SEPTEMBER MEETING: September 13th, 2025 at the Old Exchange Building at 2:00pm.
Dues are due! Pay online at https://checkout.square.site/merchant/ML0J1EYAH7PEQ/checkout/4LAWQAI45EYBRAGRVKMG3BRW
Please read a message from our Regent:
“Dearest Daughters of Eliza Lucas Pinckney Chapter, NSDAR –
By now, most of you have heard about all the events of the past week at the 135th Continental Congress. I am mainly referencing the Business Meeting on Friday, 26 June 2026.
Yes, it was a filibuster. Yes, it lasted at a little over 12 hours. Yes, it was historic …
However, I am not writing to you to give details of that meeting or my personal beliefs. There is an old saying that you don’t talk about money, politics or religion in polite company. And I leave it at that.
What I am writing about is regardless of your beliefs regarding the definition of a woman, or anything else DAR related, is to remember we are all friends. Friendship comes in many forms and on many levels. And I wholeheartedly believe, the members of the Eliza Lucas Pinckney Chapter, NSDAR are more than acquaintances.
As Eliza Lucas Pinckney (ELP) Chapter, NSDAR of South Carolina, we are a collection of intelligent, gifted, spirited, creative women that regardless of our differences, we have always supported each other. It is ok to have differences in options and beliefs. We would be pretty boring if we were all alike. Even in the military – where we did all dress the same, we were individuals and treated each other with respect.
We ARE the Eliza Lucas Pinckney (ELP) Chapter, NSDAR of South Carolina. ELP is strong because we respect each other. We don’t have the bickering and pettiness I have heard some other chapters experience. We are a collection of women from all backgrounds and beliefs that come together to serve and honor our patriotic ancestors from which we directly descend. We are NOT a political organization.
As ELP, we support education, patriotism, and historic preservation, which are the 3 primary objective of the DAR. We serve our community through our volunteer efforts. We give generously of our time and money. Remember over the past year some of what we have done together:
- We created and continue to care for the gardens at the Old Exchange Building.
- Our America 250! Commemorative Event at Old St Andew’s Parish Church.
- We have donated dresses for “Deploy the Dress”
- Volunteer monthly at “Soldiers Angels & man the Hospitality Cart at the VA clinic”
- “The Pinckney Project” raising funds for the preservation of the George Washington Visit sash and Eliza’s shoes
- We laid wreaths at Christmas remembering veterans via “Wreaths’ Across America” at Old St Andrew’s Parish Church for the second year in a row
- We participate in the yearly “Naturalization Ceremony” were we welcome folks as American citizens
- We proudly celebrated our 20th year Anniversary as the Eliza Lucas Pinckney Chapter, NSDAR of South Carolina.
Have we done more – yes!! And we are continuing to do more as I type. ELP has so many good ideas and are so generous with their time… I fear sometimes we just "do" and forget to take credit.
This is NOT the time to resign from the DAR – but again, that is your right. We all have to be true to ourselves and our own beliefs, not follow a crowd’s beliefs. Remember the motto of the Daughters of the American Revolution is “God, Home, and Country”.
Please do not hesitate to call or email me if you have any questions. Remember – ELP is Strong as we stand together in our continuing friendship through God, Home and Country.
With warmest regards,
Deedie Harrington”
SC Daughters, many of you asked for our state regent's remarks from Saturday morning. The district directors have it and should be sharing but Mrs. Caskey has given me permission to share.
Debi Bacon, State Recording Secretary
“DARlings:
This is the basic outline below of my address during the business session during Fall Forum 2026. I did add more comments during the speech, however, I was so moved to share my hopes for our State to be unified in spirit once again, and to move beyond the divisive nature of opinion on one issue. I want us to move beyond opinion and remember who we are. We are one SC DAR and people need us. No other group stands in the gap as we do for our SC National Guard. This is not the speech verbatim, but it’s the closest I can come to it. Sometimes, you just have to be there. I look forward to seeing you all in Greenville, in March 2027.
