The Oracle Cover Story
THE UNVEILING honoring founder dr. oscar james cooper
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By. Bro. Darryl Blackwell, Philadelphia, PA
n Saturday, October 2, 2021, the Brothers of the “Mighty” Mu Omega Chapter hosted the event of the year! All eyes were on the City of Brotherly Love, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where brothers from all over the world witnessed the unveiling of both a historical marker and a street sign to recognize the vast accomplishments of our esteemed Founder Dr. Oscar James Cooper. The ceremony began at 11:17am directly in front of 1621 West Jefferson Street in North Philadelphia, the former residence and medical office of Founder Cooper. The sun was out and the weather could not have been more perfect as Bro. Mark Edwards, Basileus of Mu Omega Chapter, served as the event’s Master of Ceremony. Pennsylvania State Senator Sharif Street gave a welcome to the sea of Brothers and friends of Omega, and also presented a citation to mark this auspicious occasion. Senator Street’s District Office is currently located inside Founder Cooper’s former residence to which the Senator stated, “it is an honor to come to work to serve people, and that I have a chance to sit in the office that Dr. Cooper occupied for so many years and continue his great legacy of service to the community.” After the invocation that was given by Bro. Art Brown, Nancy Moses came forward to give remarks on behalf of the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission (PHMC). Ms. Moses serves as the Chairwoman of PHMC and was directly involved with the approval of the historical marker. Ms. Moses shared that Founder Cooper joins only twenty-six other individuals in the state that have been honored with a historical marker. Philadelphia City Councilmember Katherine Gilmore-Richardson also addressed the crowd on behalf of Mayor James Kenney and City Council President Darrell Clarke. Councilmember Gilmore-Richardson, who happens to be a member of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc., was a chief proponent of Resolution #200121 which approved the renaming of the 1600 to 1700 block of West Jefferson Street to “Dr. Oscar J. Cooper Way.” A City Council Citation was also presented by Gilmore-Richardson to recognize the importance of the day and
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