[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 161 (2015), Part 11]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 14813-14814]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                  IN RECOGNITION OF ESTELLA MAVIS KNOX

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                           HON. JACKIE SPEIER

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, September 24, 2015

  Ms. SPEIER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in sadness to recognize the 
passing of one of East Palo Alto's guiding spirits. Estella Mavis Knox, 
known as Mavis, passed from this earth on August 11, 2015. She had a 
profound impact upon the community in which she lived for five decades.
  Mavis Knox was born on January 15, 1939 in Durant, Mississippi. From 
this small town of 2,500 in America's segregated south, Mavis 
eventually settled in East Palo Alto, California, a remarkable 
community in my district, also a small town, set amidst the larger San 
Francisco Bay Area with all of its diversity, vibrancy and social 
activism.
  Mavis raised her three children as a single mother and still found 
the time and energy, at the age of 31, to earn a bachelor's degree in 
sociology from San Jose State University. She would later complete her 
master's at San Jose State. Mr. Speaker and members, this single 
mother, through her personal example and standards, also inspired her 
children to attend two historically black colleges: Morehouse and 
Tuskegee.
  Nairobi College opened in East Palo Alto in 1969. Mavis was an early 
administrator. A staunch, lifelong advocate of education, she was 
instrumental in founding this innovative and highly successful 
community college tailored to address the multiple academic, social and 
service needs of the East Palo Alto community. The college began with 
120 students and grew to 200 within a few years. One year before its 
founding, Dr. Martin Luther King had been killed. As the war in Vietnam 
raged and several American cities went up in flames, Mavis Knox joined 
with visionary leaders to offer an alternative to fires burning within 
and without: the light and hope of a quality college education. Her 
love of education would distinguish Mavis Knox in years to come, and 
her community leadership was built upon this bedrock commitment.
  Mavis began her career with San Mateo County in 1982 and retired in 
2005 after spending much of her county career in Children and Family 
Services as a social worker and supervisor. When she supervised the 
Long Term Placement unit she was the driving force in enhancing the 
Independent Living Skills program and the Moving On ceremony.
  Mavis was elected to the Ravenswood City School District Board of 
Trustees and served the community from that position for 12 years 
during the 1970s and early 1980s. This was a time of tremendous change 
in the district, with historic segregation and its legacy being 
challenged regularly.
  Newspaper reports of the time indicate that students and parents 
demanded equality of opportunity, and they demanded that the district 
overcome the impacts of decades of racial segregation. Mavis Knox was a 
vocal advocate for equality. This required hiring staff that would set 
high standards and be held accountable to the community. Press reports 
from that time indicate that such routine decisions as hiring a 
superintendent were sometimes contentious, but the stakes were also 
high. While she demanded accountability by the staff to the community, 
Mavis Knox also held herself accountable. She successfully advocated 
for better school financing, and strongly urged the community to unite 
in creating a first-rate system.
  Mr. Speaker and members, Mavis Knox was a dedicated member, committee 
chair, and leader in the Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, earning the Bertha 
Pitts Campbell Award in 2011, the Chapter's highest honor for 
outstanding service to the sorority and community. Among other 
distinguished community service, she served as Foreman of the Grand 
Jury of San Mateo County and charter board member of the East Palo Alto 
Girls' Club of the Mid-Peninsula. She was a prolific fund raiser for 
at-risk youth. She is survived by her son Anthony D. Jones, daughter 
Brenda Destiny Knox, brother Ronald Knox, grandchildren, great 
grandchildren, nieces, nephews, cousins and friends.
  A leading advocate for social justice has now passed from our midst. 
In our sorrow, it is important to note that the lessons she taught by 
example will offer guidance and comfort for years to come. Ultimately, 
this is the greatest gift to us all of Mavis Knox, a mother, educator, 
community advocate, and an outstanding American.

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