[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 77 (Monday, June 19, 2000)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1041]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         IN HONOR OF NAOMI GRAY

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. NANCY PELOSI

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                         Monday, June 19, 2000

  Ms. PELOSI. Mr. Speaker, I rise to acknowledge Naomi Gray's 
contributions to the Citizens' Advisory Commission to the Golden Gate 
National Recreation Area and Point Reyes National Seashore as she steps 
down after nearly six years of service. Ms. Gray has been a consistent 
leader in the fight to make our National Parks a treasure for all of 
our citizens. Throughout her entire illustrious career, she has sought 
to make our world more just, and it is my honor to commend this 
dedicated San Franciscan.
  Naomi Gray served as one of the original members of the Board of 
Directors of the Fort Mason Foundation, which oversees one of the first 
urban National Parks in the country. On the Board, Naomi consistently 
worked to ensure that the Center offered programs and services of 
interest to persons from a wide variety of cultural backgrounds.
  Because of her outstanding service at the Forest Mason Foundation and 
her years of dedicated community activism, Secretary of the Interior 
Bruce Babbitt selected Naomi in 1994 to sit on the Citizens' Advisory 
Commission to the Golden Gate National Recreation Area and Point Reyes 
National Seashore. On this commission, she served as chair of the 
Diversity Committee and as a member of the Presidio Committee. She 
brought to the Commission a concern for how our National Parks are 
perceived and how they can be made more welcoming to minority 
communities. Her work helped to open the Golden Gate National 
Recreation Area to all of our citizens.
  Naomi's work on the Citizens' Advisory Commission is just one of her 
many activities in public service. She has worked much of her life to 
advance the cause of public health. After serving as the Director of 
Field Services for the Planned Parenthood Federation of America, she 
became the first women Vice-President of the organization. With Planned 
Parenthood, she coordinated the work of more than 250 family planning 
affiliates in the United States and consulted with many international 
family planning programs.
  In 1985, San Francisco established its first Health Commission, and 
Naomi was selected as a founding member. Naomi became a Vice-President 
of the Commission, chaired its Budget Committee, and worked to 
strengthen and improve the Department of Public Health's Affirmative 
Action programs. Her service was so exemplary that, upon her retirement 
from the Commission, Mayor Frank Jordan was moved to declare October 8, 
1992, as ``Naomi Gray Day'' in San Francisco.
  Ms. Gray has also dedicated her significant talent and energy to 
working on issues of importance to the African-American community. In 
1991 she helped establish the Sojourner Truth Foster Family Service 
Agency to care for African-American foster children and later founded 
the Urban Institute for African-American Affairs. She is the founder of 
the Black Coalition on AIDS, a member of the Black Chamber of Commerce, 
a member and past President of the San Francisco Black Leadership 
Forum, and has served on San Francisco's African-American Child Task 
Force.
  Mr. Speaker, Naomi Gray's thoughtful contributions to the Citizens' 
Advisory Commission will be sorely missed. Undoubtedly, however, she 
will continue her work on behalf of the people of San Francisco in a 
new forum and with renewed energy. She is a tireless fighter, and our 
City is fortunate to have her. I wish her all of the best.

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