[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 112 (Friday, July 25, 2003)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1645-E1646]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
IN HONOR OF ENOLA MAXWELL
______
HON. NANCY PELOSI
of california
in the house of representatives
Friday, July 25, 2003
Ms. PELOSI. Mr. Speaker, it is with deep personal sadness that I rise
today to pay tribute to one of San Francisco's most beloved and admired
social activists. Enola Maxwell passed away on June 24th at the age of
83. Enola lived an impassioned life, advocating for freedom and justice
on behalf of people of all races, ethnicities, and ages. In living her
life, Enola Maxwell changed countless people's lives for the better. I
extend my deepest sympathies to Enola's daughters Sophie and Barbara;
thank you for sharing your mother with us. She brightened our lives
with her strength, her courage and her grace.
Ruth Passen, longtime friend and associate of Enola, wrote a
beautiful obituary in The Potrero View, of which she is the editor. She
captures Enola's essence and our feelings for her so well that I am
privileged to share her words about ``the Heart of Potrero Hill.''
``She was the anchor for a whole neighborhood--the backbone of a
community--known as ``mom'' by many, both young and old, and called Miz
Maxwell by everybody else. Whoever assumes her role as the Executive
Director of the Potrero Hill Neighborhood House will be the beneficiary
of an extraordinary legacy but will be challenged to follow in her
footsteps.
She was born on August 30, 1919 in Baton Rouge, La. to Clemus and
Lena Dundy. After separating from Clemus, Lena moved to San Francisco
and in 1949 Enola, together with her two children, joined her. They
lived in several neighborhoods, including the Haight Ashbury, before
moving into the government-owned public housing project on Carolina
Street and 18th Street, known as the Carolina Projects, where they were
living when Enola's third child, Sophie, was born. (The Potrero Hill
Middle School was built on the site in 1971.) Potrero Hill old-timers
will remember Enola's mother as the proprietor of the Little Red Door,
a popular thrift store on 18th Street.
Enola supported her family by working a variety of jobs; she kept
house with one family for several years, and was an employee of the
U.S. Postal Service for a time.
Her activism began as a member of the Haight Ashbury Neighborhood
Council where she met Sue Bierman and others who have remained lifelong
friends. The council was successful in stopping a movement to build a
freeway through Golden Gate Park. This first exhilarating venture into
community activism changed the course of her life. She got a leave of
absence from the Post Office and joined the Civil Rights March on
Washington in 1968. After that experience she wanted to
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do more. She was ``bitten by the activism bug,'' said daughter Sophie
Maxwell.
Enola decided that she could help people from a pulpit, and enrolled
at the San Francisco Theological Seminary in San Anselmo. She made
history by being the first woman--and first black person--to be named
as lay minister at the Potrero Hill Olivet Presbyterian Church on
Missouri Street where she served from 1968 to 1971.
She wanted a church where people could feel comfortable and free. She
foresaw a gathering where people and new ministers could talk about
activism; she helped coin the name Street Ministers.
Her tenure at the Olivet provided the opportunity to put into action
her dream of the Street Ministries, and she established a coffeehouse
in the church's basement where ongoing dialogues about activism, and
music flourished. In 1972, she was hired to be the Executive Director
of the Potrero Hill Neighborhood House affectionately know as the
Nabe--the first black person hired for any position at the Nabe. The
Neighborhood House was established in the early 1920s by the
Presbyterian Church.
Her instincts and down-to-earth good sense led her to initiate
programs to help the community's youth, as well as to embellish
services that the Nabe had offered Potrero Hill residents for more than
50 years. The Potrero Hill Neighborhood House was designated as
Historical Landmark No. 86 in 1977 during Enola's tenure.
Enola was a compassionate leader in the civil rights movement, on
women's rights issues, and as a peace activist. The walls of her office
at the Neighborhood House are covered with plaques and awards honoring
her services not only to the Potrero Hill neighborhood, but also to San
Francisco residents citywide and to the many organizations in which she
played active roles.
Enola was feisty and fiery and caring. At times she was the only
black woman in organizations that were primarily white. That didn't
matter. What she offered any group with whom she worked was honesty in
making sure that justice was the manifest result of their group
efforts. She once remarked that ``fear and hate are the most dangerous
things because they take away your freedom.''
Besides serving on many civic commissions, Enola was also on the
founding committee and longtime member of the annual Martin Luther
King, Jr. holiday celebration, and several committees organized through
the Mayor's office. She received a Congressional Award from Congressman
Phillip Burton, and I appointed her to the Senior Internship Program in
Washington, D.C.
In 2001, the Potrero Hill Middle School was renamed the Enola D.
Maxwell Middle School for the Arts. Enola had always spent time working
with the schoolteachers and administrators. She was deeply honored by
the name change and referred to the school as ``my school.''
It is an honor to stand before the House today to celebrate the life
of this remarkable woman. The legacy of her service to and compassion
for the San Francisco community will endure for generations.
____________________