Clara Virginia Fields better known as C. Virginia Fields (née Clark; born August 6, 1945)[2] is an American activist who served as Borough President of Manhattan. She was elected in 1997 and reelected in 2001, with her second term expiring at the end of 2005.
Clara Virginia Clark was born in Birmingham, Alabama to Peter and Lucille Clark. She received a B.A. in sociology from Knoxville College in Tennessee in 1967 and an M.S.W. from Indiana University Bloomington in 1969. She married Henry Fields in 1971; they divorced in 1985.[3][2] In 1971, she moved to New York City and became a social worker. In the late 1970s and 1980s she worked in a variety of administrative positions in the social services field, while also becoming involved in community politics.
Fields was known for her activism during the height of the civil rights movement in which she participated in a number of protests and marches, thus beginning her foray into social and political advocacy. She is a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha.
Political career
In 1989, Fields was elected to the New York City Council. In 1997, Fields was elected Manhattan Borough President, replacing Ruth Messinger who ran for Mayor, unsuccessfully, against Rudy Giuliani. Fields received acclaim for her support of cultural organizations such as the New York Shakespeare Festival and the West Side Arts Coalition. She was in office during the September 11, 2001 attacks.
Some community groups throughout Manhattan, however, have a low opinion of Ms. Fields' record. They argue that she would not listen to community concerns regarding the noisy nightclubs and promoted outsized and ill-advised development projects. In 1999, Fields supported using eminent domain to seize a family-owned manufacturing plant in Harlem to be replaced by a Costco store.
In 2005, Fields was a Democratic candidate for mayor of New York City. In early polls, she placed second to Fernando Ferrer. She suffered criticism for her campaign's perceived lack of policy-based motivation, with some critics pointing to the term limits of her position at the time as the real impetus for her campaign. A small scandal emerged when it was discovered that her campaign literature included photographs doctored to create the impression of diversity in support. Fields never found traction and in the primary she finished third with 15.92% of the vote.[4] Fields finished behind former Bronx Borough President Fernando Ferrer and Congressman Anthony Weiner, but ahead of City Council Speaker Gifford Miller.
In March 2006 it was reported that Fields would run for the State Senate seat representing Harlem and parts of Upper Manhattan, being vacated by Senate Minority Leader David Paterson. Paterson decided not to seek reelection to the Senate seat in order to run for lieutenant governor on a ticket with State Attorney General Eliot Spitzer. On June 1, 2006, Fields announced that she was ending her Senate campaign, explaining that it was not the right time for her to run.
Post-political career
Fields has been the President and CEO of the non-profit organization, National Black Leadership Commission on AIDS (NBLC), since 2008.[5]
John C. Walker,The Harlem Fox: J. Raymond Jones at Tammany 1920:1970, New York: State University New York Press, 1989.
David N. Dinkins, A Mayor's Life: Governing New York's Gorgeous Mosaic, PublicAffairs Books, 2013
Rangel, Charles B.; Wynter, Leon (2007). And I Haven't Had a Bad Day Since: From the Streets of Harlem to the Halls of Congress. New York: St. Martin's Press.
Baker Motley, ConstanceEqual Justice Under The Law: An Autobiography, New York: Farrar, Straus, and Giroux, 1998.
Howell, Ron Boss of Black Brooklyn: The Life and Times of Bertram L. Baker Fordham University Press Bronx, New York 2018
Jack, HulanFifty Years a Democrat:The Autobiography of Hulan Jack New Benjamin Franklin House New York, NY 1983
Clayton-Powell, AdamAdam by Adam:The Autobiography of Adam Clayton Powell Jr. New York, New York 1972
Pritchett, Wendell E. Robert Clifton Weaver and the American City: The Life and Times of an Urban Reformer Chicago: University of Chicago Press 2008
Davis, BenjaminCommunist Councilman from Harlem:Autobiographical Notes Written in a Federal Penitentiary New York, New York 1969
References
^Mechling, Lauren (May 16, 2005). "With C. Virginia Fields, 'Nice' is But Part of the Story". New York Sun.
^ abArchibold, Randal C. (August 23, 2005). "Bringing Faith and Conciliation To a Mayoral Bid in New York". The New York Times. Retrieved March 1, 2011.
^"C. Virginia Fields's Biography". The HistoryMakers. Retrieved 2021-03-20.
^(PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2006-12-31. Retrieved 2009-01-10.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
^"President & CEO". National Black Leadership Commission on AIDS. Retrieved 7 April 2017.
