"What I treasure the most about being a UNA member is its intergenerational engagement, the chance to interact and learn from likeminded individuals, the opportunities for leadership development as well as mentor and being mentored."

"Throughout her long and distinguished career, she took pride in her family."

"Selfless, dedicated and an experienced coalition builder, Anita exemplifies the best definition of a community organizer. Her passion for people and the community is unparalleled."

"We were pretty sure there was market manipulation going on, but you have to be able to prove it."

"Her legacy is one of dedication that demands respect, admiration and most of all, emulation for generations to come"

"Her political life was often a victim of controversy."

"Becoming the organization’s chief executive was not something that I had planned or envisioned as I thought I would go back to practicing environmental law. However, the opportunity came my way and I benefited greatly (and still do!) from the advice and mentoring of long-time leaders"

"She didn't like to be called a politician; she like to be called a servant of the people."

"Her daughter Arletha Bland-Manlove said she was an “extraordinary public servant” who earned respect from residents in her area."

"Mary Groves Bland was a tireless public servant and an unwavering champion for social justice throughout her life, and I was honored to know and work with her."

"One of the most important things that she always wanted people to know was that she was here to help, and she was a servant of God."

"She was very motivated by what she believed to be right"

"Our community has lost a brilliant leader who cared deeply about making this great public research university stronger, more accessible, better connected to the community and the state and better positioned to make a difference in the world."

"Her victory made national headlines; even Time magazine did an article about her victory."

"Blair was a local pioneer who broke new ground for women and people with disabilities in Texas. She was a fighter who did not back down and was willing to stand for causes she felt were important. Blair was ahead of her time."

"I resent that some people do not want to listen to the truth. I will run on my record . . . I have never waited to see how a vote was going to go and then vote in the house with the crowd."

"My opponent has never been quoted on a platform; his campaign is solely based on the fact he has been in public office for forty years."

"We cannot rob our institutions of learning of their ability to get facts. The truth is our greatest weapon against communism."

"I figured if we could pursue creative solutions for better services to those who were underserved, starting with babies, children and women, then all citizens would benefit."

"Councilmember Blackwell has made a life-long commitment to move her community forward and will always work to foster an end to homelessness, neighborhood blight and poor public education through using the tools of public policy, legislation and public involvement. Her overall vision is to improve her constituents’ quality of life – regardless of race, class, gender, or socio-economic status. She continues to believe that there is a solution to every problem, and that when we work together, everybody wins."

"I do not feel that I am going to set the world on fire, but I feel that there is a place for some practical work to be done."

"That’s what it’s been for me all of these years. I’ve loved every day of it."

"My opponents have not committed themselves to any specific platform – my position has (been) entirely clear."

"It’s been a journey of love"

"I had a lot of hope and passion to help people move the needle in their own lives with the help of education and services designed to reduce the disparities."

"I believe that public service is what elected officials are supposed to be about. I know that not everybody sees it that way, some people see it as power, but power is supposed to be about allowing you to share, allowing you to serve others."

"She served as a role model and mentor to numerous young men and women throughout her distinguished career in public service."

"She never called me her stepson. She called me her son. She was always on my side, as long as I was doing the right thing."

"Over the years I’ve reflected on … all of the seeds that she has planted in me, and how she has watered them over the years and watched them grow. She has made me feel like there’s not anything that I can’t accomplish, that I can’t do, that I can’t overcome."

"She might disagree with a stance of someone else on council, but she was always very respectful. She never made it personal, and boy, could we use some more of that in politics today"

"This was a lady who respected space and time in politics. She wasn’t about the buddy-buddy system. She was about moving forward and what’s in the best interest of the community, not the individual."

"Mrs. Birckhead always gave of her time and talents. Volunteering was her life’s work."

"He sure took care of South Philly, but he never fought you fighting for the rights of your community."

"In these last years, visiting with her family brought her the most pleasure."

"In the early years, Bland voraciously absorbed information she had access to and applied that education to helping her community find better access and pathways of support for its citizens of color and underserved populations."

"The diversity of Mrs. Birckhead’s background is remarkable."

"Politics is an open-ended opportunity to make life better for others"

"My time is short and I wanted to make sure to represent my community groups all the way up until the end,"

"We were arrested for feeding people on the subway"

"Bland’s legacy is one of a dedicated public servant who encouraged young people to further their education and participate in public service."

"Her desire to elevate Wisconsin touched all facets of the institution."

"Whoever is misinterpreting my remarks must be more interested in my opponent than in organized labor."

"Louise Williams Bishop has achieved an incredible degree of personal success in three separate, but related careers -- radio, the ministry and politics. The theme that runs through all her work is her desire to bring inspiration and assistance to those people in need."

"People need to understand the importance of race. The racial issues predate the founding of the nation. Slavery predates the founding of the nation. We need to understand it has been a scar on the nation whether you are black or white or Latino. The refusal of this nation to come to grips with the role of race in policy making, in economic strategy, is holding this nation back and will take it down. You can’t think about going into the world of policy without understanding that legacy and the impacts of that legacy and how it impacts everybody and everything. Until you have the education, you will not be effective."

"I thought I would be able to persue this career withease, but to my dismay - it was literally impossible to break into this field especially being not only female, but a black female."

"She has the understanding of working man’s problems through earning her own living despite handicap of blindness."

"Everything can be turned into an opportunity and a learning moment so I try not to dwell on things. I think the things that are hardest are finding the resources to meet the big vision. When you’re in this work, trying to have transformative impact, that’s a huge vision and the money comes in small amounts. The combination of it always hanging on your neck, that you have to go raise more money and the reality that it’s going to small amounts is enough to discourage anybody but I think all of us who are in the business have made the decision to just put that aside as something we’re not going to let discourage us."

"By giving people a clear vision of what can be. People want to be able to be helpful, but they don’t have a clear vision of how to be helpful. People need a north star and they need to know that there’s a way to be able to get there."

"She had seen what a challenging life looked like."

"Winston Bode called her a hard-nosed reporter and she had a great mind that went in many directions."