[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 188 (Thursday, December 8, 2011)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2213]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    HONORING RALPH STANFORD GRIFFIN

                                  _____
                                 

                           HON. GEORGE MILLER

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, December 8, 2011

  Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to 
remember and pay tribute to the tremendous contributions made to our 
community by my friend and constituent, Ralph Stanford Griffin, who 
passed away on December 1, 2011.
  Ralph Griffin, a native of San Antonio, Texas, worked and raised his 
family in the San Francisco Bay Area, retiring as an educator and 
administrator from the Oakland Unified School District. Ralph was a 
lifelong champion of equal education for all, services for the 
developmentally disabled, and support for African American families in 
our community.
  His passion and determined advocacy was in no small part the catalyst 
for establishing the Black Families Association of Contra Costa County 
(BFA) in 1973. As Founding Members, Mr. Griffin and his wife of 50 
years, Norma, together with a small group of their peers saw the need 
for African Americans in their community to have an outlet to discuss 
current events and provide support to one another. In an era where 
racism and biases still prevented equal access to housing and 
education, the BFA was a place where neighbors could come together to 
guide and help one another through these challenges. It was and remains 
an organization that promotes cultural heritage, pride, and dignity 
within the community, and provides scholarships for deserving high 
school students.
  Ralph Griffin further extended his commitment to students' access to 
higher education as a dedicated member of the Kennedy-King Memorial 
Scholarship Fund. He was instrumental in helping the Fund provide 
annual $8,000 college scholarships to students from minority groups 
often under-represented at California's four-year colleges and 
universities. It is due to Ralph's commitment that so many of our 
brightest graduating high school students have been able to continue on 
to higher education.
  To Norma, their sons Stanford and Steven, and the entire Griffin 
family, I extend my heartfelt condolences. Your loss is shared not only 
by those who knew Ralph personally, but also by all of those touched by 
his work. I ask my colleagues to join me in remembering Mr. Ralph 
Griffin, a courageous and compassionate man who shared his time and 
talent freely for the betterment of our entire community.

                          ____________________