Bill Text: MS HC52 | 2014 | Regular Session | Enrolled
Bill Title: Deloris Christina Brown Orey; commemorate life, legacy and distinguished service of as an unsung heroine of civil rights upon her passing.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 32-0)
Status: (Passed) 2014-03-06 - Enrolled Bill Signed [HC52 Detail]
Download: Mississippi-2014-HC52-Enrolled.html
MISSISSIPPI LEGISLATURE
2014 Regular Session
To: Rules
By: Representatives Harrison, Coleman (65th), Scott, Bailey, Blackmon, Burnett, Calhoun, Clark, Clarke, Coleman (29th), Dickson, Ellis, Espy, Anderson, Evans (70th), Gibbs, Hines, Holloway, Huddleston (30th), Jackson, Johnson, Middleton, Myers, Perkins, Smith (27th), Stringer, Thomas, Watson, Williams-Barnes, Wooten, Young, Denton
House Concurrent Resolution 52
(As Adopted by House and Senate)
A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION MOURNING THE LOSS, COMMEMORATING THE LIFE, LEGACY AND ESTEEMED AND DISTINGUISHED SERVICE OF UNSUNG MISSISSIPPI CIVIL RIGHTS HEROINE AND ICON, MRS. DELORES CHRISTINA BROWN OREY, AND EXPRESSING SINCERE SYMPATHY TO HER FAMILY AND FRIENDS UPON HER PASSING.
WHEREAS, "To everything there is a season, and time to every purpose under the heaven," and as such, the grand architect of the universe, the immaculate author and finisher of our soul's destiny, has summoned the mortal presence of dearly beloved, Mrs. Delores Christina Brown Orey, to eternal rest, as she has made life's final transition from earthly travailing to heavenly reward, rendering great sorrow and loss to her family, colleagues and friends; and
WHEREAS, the State of Mississippi and the Mississippi Branch of the NAACP lost a wonderful friend, unsung heroine of civil rights, community icon on January 8, 2014, with the passing of Mrs. Orey, a legendary forerunner in Mississippi history as one of the state's premiere female champions for civil rights and liberties for all; and
WHEREAS, a formidable powerbroker for change in politics and social justice, Mrs. Orey was an individual who was highly sought out and recruited for her wise counsel and support by an array of politicians, activists and organizations; and
WHEREAS, a skilled organizer and tactician who seldom yielded to defeat or despair, who amassed a great throng of respect from her peers by refusing even during the darkest hour to back-down, bow-down or sit-down until the task at hand was successfully implemented and completed; and
WHEREAS, Mrs. Orey was just as comfortable in a supporting role behind the scenes and away from the limelight uplifting others, as she was in taking the reins herself and standing out front on an issue which she felt the need to respond or expose; and
WHEREAS, throughout her six decades of membership in the Jackson Branch NAACP as a lifetime member, she held almost every elected and appointed position from branch president to secretary to treasurer and was equally aggressive and passionately involved in all of her designated roles; and
WHEREAS, having marched alongside the likes of men of such great stature as Dr. Aaron Henry, Medgar Evers and Martin Luther King, Jr., the Martinsville native was a member of the Freedom Democratic Party in the 1960s with Fannie Lou Hamer and investigated cases of discrimination; and
WHEREAS, a participant in the downtown Jackson demonstrations in the 1960s, she was arrested and jailed in the fairgrounds, actually where the livestock building is presently located; and
WHEREAS, a devoted wife and caring mother of eight children, two of which integrated Poindexter Elementary School, Mrs. Orey, who used her home as a Freedom School and to house Freedom Riders as they traveled from the north to the south to conduct voter registration drives, was recorded on the Sovereignty Commission list, a chronicled record of activities of civil rights workers; and
WHEREAS, Mrs. Orey's efforts paid off in the 1970s when Governor Cliff Finch hired the Jackson State College graduate to work in his administration, and later she was invited to represent Mississippi at President Jimmy Carter's inauguration, where she also met Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall; and
WHEREAS, during her extensive service to the NAACP, Mrs. Orey simultaneously devoted her time and talents to any sincere effort within her community and surroundings which would bring about a change and make a difference in the lives of others with a special concern and interest in the younger generations; and
WHEREAS, she was an inspirational presence at civic, political and NAACP functions locally as well as across the nation and never wavered until her health caused her to require long-term medical care while attending the NAACP National Convention in 2012; and
WHEREAS, though she has traversed the river of life to reunite with those great drum majors for justice who answered God's summons to life eternal and now beckon her arrival to the celestial shores of heaven's grandeur, the legacy of Mrs. Orey's memory, which if put to music, would be a majestic symphonic masterpiece composed by the Holy Trinity, will continue to refresh the hearts and fond memories of her beloved survivors; and
WHEREAS, it is the policy of this Legislature to pay homage and give tribute to such a remarkable individual and catalyst for change as Mrs. Orey, whose life's light was an impassioned beacon of inspiration to all for whom she championed the cause of civil and social equality:
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI, THE SENATE CONCURRING THEREIN, That we do hereby, in mourning the loss, commemorating the life, legacy and esteemed and distinguished service of unsung Mississippi Civil Rights heroine and icon, Mrs. Delores Christina Brown Orey, expressing sincere sympathy to her family and friends upon her passing and salute her long-term devotion and commitment with a renewed pledge to persevere in the struggle in her honor.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That copies of this resolution be furnished to the family of Mrs. Delores Christina Brown Orey, the Jackson Branch NAACP and to the members of the Capitol Press Corps.
