Press Release
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For Immediate Release |
Contact: (202) 225-3965 |
| Crowley Cheers House Passage of Queens Post Office Renaming in Honor of Geraldine Ferraro |
| (Washington, D.C.) – The U.S. House of Representatives votes unanimously to rename the 46-02 21st Street Long Island City post office in Queens in honor of Geraldine Ferraro, political pioneer, former 7th Congressional District representative, and vice presidential candidate. The legislation now moves to the Senate for consideration. Congressman Joseph Crowley (D-Queens, the Bronx) submitted the following statement today for the Congressional record: Madam Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to a former Member of Congress, a long time advocate of women’s rights, the first female Vice Presidential candidate, and a great friend and American – the Honorable Geraldine Anne Ferraro. In the rotunda of the Capitol sit the busts of Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Susan B. Anthony, and Lucretia Mott. They are so prominently displayed to pay tribute to their hard fight to establish equal rights for women. And, I know they would agree that Geraldine Ferraro was exactly the kind of woman they were fighting for. Geraldine proudly followed in the footsteps of these great women – continuing the fight to ensure the right’s of women and breaking down barriers and stereotypes along the way. Prior to running for election to the House of Representatives, Geraldine Ferraro worked as a teacher and then attorney in the Queens New York District Attorney’s office, where she started the Special Victims Bureau. At a time when women prosecutors in the city were uncommon, Geraldine Ferraro was already breaking the proverbial glass ceiling. In 1978, Ambassador Ferraro ran for election to the House of Representatives for New York’s 9th Congressional District in Queens, and won. Despite being a new Member of Congress, she made quite an impression on her colleagues, and quickly ascended to become the Secretary of the House Democratic Caucus from 1981 to 1985. During her years in Congress, she focused much of her legislative attention on equity for women in the areas of wages, pensions, and retirement plans. The recent passage of the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act and the Paycheck Fairness Act are homage to her tireless work on behalf of women. Her leadership, charisma, and dedication were evident to Presidential nominee, Walter Mondale, who selected Geraldine Ferraro to be his Vice-Presidential candidate on July 12, 1984. She is the first women ever to be nominated as vice-presidential candidate by any major party. Following the path of women who came before her, Geraldine Ferraro has helped pave the way for our daughters to achieve anything they set their minds to. As the current Representative of her former district, I am proud to call Geraldine Ferraro a leader, a mentor, and most importantly a friend. Congressman Crowley is the six-term representative for the 7th Congressional District of New York, the district formerly represented by the Honorable Geraldine Ferraro. ### |