University of Delaware Library

Special Collections Department

Margaret Rose Henry
Speeches

1994 - 1995

Manuscript Collection Number: 336
Accessioned: Gift of Kim Rogers Burdick, November 1996
Extent: .2 linear feet
Content: Seeches, memoranda, articles, clippings, and programs
Access: The collection is open for research.
Processed: December 1996 by Anita A. Wellner

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Table of Contents

Biographical Note

 The Honorable Margaret Rose Henry, elected in 1994 as the Delaware State Senator for the 2nd Senatorial District, was born on June 20, 1944, in Rayne, Louisiana. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Texas Southern University and a Master of Arts degree from Springfield College.

In addition to serving as a Delaware State Senator, Margaret Rose Henry is an administrator at Ingleside Retirement Apartments in Wilmington, Delaware.

She has served on a number of committees in the Delaware Senate, including Bond Bill; Children, Youth & Their Families; Health & Social Services; Labor; and Public Safety. Her affiliations include serving on the boards of trustees of the Medical Center of Delaware and Wesley College (Dover), as a former chair of the Delaware State Arts Council, and as a former president of the Wilmington Chapter of Links, Inc. She has also been a member of the Governor's Commission on Families, the State Human Relations Commission, the Delaware Agency to Reduce Crime, the City of Wilmington Civil Rights Commission (chair), and the Board of Directors for Child, Inc.

In 1996 Senator Henry was in the news because of her decision to change political parties. Elected in 1994 as a Democrat running on the Republican ticket, she subsequently affiliated with the Republican Party. However, in 1996 Senator Henry returned her political allegiance to the Democratic Party.

Sources:

Note: Biographical information related to Margaret Rose Henry was derived from the articles and clippings in F19.

Scope and Content Note

The Margaret Rose Henry Speeches comprise eighteen short political addresses delivered between 1994 and 1995 by the Delaware Senator to various constituent groups, primarily in Wilmington. These speeches clearly reflect Senator Henry's attention to issues of equity, civil rights, crime prevention, social services, and education for minority populations. Henry's speeches also reveal her strong understanding of and commitment to Black history and heritage. In addition to these typescript manuscripts the collection includes a folder of memoranda, articles, clippings, and programs; all of which are related to Margaret Rose Henry or her speeches.

The articles and clippings found in F19 chronicle aspects of Senator Henry's work in the Delaware State Senate, as well as providing material for speeches, such as poems by Paul Laurence Dunbar and Langston Hughes or information on the inner city. Also found in this folder is a memorandum from Margaret Rose Henry to Kim Burdick, a legislative research assistant in Dover, thanking her for her previous assistance and mentioning speeches for the Rotary Club (F9) and the National Council of Negro Women, Inc. (F10).

The speeches provide a sampling of addresses made by Margaret Rose Henry during her tenure as a Republican in the Senate and reflect her political concerns for equal justice and benefits for all citizens.

Contents List

 Folder -- Contents 

     Series I.  Speeches delivered by Margaret Rose Henry, 1994-1995

F1   "DSEA/Human & Civil Rights Speech," 1994 May
     Two drafts with minor variations.

F2   "Faith, Hope and Charity," 1994 May

F3   "Crime Speech," 1994 May
     Labeled "draft only."

F4   "Education/Deseg," 1994 May

F5   "Women in Politics," 1994 Sep
     With bibliography.

F6   "Police," 1994 Sep

F7   "Sports Banquet," 1994 Oct 29
     Delivered at the Rose Hill Community Center.

F8   "Rotary Speech," 1994 Dec

F9   "Visions for the Future," 1994 Dec

F10  [Visions for the Future], 1994 Dec 11
     Completely different speech from the speech in F9.  Delivered at the 
     Wilmington Section, National Council of Negro Women, Inc. program, 
     "Reflections and Visions: A Tribute to Our Founder Mary McLeod Bethune," 
     in Wilmington, Delaware.  Includes draft of the program and information.

F11  "Motivational Speech for Prisoners," 1995 Feb

F12  "Speech for Black History Month," 1995 Feb

F13  "Congratulations to Black Honor Students," 1995 Mar

F14  "Women of Distinction," 1995 Apr 29

F15  "Strategies for Empowerment," 1995 May

F16  "Eastern Star Speech," 1995 May

F17  "Girls Inc. Awards Ceremony," 1995 Jun
     Response to receiving an award from Girls Inc.

F18  "Zonata Speech," 1995 Nov 14
     Including information sheets about Zonata International. 


    Series II.  Clippings,  articles, and miscellaneous material related to 
    Margaret Rose Henry, 1994-1995

F19  Photocopies, tear sheets, and clippings of articles about Margaret Rose 
     Henry and her service as a Delaware State Senator, 1994-1995
     Also includes a list of the "Christina School District Parent Advisory 
     Board," a copy of Paul Laurence Dunbar's poem "Black Samson of 
     Brandywine," copies of poems by Langston Hughes,  an article on the inner 
     city, and a memorandum from Henry to Kim Burdick regarding her speeches.
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