[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 165 (Tuesday, November 1, 2011)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1971-E1972]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




           IN RECOGNITION OF THE HONORABLE C. VIRGINIA FIELDS

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. CAROLYN B. MALONEY

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, November 1, 2011

  Mrs. MALONEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise to pay tribute to the Honorable C. 
Virginia Fields, an outstanding public servant who served as Manhattan 
Borough President, a Member of the New York City Council, and Chair of 
Manhattan's Community Board 10 in Harlem. In recognition of her many 
contributions to the civic life of our nation's greatest city, and 
specifically toward preserving and improving the quality of healthcare 
provided at Harlem Hospital, she is being honored this month by its 
Auxiliary on the occasion of the Hospital's centennial celebration 
occurring this month at the Alhambra Ballroom in upper Manhattan.
  After her election in 1997 as Borough President of Manhattan, C. 
Virginia Fields became the chief executive officer of New York County, 
whose population then numbered more than a million and a half residents 
and grew significantly during her eight-year tenure. She became the 
highest ranking African-American elected official in New York City 
municipal government and just the third woman to assume the Manhattan 
Borough presidency, following in the footsteps of two great and 
distinguished women leaders, Constance Baker Motley and Ruth Messinger.
  As Borough President, Virginia Fields focused on housing and 
education issues while helping to meet her constituents' needs on a 
broad range of concerns. She established a Manhattan Parents 
Convention; offered an eloquent and forceful voice for improving 
hospital care for Manhattan residents, particularly those living in 
underserved communities; and helped create a more favorable environment 
for small business owners and workers. As Borough President, C. 
Virginia Fields also literally helped pave the way for the second 
Harlem Renaissance, providing new opportunities for residents, 
businesses, and tourists alike and spearheading the restoration of 
Frederick Douglass Boulevard, which she dubbed ``the backbone of 
Harlem.'' Throughout her tenure as Borough President, in the City 
Council, and on the Community Board,

[[Page E1972]]

she championed public libraries and schools, job training programs, 
quality health care, services for senior citizens, the environment, 
public parks, cultural institutions, and economic development, securing 
tens of millions of dollars in funding in all of these critical spheres 
of urban life.
  Born in Birmingham, Alabama in 1946, C. Virginia Fields was the 
youngest of five children. Her mother was a seamstress who worked hard 
to support the family, particularly after her father, a steelworker, 
died when Virginia was just 12 years old. She developed her devotion to 
the pursuit of social justice in no small part thanks to the 
inspirational example of her mother, who was active in the local 
Baptist church where the late Reverend Fred L. Shuttlesworth, an 
associate of Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. during the civil rights 
struggles of the 1950s and 1960s, served as pastor.
  C. Virginia Fields earned her Bachelor of Arts degree at Knoxville 
College and a Masters of Social Work degree at Indiana University 
before beginning her professional career as a social worker. Today, she 
remains universally admired by the people of the Borough of Manhattan, 
a remarkable feat in one of the most diverse and high-pressured 
political environments anywhere in America. She has been a leader of 
uncommon grace, energy, and devotion to those she serves.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask that my distinguished colleagues join me 
recognizing the enormous contributions to our civic and political life 
made by C. Virginia Fields, who has worked tirelessly and diligently 
throughout her career on behalf of the people of New York City and our 
nation.

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