virginia, fields, this, article, needs, additional, citations, verification, please, help, improve, this, article, adding, citations, reliable, sources, unsourced, material, challenged, removed, find, sources, news, newspapers, books, scholar, jstor, november,. This article needs additional citations for verification Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed Find sources C Virginia Fields news newspapers books scholar JSTOR November 2021 Learn how and when to remove this template message Clara Virginia Fields better known as C Virginia Fields nee Clark born August 6 1945 2 is an American activist who served as Borough President of Manhattan She was elected in 1997 and reelected in 2001 with her second term expiring at the end of 2005 Clara Virginia Fields 1 C Virginia Fields in 201525th Borough President of ManhattanIn office January 1 1998 December 31 2005Preceded byRuth MessingerSucceeded byScott M StringerPersonal detailsBornClara Virginia ClarkAugust 6 1945 1945 08 06 age 77 Birmingham AlabamaPolitical partyDemocraticSpouseHenry Fields m 1971 div 1985 wbr Alma materKnoxville College 1967 Indiana University 1969 Contents 1 Early life and education 2 Political career 3 Post political career 4 See also 5 Bibliography 6 ReferencesEarly life and education EditThis section needs additional citations for verification Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed Find sources C Virginia Fields news newspapers books scholar JSTOR August 2022 Learn how and when to remove this template message Clara Virginia Clark was born in Birmingham Alabama to Peter and Lucille Clark She received a B A in sociology from Knoxville College in Tennessee in 1967 and an M S W from Indiana University Bloomington in 1969 She married Henry Fields in 1971 they divorced in 1985 3 2 In 1971 she moved to New York City and became a social worker In the late 1970s and 1980s she worked in a variety of administrative positions in the social services field while also becoming involved in community politics Fields was known for her activism during the height of the civil rights movement in which she participated in a number of protests and marches thus beginning her foray into social and political advocacy She is a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Political career EditThis section needs additional citations for verification Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed Find sources C Virginia Fields news newspapers books scholar JSTOR August 2022 Learn how and when to remove this template message In 1989 Fields was elected to the New York City Council In 1997 Fields was elected Manhattan Borough President replacing Ruth Messinger who ran for Mayor unsuccessfully against Rudy Giuliani Fields received acclaim for her support of cultural organizations such as the New York Shakespeare Festival and the West Side Arts Coalition She was in office during the September 11 2001 attacks Some community groups throughout Manhattan however have a low opinion of Ms Fields record They argue that she would not listen to community concerns regarding the noisy nightclubs and promoted outsized and ill advised development projects In 1999 Fields supported using eminent domain to seize a family owned manufacturing plant in Harlem to be replaced by a Costco store In 2005 Fields was a Democratic candidate for mayor of New York City In early polls she placed second to Fernando Ferrer She suffered criticism for her campaign s perceived lack of policy based motivation with some critics pointing to the term limits of her position at the time as the real impetus for her campaign A small scandal emerged when it was discovered that her campaign literature included photographs doctored to create the impression of diversity in support Fields never found traction and in the primary she finished third with 15 92 of the vote 4 Fields finished behind former Bronx Borough President Fernando Ferrer and Congressman Anthony Weiner but ahead of City Council Speaker Gifford Miller In March 2006 it was reported that Fields would run for the State Senate seat representing Harlem and parts of Upper Manhattan being vacated by Senate Minority Leader David Paterson Paterson decided not to seek reelection to the Senate seat in order to run for lieutenant governor on a ticket with State Attorney General Eliot Spitzer On June 1 2006 Fields announced that she was ending her Senate campaign explaining that it was not the right time for her to run Post political career EditFields has been the President and CEO of the non profit organization National Black Leadership Commission on AIDS NBLC since 2008 5 See also EditGovernment of New York CityBibliography EditPaterson David Black Blind amp In Charge A Story of Visionary Leadership and Overcoming Adversity New York New York 2020 John C Walker The Harlem Fox J Raymond Jones at Tammany 1920 1970 New York State University New York Press 1989 David N Dinkins A Mayor s Life Governing New York s Gorgeous Mosaic PublicAffairs Books 2013 Rangel Charles B Wynter Leon 2007 And I Haven t Had a Bad Day Since From the Streets of Harlem to the Halls of Congress New York St Martin s Press Baker Motley Constance Equal Justice Under The Law An Autobiography New York Farrar Straus and Giroux 1998 Howell Ron Boss of Black Brooklyn The Life and Times of Bertram L Baker Fordham University Press Bronx New York 2018 Jack Hulan Fifty Years a Democrat The Autobiography of Hulan Jack New Benjamin Franklin House New York NY 1983 Clayton Powell Adam Adam by Adam The Autobiography of Adam Clayton Powell Jr New York New York 1972 Pritchett Wendell E Robert Clifton Weaver and the American City The Life and Times of an Urban Reformer Chicago University of Chicago Press 2008 Davis Benjamin Communist Councilman from Harlem Autobiographical Notes Written in a Federal Penitentiary New York New York 1969References Edit Mechling Lauren May 16 2005 With C Virginia Fields Nice is But Part of the Story New York Sun a b Archibold Randal C August 23 2005 Bringing Faith and Conciliation To a Mayoral Bid in New York The New York Times Retrieved March 1 2011 C Virginia Fields s Biography The HistoryMakers Retrieved 2021 03 20 Archived copy PDF Archived from the original PDF on 2006 12 31 Retrieved 2009 01 10 a href Template Cite web html title Template Cite web cite web a CS1 maint archived copy as title link President amp CEO National Black Leadership Commission on AIDS Retrieved 7 April 2017 Preceded byHilton Clark New York City Council 5th district1990 1992 Succeeded byCharles MillardPreceded byWendell Foster New York City Council 9th district1992 1997 Succeeded byBill PerkinsPreceded byRuth Messinger Borough President of Manhattan1998 2005 Succeeded byScott Stringer Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title C Virginia Fields amp oldid 1121532648, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
