, overseeing hundreds of groups of women. A consument leader, Dr. Adams was the eighth national president of The Links, Incorporated, and a past president of The Black Women’s Agenda, Inc.
Please join us in congratulating Dr. Dolly Desselle Adams – a woman of inestimable substance and service – and Bishop John Hurst Adams.
OTHER NEWS
SPOTLIGHT FEATURE ON JACK AND JILL OF AMERICA, INC.
To be valued and loved. To know who you are and that you have the power to make a
difference. These are the aspirations that most mothers have their children. In 1938, in the midst
of the Great Depression, twenty African-American mothers in Philadelphia came together not to
hope or to dream, but to provide the opportunities, experiences, and life lessons that would
enable their children and others to live these truths. Their group became Jack and Jill of
America, Inc. – an organization that’s mission is as relevant today as it was some 80 years ago.
JUNE IS AFRICAN AMERICAN MUSIC APPRECIATION MONTH
This June, The Black Women’s Agenda, Inc. (BWA) joins our nation in celebrating the 40th Anniversary of African American Music Appreciation Month.
The month-long observance, which was first inducted on June 7, 1979, by President Jimmy Carter was christened as Black Music Month. President Barack Obama renamed the national observance as African-American Music Appreciation Month. The observance was created to recognize and celebrate the historical influence African-Americans have had on the music industry and is intended to pay homage to the many artists, writers, songs and albums that have inspired music lovers and shaped American pop culture.
May Is Lupus Awareness Month
In honor of Lupus Awareness Month, the Lupus Foundation of America released a new survey they recently commissioned which reveals the need for better public understanding of this devastating autoimmune disease and why early diagnosis is so important.
According to the Lupus Foundation of America, “The survey sample was designed to be reflective of the U.S. population’s diverse demographics. Women of color are at two to three times greater risk for developing lupus than Caucasian women. However, over half of respondents (62%) didn’t recognize that minority populations were disproportionately impacted by lupus.
Minority women tend to develop lupus at a younger age, experiencing more serious complications and have higher mortality rates. This was reflected among minority respondents who indicated they were also more worried about developing the disease than others surveyed: 44% compared to 29% of the sample overall.”
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