[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 34 (Thursday, March 16, 2006)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E402]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




    IN RECOGNITION OF NOW-NYC'S 26th ANNUAL SUSAN B. ANTHONY AWARDS

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. CAROLYN B. MALONEY

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, March 16, 2006

  Mrs. MALONEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise to acknowledge the achievements of 
NOW-NYC and the recipients of the 2006 Susan B. Anthony Awards and the 
Elizabeth Cady Stanton Award. Whether it's fighting against the 
appointment of Judge Alito, demanding an increase in the availability 
of Emergency Contraception or working to end the statute of limitations 
for rape in New York State, the members of NOW-NYC have been leaders in 
standing up for women's rights.
  The Elizabeth Cady Stanton Award is presented to a woman of 
outstanding achievement who has made important contributions toward 
creating a more equal society and has served as a role model for other 
women. The Susan B. Anthony Awards honor women who have accomplished 
something remarkable. Each of this year's recipients has, in her own 
way, spoken up, spoken out, gotten involved and made a difference. They 
are our role models and heroines.
  Councilwoman Gale Brewer, recipient of this year's Elizabeth Cady 
Stanton Award, is an outstanding member of the New York City Council, 
representing Manhattan's Upper West Side. She is a strong ally, a good 
friend and a champion of women's rights and human rights. Brewer has 
been instrumental in passing numerous laws, the most recently being the 
Human Rights Bill, which protects domestic partnerships from 
discrimination and retaliation in the workplace. In 2000, the Daily 
News hailed her as ``One of 50 New Yorkers to Watch.''
  When the crime rate in their North Brooklyn neighborhood began to 
rise, Oraia Reid and Consuelo Ruybal started helping women take back 
the night by offering them a safe way home. In 2004 they founded 
RightRides, a not-for-profit organization that offers free late-night 
rides home to women in several Brooklyn neighborhoods and parts of the 
Lower East Side of Manhattan. Their creative response to improving 
women's safety so impressed Mayor Michael Bloomberg, that December 12, 
2005 was named ``RightRides For Women's Safety Day.''
  Nancy Lublin has proved that one person really can change the world. 
Recognizing that what you wear can make the difference between getting 
the job and getting shown the door, she created Dress for Success, 
which provides business attire for low income women who are seeking 
jobs. For many women, that would have been enough. But Nancy saw 
another need--the need to encourage kids to get involved in their 
communities and to recognize their achievements when they do. So she 
agreed to become CEO of Do Something, an organization founded in 1993 
by Andrew Shue (of Melrose Place) and Michael Sanchez, childhood 
friends who wanted to make community service as cool as sports. Do 
Something has distributed over 1 million dollars through its Brick 
Awards to young people who are making a difference in their 
communities. In 1998, CNN dubbed the BRICK Awards ``the Oscars for 
young people in service''.
  Former NOW-NYC President and current Chair of the Board, Jane Manning 
has taken her activism to the courts as well as to the streets. A 
graduate of Yale College and NYU Law School, Jane served as Assistant 
District Attorney for six years and currently defends women's rights as 
a human rights attorney for the non-profit organization Equality Now. A 
dedicated advocate for victims of domestic violence, sexual violence, 
and trafficking, Jane launched NOW-NYC's campaign to repeal New York's 
statute of limitations on rape cases and works closely with human 
rights groups to bring an end to the human rights epidemic of 
trafficking in women. Recently she represented a coalition of feminist 
organizations before New York State's highest court, arguing as amici 
curiae to reverse an appellate court decision that would have made the 
defense of extreme emotional disturbance almost universally available 
to men who kill their wives or girlfriends. In a unanimous decision, 
the court reversed the lower court's decision and ruled in favor of the 
feminist groups.
  Finally, I want to congratulate Kathleen Ham, a symbol of courage to 
rape victims around the country. She is one of the reasons I fought so 
hard to pass the Debbie Smith Act. In June of 1973, Kathleen Ham was 
brutally attacked and raped in her New York apartment. Although the 
suspect was immediately apprehended while fleeing the scene, the trial 
resulted in a hung jury. In 2005, DNA technology linked the man charged 
in her rape definitively not only to her rape but also to at least 23 
other rapes in Maryland and New Jersey over the past 32 years. Knowing 
that this serial rapist must be put behind bars, Ms. Ham courageously 
decided to take the stand once again, and to go public with her 
identity and story. When she came forward, nine other women also came 
forward to say that this man had raped them. Their stories are being 
used to illustrate the absurdity of New York's five year statute of 
limitations for rape.
  Mr. Speaker, I request that my colleagues join me in paying tribute 
to the 2006 Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony Award winners.

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