[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 157 (2011), Part 3]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 4459-4460]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




     HONORING DR. ELNORA HAMB, DR. BARBARA SHAW, DR. JAMESINA EVANS

                                 ______
                                 

                       HON. DONNA M. CHRISTENSEN

                         of the virgin islands

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, March 17, 2011

  Mrs. CHRISTENSEN. Mr. Speaker, I would like to recognize the work and 
legacy of three phenomenal women for their service to the organizations 
that they serve and their efforts to eliminate health disparities in 
their communities. Dr. Elnora Hamb, International President of the 
Women's Missionary Council, The Christian Methodist Episcopal Church 
(CME); Dr. Barbara Shaw, International President of the Women's Home 
and Overseas Missionary Society, The African Methodist Episcopal Zion 
Church (AMEZ); and Dr. Jamesina Evans, International President, Women's 
Missionary Society, The African Methodist Episcopal Church (AME) 
simultaneously served in their respective roles for eight years and 
collectively served over seven million members worldwide--including 
members in the U.S. Virgin Islands.
  These women and their respective organizations serve as examples of 
how community champions are helping our country to achieve health 
equity. Seeing the deleterious effect of health conditions such as HIV 
and cervical cancer on their congregants, these women took 
unprecedented action to help eliminate health disparities in their 
community. As a result of the transformative leadership of these women, 
each organization entered into an innovative partnership with the Balm 
in Gilead, Inc. to address the health concerns of black women, focusing 
attention on issues disproportionately impacting the community, and 
developing the organizational capacity of each denomination to utilize 
its existing structures to deliver HIV services and other programs 
addressing health disparities that have long disproportionately 
affected African American communities. This partnership represents the 
first time that any black church denomination has partnered with a 
national technical assistance organization to implement and deliver 
public health strategies to the African American community.
  The leadership of these phenomenal women has resulted in thousands of 
women and men receiving education and interventions in areas of HIV/
AIDS, cervical cancer, and other health disparities. For example, each 
Missionary Society has established an office of a National Health 
Director whose purpose is to coordinate health promotion and disease 
prevention throughout the denomination. Further each Missionary Society 
has utilized their information organs to distribute critical 
information on HIV, cervical cancer, and other health issues which has 
reached readers worldwide. Additionally, each Missionary Society offers 
HIV testing and workshops on-site at their annual leadership trainings 
and many of their affiliated local churches offer HIV testing as a 
regular activity nationwide. As a result, the visionary leadership of 
these women undoubtedly has saved thousands of lives through these 
health interventions.
  Finally, it does not escape me that I am honoring these three great 
women during

[[Page 4460]]

Women's History Month whose theme, ``Our History is Our Strength,'' 
pays tribute to the millions of women who helped create a better world 
for the times in which they lived as well as for future generations. 
These women are continuing the tradition of the great women who came 
before them by standing up and taking action to address one of the 
pressing issues of our day and to improve the health of African 
Americans today and in the future. Unfortunately, many of the women who 
are deserving of recognition remain un-named and unknown. We cannot let 
the same occur to these three trailblazing women. Thus, it is my honor 
on behalf of the women of this body, the Congressional Black Caucus and 
the entire Congress of the United States to recognize the tremendous 
work and leadership of Dr. Elnora Hamb, Dr. Barbara Shaw and Dr. 
Jamesina Evans and thank them for their selfless service to their 
congregants and their transformative work to eliminate health 
disparities in the African American community.

                          ____________________