COMMUNITY LEADER...
VISIONARY….
ROLE MODEL...
MOTHER...
FRIEND...
A TRUE FIGHTER FOR JUSTICE!
Marcia Hall, a member of NMASS in Lower Manhattan and of the
Beyond Ground Zero network, passed away in June of this year.
On Friday, August 8th, 2003 family, friends, and community members
participated in a Memorial for Macia organized by NMASS, sharing
personal reminiscences and accounts of her life. The Memorial
was followed by a candlelight vigil at the LaGuardia Houses on
the Lower East Side where Marcia lived. Following is a statement
from the program:
We come together today to celebrate the life of Marcia Hall,
a beloved member of our community and of NMASS. The eldest of
five children, Marcia was a lifelong resident of the Lower East
Side. A proud tenant of public housing, Marcia grew up in the
Lillian Wald Houses and later moved to the LaGuardia Houses. As
the mother of two children and an aunt to many nieces and nephews,
Marcia continually encouraged her family to strive for the best
and to remember the importance of love, family and community involvement.
Marcia graduated from Seward Park High School and later attended
Staten Island College at CUNY where she studied Political Science.
After leaving college, Marcia joined the struggle to desegregate
city agencies such NYCHA and HPD. As an employee of HPD Marcia
led a long struggle against entrenched racism at the city's lead
housing agency.
After being injured on the job in 1997, Marcia continued to search
for ways to struggle for social and economic justice through various
community organizations, including tenants' groups. She joined
NMASS in early 2002 in the wake of the World Trade Center disaster
when she and many others from Chinatown and the Lower East Side
were beginning to come together to address the devastating new
health and economic problems they were facing. Marcia was one
of the first to voice serious concern about the contaminated air
of September 11. She was having trouble breathing and her energy
was sapped. She worried about the teen-agers in her family and
the young people in the community. To her, they were future parents;
they were the future of the Lower East Side.
After joining NMASS and playing a role in developing the Beyond
Ground Zero Network, Marcia joined with other working people to
highlight the issue of health. Her own experience as an injured
worker and her concerns for her family-and particularly the young
people--made her a vocal fighter for health care, for a study
and treatment program that looked at the effects of the toxic
air of 9-11, and for the complete overhaul of the New York State
Workers Compensation system. Marcia also involved her family members
in this effort, bringing her son, Andre, and her nephew, Thomas,
out to participate.
Marcia was part of our family. She will be greatly missed and
often remembered for her determination to stand up for our health
and fight against the displacement of jobs and housing for working
people in Lower Manhattan. Marcia's wisdom, warmth, humor, knowledge
and passion for justice inspired all of us. It is with great fondness
and respect that that we gather to honor Marcia.
Condolences to the family of
Marcia Hall can be sent care of:
Andre Hall
250 Clinton Street #12E
New York, NY 10002
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