[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 84 (Friday, June 21, 2002)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1127]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




HONORING THE RETIREMENT OF DEZIE WOODS-JONES, PERALTA COMMUNITY COLLEGE 
DISTRICT VICE-CHANCELLOR FOR EXTERNAL AFFAIRS, FORMER CITY COUNCILWOMAN 
                 AND VICE MAYOR OF THE CITY OF OAKLAND

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. FORTNEY PETE STARK

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                         Friday, June 21, 2002

  Mr. STARK. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Dezie Woods-Jones 
for her 40 extraordinary years of educational leadership and public 
service to the City of Oakland. She will retire on July 14, 2002 from 
her position as Vice-Chancellor for External Affairs for the Peralta 
Community College District, leaving behind a legacy of excellence in 
education and community activism.
  Dezie Woods-Jones has served the community as a committed activist, 
working diligently on behalf of the underprivileged, the underserved, 
the disenfranchised, youth, and for women's rights.
  Born in Ruston, Louisiana, and raised in Fresno and Oakland, 
California, Dezie Woods-Jones began her civic involvement as a high 
school student, serving as president of the Fresno Youth Chapter of the 
National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). 
Heavily involved in the Civil Rights Movement, she also worked with the 
Congress of Racial Equality (CORE), the Black Conference Planning 
Committee (BCPC), and the Student Non-violent Coordinating Committee 
(SNCC). She earned her Bachelor of Arts degree from California State 
University, Hayward.
  In 1968, Dezie Woods-Jones accepted her first position with Peralta 
Community College District, as Director of the Community Outreach 
Center in North Oakland. Before being promoted to Vice-Chancellor for 
External Affairs, she held a number of management positions in the 
District, including Director of Governmental Affairs, where she served 
as the District's lobbyist for almost eight years. She also served as 
an instructor, and she still considers herself first and foremost an 
educator and teacher.
  In 1991, Dezie Woods-Jones was elected to the Oakland City Council, 
and she served as the city's Vice Mayor from 1996-1997. She was also 
the first woman to run for mayor of the city of Oakland. During her 
tenure on the council, she served as chair of the Council's Rules 
Committee, and as a member of the Finance and Legislation Committee and 
the Public Safety/Health and Human Services Committee.
  A dedicated advocate for women's rights, Dezie Woods-Jones was a 
founding member of the pioneering organization Black Women Organized 
for Political Action (BWOPA), and has served as the organization's 
statewide president for over 30 years.
  Dezie Woods-Jones was named one of the ``21 Leaders for the 21st 
Century'' by Women's Enews in 2002, and she received a nomination as 
one of the ``Bay Area's 10 Most Influential Leaders,'' in City Flight 
Magazine in 2001. She was also included in ``Women of Courage,'' a book 
published by Nestle, Inc. that featured stories of 35 women from across 
the country. She is a frequent guest on Bay Area radio and television 
shows, and has been invited as a guest speaker in South Korea, West 
Africa, South America, and Mexico.
  She has held membership in over 50 community, state, and national 
organizations, chaired over 20 commissions, committees and boards, 
received hundreds of awards and recognitions, and has been appointed to 
special task force projects by the governor of California and several 
Oakland mayors.
  I am honored to congratulate Dezie Woods-Jones on all of her 
remarkable accomplishments. Her tireless dedication to education and 
her community have touched the lives of countless Oakland residents.

                          ____________________