03/25/2025
Congratulations, Corletia! Women in Longview thanks you for all you do!
People of Our Community Who Make a Difference - Corletia Dunlap Banks
Founded in 1984, Women in Longview Day is a long-running tradition for the city and serves a tremendous role in inspiring young ladies to reach for the stars in their life pursuits.
Women in Longview, Inc. plans to host the annual Women in Longview Day (WILD) seminar and luncheon on Thursday, March 27, at the Holiday Inn Infinity Event Center. The theme for the event will be “Living Your Happily Ever After” and will include opportunities for shopping, door prizes, educational seminars, good food, and scholarship presentations.
Corletia Dunlap Banks serves as the website and publicity outreach coordinator for Women in Longview. She is excited about the event because it brings women together in unity to support their community.
“This organization benefits the community by providing encouragement, education, and empowerment to women,” Mrs. Banks said. “Although we may differ politically, economically, and socially, this event allows us to ignore those differences and come together with our common concerns and reminds us that whatever our interests, we are more likely to achieve our goals by uniting our efforts.”
In addition to her work with Women in Longview, Mrs. Banks is a member of the Longview Museum of Fine Arts Guild. She believes volunteering gives her a feeling of purpose as she gives back to her community.
“My philosophy of volunteerism is that it gives me a feeling of purpose and servitude to be able to give back in the community and my hometown,” she said. “It also allows me to meet some very awesome people.”
A Longview native, Mrs. Banks is a graduate of Longview High School. She is also a graduate of the Bish Mathis Business Institute. Mrs. Banks served as an administrative assistant for Longview Independent School District for 20 years. She is now a self-published poetess and author of a children’s book, which is in line with one of her greatest passions, to improve literacy for children.
“My belief and personal proof is that teaching a child to read starts from the mother’s womb before the child is born, which to me is actually ‘preliteracy,’” she said. “When expectant parents, especially mothers, and even siblings, read to the baby in the mother’s womb, it has a positive impact on early language development and literacy.”
Mrs. Banks and her husband, Bruce, have been married for 29 years and are the parents of two adult children and two grandchildren. The Banks family enjoys living in East Texas because of the rustic, scenic areas and the old places and buildings.
“I love wondering what the history is behind it, and if I can research it, I will,” Mrs. Banks said. “Being a volunteer, I love seeing people, friends, and relatives I may not have seen in many years, but also meeting new people and becoming friends.”
For more information about Women in Longview Day, please visit www.womeninlongview.org.
