[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 135 (Thursday, July 30, 2020)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E708]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         HONORING MARY M. BLACK

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. GREG STANTON

                               of arizona

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, July 30, 2020

  Mr. STANTON. Madam Speaker, I rise to honor the life and legacy of 
Mary M. Black, who passed away on March 21, 2020. A woman of courage 
and conviction, Mary relentlessly fought for a better life for our 
state's children and families. For 35 years, she served as chief 
executive of Black Family and Child Services of Arizona, an agency she 
founded after encountering systemic inequities in our state's child 
welfare system. Because of Mary's work, the needs and hopes of families 
of all backgrounds have been elevated and heard, and we are better for 
her presence among us.
  Mary was a fearless champion of children. Having grown up in rural 
Louisiana with loving parents who endowed her with a strong sense of 
self-esteem, Mary's work was grounded in her firm belief that all 
children deserve a safe and supportive home. After graduating from 
Grambling State University, Mary became a social worker in Arizona's 
child welfare system, where she became acutely aware of the hardships 
faced in trying to place Black children in foster care and adoptive 
families. She responded with leadership and faith, dedicating herself 
not only to finding loving and caring homes for Black children, but 
also developing policies and programs that valued children of color and 
treated all families with dignity and respect. Mary's vision resulted 
in the founding of Black Family and Child Services of Arizona, which 
has become one of the state's most respected nonprofit social services 
agencies. Since its inception, the agency has kept families together, 
found foster and adoptive homes for children in need, and created 
prosperity and opportunity for Arizonans of all races and backgrounds. 
Mary and her pioneering work have been recognized numerous times for 
its innovation and focus on human dignity.
  Mary's passion and leadership have inspired Arizonans to do justice, 
to love kindness and to keep fighting to ensure all children grow up in 
safe and supportive homes. We join her family in grief and gratitude, 
thankful that we bore witness to her work in Arizona and confident that 
her legacy will be felt for generations. Godspeed, Mary.

                          ____________________