There are so many reasons why I’m thankful that you’ve chosen to visit the Ward 11 web page.  Your presence here is testimony to a sense of community and a willingness to be engaged in the political process.  In short, you’ve made a decision to take part in what the founders of Rhode Island termed our “lively experiment.”

 

Your voice has been raised, and you are being heard.

 

Allow me to share with you a brief history of my tenure in the Providence City Council, and an equally concise review of my personal, academic, and professional stories.

 

I was elected to the City Council in 1988 in a special mid-term election.  It was then my honor to be the first African American woman elected to a municipal office in Rhode Island.  I also was honored to serve in the position of Council President Pro Tempore.

 

I was born in Providence.  Along with my four brothers and eight sisters, I was raised in the working class neighborhoods of Fox Point and Smith Hill.  And I suppose that the values, experiences, and work ethic gained during my youth have informed and inspired my career ever since.

 

When friends and supporters describe me as a “natural advocate,” I’m flattered.  Over the years I’ve served as coordinator of the Teen Pregnancy Prevention Program and supervisor of Case Management Services for the Urban League of Rhode Island, and as director of residential services for John Hope Group Homes. 

 

Since my election to the City Council, I’ve continued to try to speak for those in our society whose voices are stifled.  I was instrumental in securing funding for the DARE Community Resource Center and the Davey Lopes Recreational Complex (formerly the Dudley Street Recreation Center).

 

I have not been alone in endeavoring to bring affordable owner-occupied housing to our ward.  I’ve worked with the community to help bring 23 pristine new homes filled with loving families to the “Blackstone on the Southside” development (ten more homes will be added by December, 2006).  And I’ve been honored to lead the fight to establish the Fairness in Purchasing Ordinance and the Women and Minority Business Program in Providence.

 

Among the boards and committees on which I serve as, in effect, your member-at-large is the South Providence Improvement Association, which I chair. 

 

I also serve on the boards of Roger Williams Day Care and the Providence Housing Authority. 

 

I am a proud graduate of CCRI, with a degree in Business Administration, and of Leadership Rhode Island.

 

Only my love of and devotion to family supersedes my dedication to the community in which we live, work, learn, and raise our children.  I’ve been married to Lawrence Young, Sr. for more than 40 wonderful years, and I’m the proud mother of our daughter Tracy Young, and our son Lawrence Young, Jr.

 

I am devoted to my families – immediate and extended.  Which means that I’m here for you.