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It has been my happy privilege to have met and known four uniquely gifted women of color: namely Rosa Parks, the mother of the modern civil rights movement; the honorable Nellie F. Suratt, a Plainfield pioneer; Coretta Scott King, the first lady of the civil rights movement; and finally, the bon-vivant quintessential democrat, Helen Miller.
Each of these women had one significant trait. They were women who were indefatigable, relentless and undaunted. When history books look back at this four-month period, October 2005 to February 2006, it is worth noting that superb fruit comes in bunches in order to savor the sweetness.
Much has been written about Rosa Parks and Coretta Scott King because of their international celebrity. Quite frankly, very few people outside the City of Plainfield know about the political exploits of either the late Nellie F. Suratt or Helen Miller.
Suratt was the first woman of color to occupy the coveted position of city council president. The youth of Plainfield need to know that when the city was awarded the distinguished "All-American Award for Civic Excellence," it was Suratt who led this delegation in the 1970s. Additionally, when Plainfield was facing some of its riotous moments, she became a calming spirit.
When I served as a youthful mayor of Plainfield in 1985, Helen Miller was city council president. When the city launched its determined effort to convince then-Gov. Thomas Kean and the state legislature to make Plainfield New Jersey's fifth Urban Enterprise Zone, we were contested by many cities, but Miller was indomitable.
And when I faced moments of despair and doubt, it was Miller whop picked up the baton as we faced the state's indifference.
She also worked to build a senior center in Plainfield and was a staunch supporter of the Second Street Youth Boxing Team.
In closing, Mrs. Miller was the hardest-working elected official whom I have ever had the privilege to meet and work with. She was an absolute role model.
--The Rev. Richard Taylor, Plainfield
--Transcribed by Dan Damon
Published in the Star-Ledger, Union County section, Sunday, February 26, 2006*
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