[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 155 (Friday, November 7, 1997)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2213]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       TRIBUTE TO MIRIAM JACKSON

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. NITA M. LOWEY

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, November 6, 1997

  Mrs. LOWEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the memory of Miriam 
Jackson, an extraordinary woman who devoted her life to community 
service and social justice.
  Miriam possessed an unusual combination of qualities. She was, first, 
a vigorous and forceful advocate, quick to stand up for principle, to 
express a point of view, and to fight for a cause.
  It was this steely resolve in the face of challenge and adversity 
which allowed her to run for county-wide office despite overwhelming 
odds, to delve into campaigns, and to confront the most daunting 
community problems with an unflinching determination to succeed.
  And it was undoubtedly this same resolve which enabled Miriam to 
become one of only two women ever to chair a major political party in 
Westchester County.
  Miriam was also a profoundly tender woman. She forged deep and 
meaningful relationships with countless individuals, whom she treated 
almost as adopted children. With time, this circle of friends and 
admirers grew to cross every imaginable boundary. A proud and observant 
Jew, Miriam counted as her closest friend a Roman Catholic nun, Sister 
Miriam Therese Peppin. And Miriam delighted always in pulling young 
people under her wing, while preserving deacdes-old relationships with 
their elders.
  There was no admission requirement to this privileged court, save for 
a warm heart, a ready laugh, and an engaging personality. And from her 
friends, Miriam would withhold nothing: neither love, nor support, nor 
effort--nor a bit of pointed, well-phrased, and somewhat more than 
friendly advice.
  There was a great tenderness also at the heart of her politics. This 
was a woman who identified at the most basic level with the least 
fortunate among us--who struggled to uplift the downtrodden, to achieve 
fairness for the victims of prejudice, to bring peace in times of 
strife, and, in her later years, to secure dignity for the elderly.
  Miriam stood instinctively at the side of the underdog and recognized 
always that our character as individuals and as a community was 
measured by our compassion.
  Miriam's legacy includes a host of Westchester leaders, ranging from 
city council members to party officials to Members of Congress. It 
includes a stronger network of community services, especially Meals-on-
Wheels of New Rochelle, which Miriam co-founded with her very close 
friend, Sister Miriam, and the Hugh Doyle Senior Center to which Miriam 
Jackson was totally devoted. It includes the city of New Rochelle 
itself, blessed by her presence since she moved there in 1931. And it 
includes two remarkable granddaughters whose lives honor Miriam's 
values and spirit.
  Mr. Speaker, Miriam Jackson knew great tragedy in her life. More than 
30 years ago, she lost her only child and, in 1992, she mourned the 
death of her beloved husband, Murray. But Miriam refused to surrender 
to grief.
  Her heart was large enough to accept and draw meaning from even the 
most painful experience and generous enough to share that meaning with 
others. In the end, she was a source of unbridled joy and inspiration 
to those who knew her or knew of her.
  We are poorer now for Miriam Jackson's passing, but forever richer 
for her life.

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