[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 63 (Tuesday, May 7, 2013)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E607]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        HONORING MAUDELLE SHIREK

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. BARBARA LEE

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                          Tuesday, May 7, 2013

  Ms. LEE of California. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the 
extraordinary life of the Honorable Maudelle Shirek, former City of 
Berkeley vice mayor and eight-term council member. Known throughout our 
community as the ``godmother of East Bay progressive politics,'' and 
the ``conscience of the Council,'' Ms. Shirek has left an indelible 
mark. With her passing on April 11, 2013, we look to the outstanding 
quality of her life's work and the inspiring role she played in shaping 
social change here in the East Bay and throughout the world.
  Born on June 18, 1911 Maudelle Miller was raised on a farm in 
Jefferson, Arkansas. The granddaughter of slaves, she was fundamentally 
passionate about challenging injustice and championing civil rights. 
After moving to Berkeley in the 1940s, she became active in fighting 
for the anti-war movement, the integration of the military, and fair 
housing. She married political activist Brownlee Shirek in the mid-
1960s.
  Renowned for her powerful voice and contagious energy, Ms. Shirek 
broke racial barriers and flexed her leadership at the Berkeley 
Consumers Co-op Credit Union to secure loans for low-income borrowers 
and people of color. She fought on behalf of unions, helped organize 
the Free Mandela Movement, and advocated for HIV/AIDS awareness. She 
was also the first elected official in the United States to advocate 
for needle-exchange programs, and was not afraid to chain herself to a 
building or be hand-cuffed in the name of activism.
  During her long tenure as a council member, Berkeley became the first 
city to divest in companies doing business with South Africa during 
Apartheid and the first city to provide domestic benefits to same sex 
partners. She was instrumental in creating multiple city commissions, 
including the Berkeley Commission on Labor. When she retired at 92, 
Councilmember Shirek was the oldest elected official in California at 
the time and, in 2007, the Berkeley City Council renamed City Hall in 
her honor.
  Above all, Maudelle Shirek was a consummate advocate for the poor, 
often visiting families in crisis or offering food and household 
assistance to ailing seniors. Additionally, her advocacy on behalf of 
youth music programs helped raise crucial public funding to support 
arts programs for children and older adults.
  On a personal note, Maudelle was a friend, mentor, and confidante. I 
met her in the early 1970s while I was a student at Mills College. She 
widened my perspective on global politics during our travels around the 
world including Vienna, Prague, Cuba, and the former Czechoslovakia. 
She reinforced the idea that we are all part of a global family and 
that what happens here in the United States affects our brothers and 
sisters in other parts of the world and vice versa. Moreover, her wise 
guidance as a lifelong health aficionado helped educate seniors and the 
entire community regarding the benefits of healthy living and natural 
remedies. She loved shopping for fresh fruits and vegetables and you 
would often find her cooking nutritious meals at the West Berkeley 
Senior Center and New Light Senior Center, which she helped found.
  Maudelle was also a woman of great faith whose passion for service 
and justice was driven by a commitment to what she called, ``doing the 
Lord's work on earth.'' We enjoyed attending the Church for Today 
together during the 1970s, and I will never forget the day she 
introduced me to the late Rev. Dr. W. Hazaiah Williams. The impact that 
they both had on my life is profound. I will also never forget how 
Maudelle traveled all the way to Washington, DC to look out for me and 
offer her support after my lone vote back in 2001.
  Today, California's 13th Congressional District salutes and honors an 
outstanding individual and a stalwart community leader, the Honorable 
Maudelle Shirek. Her bold legacy of service, spanning over seven 
decades, will continue to inspire many to speak for the voiceless and 
to stand up for justice across the globe. I join all of Maudelle's 
loved ones in celebrating her incredible life and her love of humanity. 
Her warm and beautiful smile will continue to smile down on us. She 
will be deeply missed.

                          ____________________