[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 172 (Wednesday, October 30, 2019)]
[House]
[Page H8602]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                COMMEMORATING THE LIFE OF GINNY NiCARTHY

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from 
Washington (Ms. Jayapal) for 5 minutes.
  Ms. JAYAPAL. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the memory of 
longtime Seattle resident Ginny NiCarthy.
  Ginny was a wonderful friend, author, activist, and advocate. She was 
humble, brilliant, and deeply compassionate, and she changed the lives 
of tens of thousands of people across the world through her writing and 
her activism.
  She passed away at the age of 92 last month, choosing to die 
gracefully on her own terms before dementia could take over her life 
and her mind.
  Ginny was born in 1927 in San Francisco. She was the youngest of 
five. Her father once served as the mayor of Redwood City, California. 
Her mother worked as a switchboard operator.
  Passionate about social justice as a young woman, Ginny moved to 
Seattle in her 20s and became involved in her new city's artistic and 
political scene. She first pursued a teaching certificate in the 1960s, 
going on to teach middle school in Seattle's Central District.
  Informed by her experience working as a caseworker at a mental 
hospital, she decided to pursue a master's degree in social work at the 
University of Washington and became a practicing therapist.
  Born with the last name McCarthy, she changed her surname to NiCarthy 
in the 1970s to use an Irish prefix that means ``daughter of,'' rather 
than ``Mc,'' which means ``son of.'' This was emblematic of her deeply-
rooted feminism and her drive to challenge the status quo in every 
aspect of her life.
  In 1972, Ginny cofounded Seattle Rape Relief, which at the time was 
the only rape crisis center in the country. The volunteer-run 
organization managed a 24-hour hotline for sexual assault victims.
  A decade later, she published her groundbreaking book, ``Getting 
Free: A Handbook for Women in Abusive Relationships.'' Her book, based 
on the premise that women's voices needed to be heard and believed, 
became a bible for domestic violence survivors. Translated into 
multiple languages, her book had and continues to have a global impact.
  She went on to publish several more books on abuse at home and in the 
workplace, as well as many articles addressing issues of disability, 
race, sexuality, youth, and aging. She volunteered on behalf of 
countless groups advocating for women's rights, criminal justice 
reform, and antiwar efforts.
  We first met when I approached her to join the board of Chaya, an 
organization that supports South Asian survivors of domestic violence 
that I, too, was on the board of. Much later, Ginny gave me some of her 
writings that turned into a book of her travels around the world for 
peace and justice.
  I was amazed at her curiosity, her love of life, even with all the 
traumas that she, herself, had been through. I was struck by the way 
that she listened to others and absolutely refused to stop living life 
to her fullest. She was fearless in questioning what she saw as unjust, 
and her commitment to racial equity was striking.
  She was arrested multiple times for peaceful, civil disobedience 
actions, even at the age of 86, for speaking out for more fair and just 
immigration policies.
  Ginny always found meaning in politics and social justice activism, 
and her legacy lives on strong--in her books, her friendships, the 
tremendous work she did her entire life on behalf of survivors of 
violence, and her quest for justice for all.
  Ginny saw the intersectionality of gender, race, and class very 
clearly. She was right there on every major issue that we fought for, 
whether that was a $15 minimum wage, rights for immigrants, mass 
incarceration of Black and Brown people, sexual assault, and LGBTQ 
rights. It is fitting that The New York Times devoted a substantial 
part of one of their pages of obituaries to Ginny and her national 
impact.
  I would like to commemorate Ginny's lifetime of achievements, her 
decades of service to our community, and her never-ending dedication to 
the fight for justice. My heart is with her loving family and friends.
  Mr. Speaker, may Ginny rest in peace. May Ginny rest in power. She 
will long be remembered and missed by all of us.

                          ____________________