[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 152 (2006), Part 11] [Extensions of Remarks] [Page 14608] [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]HONORING ``MOTHER'' RUTH VILLIA JONES ______ HON. BARBARA LEE of california in the house of representatives Monday, July 17, 2006 Ms. LEE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the extraordinary life and work of Ruth Villia Jones of Oakland, California. Known to most simply as Mother Ruth, she has been a leader, an activist, and an icon in the Oakland community for decades, providing care and guidance to countless others throughout her life, and on July 16, 2006, the friends and family of Mother Ruth will gather to celebrate this remarkable woman's 100th birthday. Mother Ruth was born July 12, 1906 in Louisiana, soon after the great quake of San Francisco. She grew up during a time of extreme social and racial segregation, and learned about racial and gender discrimination from her family's experiences. These experiences shaped her resolve to challenge the status quo and begin her quest for social and human rights in the 1930s and as a Red Cross volunteer during World War II in the 1940s. Throughout the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s, Mother Ruth combined her deep spiritual commitment with her desire for social justice, becoming active in the civil rights movement and fighting to end racial discrimination in our country. She marched and worked with the Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr., Reverend Jesse Jackson, and the Reverend Cecil Williams. In the 1960s and 1970s Mother Ruth supported the work of a young group of African American activists, known as the Black Panthers, by joining them on picket lines, in the Free Breakfast Programs and Schools, eventually earning her the esteemed honor of ``Mother'' to these young men. As ``Mother Ruth,'' through her vision and activism, she has mentored and enriched the lives of many local leaders, such as Oakland Mayor Lionel Wilson, Congressman Ron Dellums, and myself when I was becoming politically active in the 1970s. Working with her helped to instill in me not only a deep sense of community, but also a fundamental commitment to fighting for social equity and social justice throughout my life. She has been a mentor and a friend to me throughout most of my life, and I am deeply thankful to her for sharing with me her wisdom, her compassion, and her support. Throughout the Bay Area, Mother Ruth is also known for helping to start the meals program at Glide Memorial Church, which continues to this day. In the 1980s and 1990s Ruth Villia Jones turned her energy and expertise to professional organizations, such as the Glide Foundation, the California Legislative Council for Older Americans, the Alameda County Advisory Commission on Aging, the Black Women Organized for Political Action, the Black Women Organized for Educational Development, the National Black Women's Resource Center, the National Association of Negro Business and Professional Women's Clubs to name a few. Through her various roles in these organizations, Mother Ruth has continued the fight for social justice and equality on numerous fronts, and inspired countless new leaders along the way. Mother Ruth Villia Jones has been awarded recognition and praise for her activism on many occasions, including being named one of the 2003 Eternal Voices of the Oakland African Museum, the 1984 Ella Hill Hutch Award, the 1980 Glide Community Award, and many others. Mother Ruth Villia Jones has been a loving sister, mother, wife, a proud grandmother and great grandmother, a friend to many and a ``Mother'' to us all. On this very special occasion, Oakland and the entire Bay Area community comes together to celebrate Mother Ruth Villia Jones' 100th birthday and honor her for a lifetime of pursuing peace and fighting for social justice. I am honored to add my voice, on behalf of California's 9th U.S. Congressional District, all those gathered here today to thank and salute Mother Ruth for her immeasurable contributions to her community, our country, and our world. ____________________