Alice
My Dearest Darlings,
I address you as such, because that is how I think of each one of you. Regardless of chapter, regardless of age, regardless of office, patriot, length of membership, and even opinion, I think of each of you as a beloved South Carolina Daughter. Many of us even have common ancestors. Some of you have ambition for office, others for friendship, others for a place to belong and serve others. Regardless of why you are here, and why you think you are here, we all have this appointment in our destiny to be together here. In South Carolina.
This issue is not how I envisioned my administration, by George. I love America, my state, and the hope we have given to countless citizens, that there is a society which honors the sacrifice of those colonial patriots who shaped the formation of a free nation.
I consider us somewhat of an island. We are cossetted by our culture and pride of place. We have a history like no other state. Not even our sister state to the North. And that brings me to our dilemma. How do we deal with our differences of opinion? And how do we make a stand for our beliefs without destroying the very thing that ties us together in our SC DAR? If any of our beliefs are based on our faiths, then we have to integrate all of our behavior based on our faith tradition as well. We can’t pick and choose to believe one way and our conduct be opposed to it. Am I kind? Am I patient? Do I push my ideology on to others? Do I criticize other members who think differently or who refuse to choose a side? The entire foundation of our Society is based on the premise of Service. Examine yourself, is the service you give, diminished due to chapter discussions on other topics? Is service your focus or is it the discussion of ideas? Of course, ladies like to talk, but the tongue can be a tool , a salve, or a dangerous weapon. Are the discussions relevant to your chapter? Do they serve the mission of service for education, patriotism, and historic preservation? Are we promoting unity within our State Society, or division based on one opinion on one subject? The one thing we have always had in common is our mission to serve, our military, our veterans, our schools, Children in C.A.R., honoring our patriots, and if we fall off the rails it will be due to our failure of focus on what we can accomplish. We now have 64 chapters, and I as your State Regent have no intention of appealing to change anyone’s minds on their personal opinions, however, I must remind everyone of you why you remain as members. Not for an opinion, not for a vote, but for Service. We are not a church-although many have a strong faith tradition. We are not a family-although many of us are related. And we were not founded as an outlet for drama. SC DAR cannot solve all cultural ills. All 64 chapters of us are SC DAR. And it’s time we circle the wagons. Designating our chapters as either A or B divides us. It divides members within the chapters. Honest Abe said it best, “ A house divided cannot stand.” Have your opinions, take your votes, but at the end of the day, remember if you are only involved with the politics and promoting discussion and not promoting service projects, you have missed the entire mission of our society. (We are all friends, or should be. If your chapter insists on a vote for a particular label, keep this in mind. My chapter did this several years ago and it tore our membership apart.) There is absolutely no punishment from your State Regent, regardless, wherever the chips may fall. Some states such as ---------have become a war zone, and I am putting my foot down, that we as Carolina Daughters remain united in our mission. If you must vote, make it a ballot vote. Allow your members to truly express their opinion,their vote, without feeling intimidated. (There is no acceptable place for name calling or assuming anyones’ motives. It is not up to anyone to judge. At this point there are enough chapters across the country to request a special meeting. It is a moot point and only the President General’s decision to address this. And at the end of the day, your chapter has the option to vote on accepting members within your own chapter. The sample bylaws expressly allows for this. Can you attend Fall Forum and State Conference, enjoy yourself, make friends and be inspired by the profound work done by other members? Regardless of the side you take in this issue, I as your state regent, will be proud of the work you do for others. I want SC DAR to be our island of refuge, where we all can kindly work together for good.
Some assume that they know what my personal thoughts are based on a letter I sent to a member in reply to her question, but I have to say that assumptions can be dangerous. (My views are between me and God.) As your State Regent, I strive to be impartial on items of vote, as I serve as your Chair. I am Switzerland. However, as your leader, I strive to shepherd all our SC Daughters like a unified flock. We all need to go in the same direction. It doesn’t mean we have to have the same opinions on societal issues. We know that as a DAR society we are apolitical and that has served us well since our founding. DAR has had it struggles with cultural issues in the past and will continue to do so as long as culture changes. And it will. When women were allowed to wear their pins on a pantsuit, it caused all sorts of ruckus, and resignations. How unladylike and disrespectful…. Mrs. Roosevelt resigned when Marian Anderson was not allowed to sing at Constitution Hall. And then there was the Lena Ferguson issue. I remember when tattoos were taboo and now 32% of American adults have one and 46% of those age 30-49 have a tattoo.
