[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 112 (Tuesday, July 12, 2016)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1094]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     100TH BIRTHDAY OF MARY SANSONE

                                 ______
                                 

                      HON. DANIEL M. DONOVAN, JR.

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, July 12, 2016

  Mr. DONOVAN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the 100th 
Birthday of Brooklyn's Mary Sansone.
   Mary was born and raised in Brooklyn, NY, where she became a 
prominent activist from a young age. Taking part in movements since she 
was eight years old, advocacy became second nature. Following World War 
II, she helped the Red Cross provide aid to Italians. In 1964, along 
with her husband, Mrs. Sansone founded the Congress for Italian-
American Organizations (CIAO).
   In the 1970s, Mrs. Sansone helped forge alliances between the 
African-American, Hispanic and Italian communities via the New York 
Urban Coalition. Mrs. Sansone hosted community leaders at her home 
serving up her famous meatballs and hoping to find common ground.
   At the age of 100, Mary Sansone is still involved in causes that are 
close to her heart. Her birthday was recently celebrated at Dyker Beach 
Golf Course in Brooklyn with hundreds of friends and admirers coming to 
celebrate. Mrs. Sansone currently resides in Borough Park, Brooklyn, 
living in the same home for the past 70 years. She is a true lifelong 
Brooklynite.
   Mr. Speaker, Mary Sansone's decades of activism and advocacy truly 
show what America is about, regardless of one's political affiliation. 
I commend her outstanding life and I am proud to honor this citizen 
from New York's 11th District on her 100th birthday.

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