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“TRIBUTE TO BEATRICE RUTH FAIRFAX” mentioning the U.S. Dept of Labor was published in the Senate section on pages S972-S973 on Feb. 4, 1997.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
TRIBUTE TO BEATRICE RUTH FAIRFAX
Ms. MOSELEY-BRAUN. Mr. President, I want to take a moment to talk about Beatrice Ruth Fairfax, a constituent of mine who died on January 14, 1997, at the age of 84, after a lifetime of making a difference in the lives of those she touched. She will be sorely missed by her family, friends, and community.
Upon her graduation from Hyde Park High School, Beatrice Fairfax worked as a writer and became involved in many civil rights and labor union causes. She met her husband, Bob Fairfax through their involvement in cultural arts activities with the Works Progress Administration [WPA]. They married in 1935 and eventually settled in the Altgeld-Murray public housing development as one of Altgeld's first interracial families. The Fairfaxes worked tirelessly to improve the quality of life for public housing residents. They founded and managed the community's first newspaper, the Altgeld Beacon, while working as beat reporters for the Chicago Defender Newspaper. They also established numerous Boy Scout troops throughout the Chicago Housing Authority [CHA], and founded the Jackson Raiders, an award winning drum and bugle corps. In keeping with Mrs. Fairfax's philosophy, ``Before a community can make social sense, it has to make economic sense,'' the Fairfaxes also participated in the establishment of one of the country's first and largest black owned food co-op stores, which was owned by 300 black families and patronized by thousands of public housing residents. In addition, the Fairfaxes were two of the original plaintiffs in Gautreaux versus Chicago Housing Authority, a landmark case which resulted in the end of racially discriminatory practices of the CHA.
After her retirement from the Illinois Department of Labor, Mrs. Fairfax continued to be active in community affairs and maintained affiliations with the American Association of Retired Persons, American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, Boy Scouts of America, Girl Scouts of Chicago, Chicago Parent Teacher Association, Citizen Utility Board, Chicago Urban League, Chicago Sinai Congregation, Jewish Council for the Elderly, Illinois Public Action Council, and the Friends of the Chicago Children's Choir, to name a few. In addition to her many substantial accomplishments, on a personal note, I must say that Bea Fairfax was one of the kindest and most generous people I have known. She didn't just talk the talk, but walked the walk. Her life was truly dedicated to improving the lives of others. No one knows that more than her family, including her daughters, Joyce Theresa Fairfax-Wells, and Ruth Mary Fairfax-Frazier, her son-in-law, Anthany Frazier, her former son-
in-law, Cornell Wells her grandchildren, Annika Frazier-Muhammad, Darius Frazier, Monnica Wells, and Jacqueline Wells, her great grandson, Hamza Ibn Omar Frazier-Muhammad, and many other relatives, friends, and members of the community she helped to create. Her death is a great loss, but the legacy of her good works will endure.
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