[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 24 (Thursday, February 7, 2019)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E146]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  HONORING THE LIFE AND LEGACY OF MRS. MILLIE RUTH McCLELLAND CHARLES

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. CEDRIC L. RICHMOND

                              of louisiana

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, February 7, 2019

  Mr. RICHMOND. Madam Speaker, I rise to honor the life and legacy of 
Mrs. Millie Ruth McClelland Charles, a legendary social worker and 
native of New Orleans, Louisiana. Mrs. McClelland passed away at the 
age of 96.
  Mrs. Charles was born July 25, 1923 in New Orleans, Louisiana to Rev. 
Williams McClelland, a Baptist preacher, and Frankie Little, a school 
teacher.
  Mrs. Charles entered Dillard University when she was only 15 years 
old and graduated with a degree in secondary education. However, after 
a few years of teaching in north Louisiana and loving the children in 
her classes, she realized she could find more fulfillment in social 
work because she would be able to help children and their families find 
ways to solve problems. Therefore, she earned a master's degree in the 
subject at the University of Southern California in the mid-1950s.
  Mrs. Charles was married briefly, to Charles Carrol Charles, in 1950, 
while she was working in the City Welfare Department, Children and 
Family Services Division. He died while she was pregnant with her only 
child, who goes by the name H.M.K. Amen.
  In or about 1965, Dr. Emmett W. Bashful, asked an energetic, 
passionate 42 year old Mrs. Charles to start a social work program at 
Southern University in New Orleans (SUNO). In its beginnings, it was a 
department of Social Work. Under the leadership of Mrs. Charles, the 
department transformed into a fully-accredited school of social work 
offering baccalaureate and masters level degrees.
  Mrs. Charles's work has been recognized nationally. The National 
Association of Social Workers named her Social Worker of the Year. SUNO 
has a Millie McClelland Charles Endowed Chair of Social Work, and the 
Louisiana Legislature passed a special resolution to name SUNO's School 
of Social Work building after her. The building opened in 2016.
  Mrs. Charles served as Co-Chair of the Council on Social Work 
Education (CSWE) Annual Meeting; a Member of the CSWE Committee on 
Undergraduate Curriculum Standards; and a Site Visitor for the CSWE 
Accreditation Commission. In addition, since 1972, she has consulted 
with numerous Undergraduate and Graduate Social Work Programs around 
the U.S., advising them on curricula.
  Mrs. Charles has received numerous awards: National Social Worker of 
the Year (NASW), 1975; Humanitarian of the Year, Federal Women 
Employees Association, 1975; Founders Award, New Orleans Chapter, 
National Association of Black Social Workers, 1979; Doctor of Humane 
Letters, Dillard University, 1993; and she also was one of four women 
honored by the New Orleans YWCA for lifetime of service to the 
community. Mrs. Charles was hailed as a lifelong crusader for equality 
during a ceremony in which she was presented The Times-Picayune Loving 
Cup on Tuesday, June 24, 2013.
  Mrs. Charles loved the city and the people of New Orleans. Her legacy 
will forever be a part of the city and her dedication to community 
embodies the spirit of New Orleans. We cannot match the sacrifices made 
by Mrs. Charles, but surely, we can try to match her sense of service. 
We cannot match her courage, but we can strive to match her devotion.
  Madam Speaker, I celebrate the life and legacy of Mrs. Millie Ruth 
McClelland Charles.

                          ____________________