Dolores Delahanty facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Dolores Sheslo Delahanty
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advocate for women's and children's rights
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| Born | October 23, 1929 Illinois
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| Occupation | social worker, women's rights activist, educator, local government administrator |
| Spouse(s) | Robert Delahanty |
| Children | Sean, Kevin, Tim, Shannon, Terence |
| Parent(s) | Katherine Zielinska and William A. Sheslo |
Dolores Delahanty, born on October 23, 1929, is an important social activist and political leader from Louisville, Kentucky. She helped start the National Women's Political Caucus during the early Civil Rights Movement. She also played a key role in making Kentucky's Fair Credit Law a success. Dolores Delahanty has spent her life working to make things better for people, especially women and children in Kentucky.
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Early Life and Education
Dolores Delahanty was born in 1929 in Rockford, Illinois. Her parents were Katherine Zielinska and William A. Sheslo. In June 1950, she married Robert Delahanty. They had five children: Sean, Kevin, Tim, Shannon, and Terence.
Dolores graduated from the Kent School of Social Work at the University of Louisville in 1964.
Working for Social Change
Dolores Delahanty was very involved with groups that helped women and children. From 1955 to 1965, she worked at the Jefferson County Juvenile Courts. There, she helped young people as a case consultant and probation officer.
After that, she directed the Parkland Group Treatment Center from 1965 to 1967. From 1967 to 1973, Dolores led the Office of Research and Planning at the Metropolitan Social Services Department in Louisville.
Teaching and Advocacy
Dolores Delahanty also shared her passion for social work by teaching. She was a lecturer at Bellarmine-Ursuline College from 1966 to 1967. She taught students about social problems and how social workers help people. Later, she became a professor at the University of Louisville.
She cared a lot about education. She served on several school boards, including the Jefferson County Board of Education's Family Life and Sex Education Advisory Board.
Delahanty became president of the Kentucky chapter of the National Association of Social Workers. Later, she became the vice president of the national organization. She also led the National Association of Social Workers Insurance Trust.
She served on the Kentucky Advisory Committee for the United States Commission on Civil Rights. This group studied if police forces in Kentucky treated everyone fairly. In 1978, they reported that neither race nor gender were properly represented in the Kentucky Police Force.
Championing Women's Rights
One of Dolores Delahanty's biggest achievements was her work with the National Women's Political Caucus. She strongly believed in women's rights. She hoped that by encouraging more women to get involved in politics, their lives would improve.
Delahanty was there at the very first meeting of the National Women's Political Caucus in July 1971. In September 1971, she helped start the Kentucky Women's Political Caucus (KWPC). She represented the KWPC on the national steering committee. She also represented the entire Mid-South Region.
Dolores was a founding member of the Metropolitan Louisville Women's Political Caucus. She led this group from 1972 to 1973. In 1972, she challenged the rules for the Kentucky Democratic delegation at the national convention. Because of her efforts, future Democratic National Conventions had to make sure that 50 percent of their delegates were women.
Delahanty was deeply involved with this organization at the national, state, and local levels.
Public Service and Leadership
From 1973 to 1976, Dolores Delahanty served as secretary of the Kentucky Governor's Commission on Women. This commission works to improve the health, equality, and education of women. It also highlights issues that need change.
As the leader of the Legislative Task Force, Delahanty helped combine efforts across the state. These groups were fighting for women's rights and trying to change unfair laws in Kentucky. For example, some laws were sexist, like one that said the Clerk to the Board of Agriculture had to be male. The Commission on Women worked to make laws fair for everyone. They also worked to change laws where only wives could collect death benefits from their spouses, but husbands could only collect if they couldn't work. Dolores fought for equality for all people in Kentucky.
Helping Families and Communities
Delahanty was very important in passing Kentucky's Fair Credit Law. This law made sure that women could get credit fairly, just like men. President Jimmy Carter also appointed her to study how the Health and Human Services department helped women.
In 1982, while working for the Jefferson County Department for Human Services, Delahanty helped create Project Warm. This group provides free services to help low-income people make their homes warmer. They also teach people how to save heat in the winter.
In 1984, after several homeless people died in Louisville, Mayor Harvey I. Sloane asked Dolores to help. She joined a group to find solutions for homelessness. This led to the creation of the St. John Day Center, which was Louisville's first day shelter for homeless people. Dolores Delahanty served as president of the Metropolitan Housing Coalition and the Coalition for the Homeless. She continues to work on these important human rights issues today.
As the Executive Director of the Jefferson County Department for Human Services in the late 1980s, she managed a large budget and many employees. She oversaw programs for young people, families in need, the elderly, and people with disabilities. She also helped create the Crimes against Children Unit. This was a joint effort between the Louisville and Jefferson County Police departments.
Her wide experience led her to become a consultant for non-profit organizations in the 1990s. She also served as a Senior Advisor to the Kentucky Cabinet for Families and Children.
Local Government and Housing
In 2000, Dolores Delahanty was elected as a County Commissioner in Jefferson County, Kentucky. She served a four-year term. As commissioner, she pushed the city to be more careful about making sure rental properties met safety standards.
In 2001, a group called the Louisville Tenant Association told Delahanty about the terrible conditions at the Lake in the Woods apartment complex. Even though the owner had many violations, the health department hadn't followed up. Delahanty worked with the media to show how the county was failing to enforce property maintenance codes. She led the effort to update these codes, looking at successful models from other places.
In 2009, Delahanty served on a group that looked at where homeless shelters should be located. This group included people from non-profit organizations, businesses, and government agencies. They created rules for where homeless shelters could be built and updated the Louisville Metro Land Development Code.
Today, Dolores Delahanty serves on the volunteer Board of Directors for the Community Foundation of Louisville. This group helps non-profit organizations in and around Louisville.
Awards and Honors
Dolores Delahanty has received many awards for her work in Kentucky and for women:
- The Distinguished Citizen Award for the City of Louisville in 1974.
- The Mary Rhodes Award in 1982 from the Loretto Community.
- Alumni Fellow of the University of Louisville.
- A Woman of Distinction awarded by the Center for Women and Families.
- The Examplar Award from the National Network of Social Work Managers.
- The Woman of Achievement Award from the River City Business and Professional Women.
- The Woman of the Year award from the Metropolitan Women's Political Caucus.
- Inducted into the Kentucky Civil Rights Hall of Fame in 2012.
In 2002, Delahanty was honored as a Kentucky Women Remembered Honoree by the Kentucky Commission on Women. Her portrait is displayed at the Kentucky state capital's West Wing in Frankfort, Kentucky.
See also
In Spanish: Dolores Delahanty para niños
