[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 32 (Tuesday, March 14, 2006)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E356]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                          HONORING MARY ROGERS

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. NANCY PELOSI

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, March 14, 2006

  Ms. PELOSI. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to one of San 
Francisco's most admired, beloved and fearless social activists, Mary 
Helen Rogers, who died March 3, 2006 at her home after a long battle 
with cancer. She lived an impassioned life fighting for affordable 
housing and social justice and to restore the vibrancy of San 
Francisco's Fillmore District. Her activism and courage often made the 
difference between the survival and the decimation of a community.
  During the month of March, Women's History Month, as we honor the 
accomplishments of our great national heroines, we also recognize women 
working to strengthen their local communities. This past year we 
grieved the loss of several remarkable women who struggled for equality 
and progress, Rosa Parks, Coretta Scott King and Betty Friedan. I call 
them the magnificent disrupters. Here in San Francisco we were proud to 
have our very own magnificent disrupter--Mary Helen Rogers.
  During her 40-year fight to protect African American families from 
being displaced by urban renewal, Ms. Rogers worked tirelessly to tear 
down the barriers that have prevented fair and equitable treatment of 
African American families, school-aged children, welfare recipients, 
minority businesses, and community churches.
  When the San Francisco Redevelopment Agency was razing entire blocks 
of the Western Addition neighborhood, a cultural and business hub of 
the African American community, she literally lay down on the street in 
front of the bulldozers. She then co-founded the Western Addition 
Community Organization which forced the city to help the residents it 
had displaced.
  Ms. Rogers founded the Western Addition Citizens Advisory Committee 
that continues to provide broad-based community input to publicly 
funded development initiatives. Her civic activities included serving 
as secretary/treasurer of the National Tenants Association, founding 
board member of Westside Mental Health Clinic, board member of Agape 
Outreach Center, chair of the San Francisco Juneteenth Committee, and 
parent volunteer at the Raphael Weill Elementary School, later known as 
Rosa Parks Elementary School.
  In addition to her numerous volunteer positions, Ms. Rogers served as 
a dedicated public servant through her tenure at the San Francisco 
Redevelopment Agency and the San Francisco Housing Authority. She has 
received numerous awards from a host of national and local elected 
officials.
  With great sadness I extend my sympathy to Mary's 9 surviving 
children: William Cary, Angela McPeters, Dennis Rogers, Patricia 
Rogers, Michael Rogers, Mark Rogers, Mario Rogers Sr., Eric Rogers Sr. 
and Paul Rogers. I want to thank them for sharing their magnificent 
mother with us; she brightened our lives with her strength, her courage 
and her grace.




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