[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 115 (Thursday, September 4, 1997)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1655]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 RECOGNIZING THE LIFE OF BETTY SHABAZZ

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                        HON. CAROLYN B. MALONEY

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, September 3, 1997

  Mrs. MALONEY of New York. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in honor of Dr. 
Betty Shabazz, a woman of great courage and dignity, who died 
tragically on June 23, 1997. We all will miss her presence.
  I attended Dr. Shabazz' funeral in New York City, remembering with 
others how much her work has affected us all. Betty Shabazz was a woman 
who faced down tragedy and rose above the sadness, emerging strong and 
powerful. When she could have been bitter and angry, she chose instead 
a path to peace and hope for the future.
  A pillar of strength for all women, she did not live her life in her 
husband's shadow. Instead, she claimed her place in both the women's 
rights and civil rights movement. Left a widow after the assassination 
of her husband, Betty Shabazz triumphed over every hurdle placed in her 
way. She used her nursing degree to support herself and her six 
daughters. She returned to school, and received her doctorate in 
education. She inspired thousands of young people, teaching them about 
the legacy of Malcolm X. At the time of her death she served as the 
director of Institutional Advancement and Public Relations at Medgar 
Evers College, of the City University of New York.
  We have come a long way, from when no political leader dared show his 
face at her husband's funeral, to where thousands of us, irrespective 
of politics, were united in grief for this wonderful woman. Dr. Betty 
Shabazz made this journey possible. I expect her work to be as 
important and as far reaching as her husband's.

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