[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 132 (Tuesday, December 5, 2006)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2079]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[[Page E2079]]
           A POSTHUMOUS TRIBUTE TO ERNESTINE THOMAS MORRISON

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. EDOLPHUS TOWNS

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, December 5, 2006

  Mr. TOWNS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in recognition of Mrs. Ernestine 
Thomas Morrison. Mrs. Morrison was a distinguished member of the 
Brooklyn, New York community. It behooves us to pay tribute 
posthumously to this outstanding leader and I hope my colleagues will 
join me in recognizing her impressive accomplishments.
  Ernestine Thomas Morrison was born on June 8, 1935 in Birmingham, 
Alabama to Virginia Kirkland Allen Thomas and Ernest Thomas. During her 
early childhood years, she lived in Birmingham and Pittsburgh, 
Pennsylvania after the death of her father, who passed away when she 
was just 2 years-old. At age 12, her mother passed on and Ernestine 
went to live in Brooklyn, NY with her sister and brother-in-law, 
Cleopatra Allen Riley and Clifford Riley. Although her sister was just 
22 years-old, Ernestine recognized her not only as her sister, but as a 
mother. Ernestine attended P.S. 41 and graduated from the old Girls 
High School in Brooklyn. She married the late Roscoe Morrison, a Korean 
War veteran and later they had three children, Ruth, Lavinia and 
Charles.
  Mrs. Morrison more than loved her children; she doted over them, as 
they were her life. While they were in elementary school, she worked 
part-time in the schools that they attended to be certain that her 
children had the best teachers and received the best services that the 
schools had to offer. All who knew her, knew that her love for children 
went beyond her own children, as she adopted her friends' children, her 
children's friends, her clients, her clients' kids etc., and she had 
the pictures to prove it.
  She was elected president of the Parent Teachers Association at P.S. 
243 and JHS 210; and in those roles she served as a member of the local 
school board for Districts 16 and 17. Additionally, she managed a 
summer recreation program for the youth of Albany Houses, which 
included several athletic teams that competed against other teams from 
the housing developments around New York City. Mrs. Morrison coached 
the Albany Houses Girls' Volleyball Team and as a first-time coach, her 
beloved team brought home the city championship trophy.
  Mrs. Morrison was a strong voice for African-American studies in 
schools and open enrollment. She compelled the principal of her 
children's elementary school to not only order more black history 
books, but to allow the children to borrow those books that were 
already in the library. She worked with Reverend Milton A. Galamison on 
open enrollment for New York City public schools, a tumultuous issue of 
that time. Mrs. Morrison's activism in the NYC school system presented 
her with the opportunity to meet on several occasions with the late 
Governor Nelson A. Rockefeller. Open enrollment in New Yark City went 
from a concept to a reality and children all over the city were now 
able to attend schools outside of their neighborhoods. It was no 
surprise that Mrs. Morrison's activism led her to politics. She was a 
very active member of Unity Democratic Club. She worked on the 
campaigns of the then Assemblywoman Shirley Chisholm, who later became 
the first African-American woman elected to the U.S. Congress. Other 
elected officials she worked with included the late Assemblyman Thomas 
R. Fortune; District Leader Narcissus Frett; Judges Thomas R. Jones, 
James Shaw and James Hutchinson; Assemblyman Edward Griffith and 
Congressman Edolphus ``Ed'' Towns.
  She was also a member of Community Planning Board 5, which covers 
East New York, Spring Creek and Cypress Hills.
  As her children grew older, she started a career in social work with 
the New York City Human Resources Administration. After her retirement 
in 1992, she went back to live in her birth home of Birmingham, 
Alabama, the place that she loved so dearly and longed to go back to. 
After being away for 50 years, Mrs. Morrison was in for a rude 
awakening. She was a New Yorker, no longer a Southerner and she didn't 
quite fit into the Southern lifestyle. Consequently, in 1999, she 
returned home to Brooklyn.
  On Friday, August 22, 2003, God called home one of his best soldiers.
  Mr. Speaker, I believe that it is incumbent on this body to recognize 
the accomplishments of Mrs. Ernestine Thomas Morrison as she spent many 
years offering her love, talents and services for the betterment of our 
local and national communities.
  Mr. Speaker, Mrs. Ernestine Thomas Morrison's selfless service 
continuously demonstrated a level of altruistic dedication that makes 
her most worthy of our recognition today.

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