Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, I am proud to sponsor H.R. 3957. I urge its quick and unanimous passage and ask all Members to join me in honoring one of southeast Queens' best and a memorable public servant, Cynthia Jenkins. Let me, at this time, also thank my colleagues from the New York delegation who all signed onto this bill, because Cynthia was a history maker. She was the first African American woman in Queens County to be elected to the New York State Assembly. She was elected because of the work that she did prior. For 22 years, she worked as a librarian and made sure that every single library in southeastern Queens would remain open. She, in fact, worked in every library in southeastern Queens. She fought hard on behalf of libraries and those who enjoyed their services, even preventing many branches from closing in a time of cutbacks. She wanted to make sure the children had a safe place to go to learn after school. She also had various programs within the public libraries. As indicated, when servicemembers returned from Vietnam, it was Cynthia Jenkins who played an integral role in opening the State Veterans' Home in St. Albans at the veterans' facility. That facility still exists and continues to serve thousands of veterans to this very day. In addition, her advocacy on behalf of civil rights was inspiring for many at a time when civil inequality was rampant.…”