[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 44 (Thursday, April 18, 2002)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E569]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




HONORING MS. MAIOLA COLEMAN AS AN AGENT OF CHANGE IN TUCSON'S AND PIMA 
                  COUNTY'S AFRICAN AMERICAN COMMUNITY.

                                 ______
                                 

                             HON. ED PASTOR

                               of arizona

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, April 18, 2002

  Mr. PASTOR. Mister Speaker, I rise today to mark the celebration of 
Maiola Coleman's life by her family, friends and her community on April 
19, 2002, at Grace Temple in Tucson, Arizona. They have gathered to 
honor Maiola's 50 years as an agent of change in Tucson's and Pima 
County's African American Community with choirs, commemorative awards, 
and remembrances by those who have been touched by her generous spirit. 
The community members have chosen this public acclamation to 
acknowledge Maiola's many achievements on their behalf.
  Maiola Coleman is and has been a passionate and committed advocate of 
civil rights all of her life. Her mother, Tommie Thomas, was her 
mentor, teacher, and role model for community, grass roots activism on 
behalf of equal rights and equal opportunities. Maiola learned her 
lessons well and has honored her mother's teachings by living them and 
passing them on.
  Her childhood experiences helped focus her energies in working with 
youth and young adults, especially minority youth. Her work as a job 
developer, trainer, and employment counselor has enabled thousands of 
minority youth to pursue their dreams of upward mobility through 
education and good entry level jobs. She has created model programs 
with the Tucson Urban League and with the University of Arizona that 
have served as national models for successful minority educational 
retention programs and community collaborations for at-risk youth.
  In addition to her work with youth, Maiola is the ``go-to'' person 
for solutions to problems in the African American community. Maiola 
works diligently with elected officials, agency directors, private 
employers, community leaders, and the clergy to bring resources from 
every sector to bear on finding solutions to problems, whether the 
problem affects one person or the whole community. Maiola is able to 
engage multiple resources because she is a ``bridge builder'' who is 
constantly linking people and organizations to maximize their 
effectiveness. She has a wide range of personal contacts and friends 
who respect her work ``from the heart'' and who trust her community 
spirit to work for the greatest good for all. Her latest collaboration 
has been the Desert Waste Not Warehouse which is recycling computers 
into the households of the minority and low-income neighborhoods of 
Tucson and Pima County. This program is making a tremendous difference 
locally in the ``digital divide''. It, too, may serve as a national 
model.
  I applaud Maiola Coleman for all she has done for our community in 
Arizona District 2 to make civil rights a reality and to improve the 
living conditions of those in need. She has been given many awards and 
certificates of achievement. They are well deserved. We are proud of 
her spirit and her service. I thank Maiola for all that she has done to 
make our country better and stronger. I also thank her 3 children, 
Marcus, Stellvonne, Kimiro, and her 2 grandchildren, Kivone and Enai 
for encouraging and sustaining her as she shares her great gifts with 
the rest of us. Finally, I thank Maiola for being my friend and for 
sharing with me the vision of a just world.

                          ____________________