Darlings, recall the Golden Rule. “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.”, now, after recalling it, may we all put it into practice.
(Concerning Continental Congress) There was a vote on a resolution to define what a woman is. To set the record straight, there was not a vote to admit transgender men. That was not the motion. It was not a by-law, but a resolution, and even if it had passed it would not have been binding. (I discovered this after consulting with our Bylaws chair.) Some members have taken the idea that this vote was a referendum on transgender men and consider it a stamp of approval. It was not. It was a vote on a resolution to define a woman. DAR uses government issued documents just as it has since 1890 to establish lineage. (DAR uses government issued documents and I suspect most all other lineage societies do as well.) If your argument is with the state which issues the documents, then as a free citizen, but not as a DAR member, it is within your rights to oppose that state’s methodology in creating and amending documents. I have every expectation that all ya’ll SC Daughters will continue to conduct yourselves with dignity. I refuse to get into specious discussions about this issue. Do not badger your regents. They have a job and that job is huge and should be service driven. And service should be motivating each of us. Our focus should be on our patriotic past, our America 250! , our Constitution and telling our history, because Darlings, if we don’t tell our history, who will? Who are you leaving it up to? Will America remain the land of the free if we don’t tell our story of how we got here? Our Founders, our patriots? America isn’t perfect, but we should aim for it. I have every hope and expectation that each of us will remember who we are and what we represent and not be distracted and divided. (After hearing our speakers, members of the National Guard need us. The ones who are on the banks need us. Your communities need you and your chapter.)
Look over the Awards page in your main program and see the awards and the chapters who garnered them. How did your chapter compare? We all could do better, and I pray that with God’s help we in SC will be a beacon and an example to other states of how to engage in kindness and service. May each of you be a light that illuminates our SC legacy and shed your light on American ideals. I may not be a perfect leader or the perfect State Regent, but I am your leader for 309 more days. All our days are numbered. I serve you as your State Regent. But I am just a volunteer, the same as you. And with all candor and sincerity, I request that you remember who you are and who you want to be as well. May our attitudes and behavior be expressed through love. Thank you for your attention. (And may God bless each of you as you kindly serve others in love.)”
A message from the President General
“Dear Daughters,
The 135th Continental Congress brought DAR members from around the world together for a week of ceremony, business, fellowship, recognition, and service to our shared mission. There is much to report from Continental Congress, and additional updates, photographs, and highlights from the week will be shared with members in the days ahead.
Among the matters before the voting members was a chapter-proposed resolution concerning membership eligibility, which received attention both within and beyond our National Society. On Friday, June 26, 2026, after hours of earnest debate and the careful counting of every hard-copy ballot, the resolution was not adopted. The question was a significant one, and members on both sides approached it with conviction and a sincere commitment to the DAR.
Throughout the proceedings, the vast majority of those present conducted themselves with the seriousness, patience, and respect that have long characterized this National Society. While emotions surrounding this issue have at times been deeply felt, every member deserves to be treated with dignity and courtesy. That dignity does not depend on how any of us voted, nor is it ours to withhold. To any member who has felt discouraged or unwelcome: you are, and remain, a valued Daughter.
The question was put to the assembly, and the assembly answered. The decision of the voting members reflects the considered judgment of the membership assembled at the Continental Congress, and it deserves our respect. It does not divide us into those who prevailed and those who did not. We remain one National Society, united not by agreement on every issue but by a shared mission – to promote historic preservation, education, and patriotism, and to honor the women and men whose sacrifices secured American independence. That mission is larger than any single vote, and it asks something of us now: to extend to one another the same respect we extend to the memory of those who came before us.
As our nation commemorates the 250th anniversary of American independence, we are reminded that enduring institutions are sustained by a commitment to principle, thoughtful deliberation, and respect for one another, even in moments of disagreement. Having fulfilled our responsibility as a deliberative body, we now turn together to the work that has always defined the DAR.
We move forward as one National Society, united in purpose and committed to the mission that has guided us for 135 years. Thank you for your continued service, your devotion to the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution, and your commitment to one another.
Ginnie Sebastian Storage
President General”