Senate Resolution No. 2255

BY: Senator KRUEGER

MOURNING the death of Kathy Goldman, distinguished
citizen, civic leader, and devoted member of her
community

WHEREAS, It is the custom of this Legislative Body to pay tribute to
citizens of the State of New York whose lifework and civic endeavor
served to enhance the quality of life in their communities and this
great Empire State; and

WHEREAS, Kathy Goldman of Brooklyn, New York, died on Tuesday, March
5, 2024, at the age of 92; and

WHEREAS, Kathy Goldman distinguished herself in her profession and
by her sincere dedication and substantial contribution to the welfare of
her community; and

WHEREAS, Catherine Vera Friedman was born on January 15, 1932, to
parents Ila (Goldman) and Samuel Friedman, and would later change her
name to Kathryn; and

WHEREAS, Kathy Goldman was among the first group of girls to attend
the Bronx Senior High School of Science, and later went on to be the
first in her family to go to college; she studied film at New York
University, then briefly attended City College and Hunter College; in
1986, she earned a Master of Urban Studies degree from Queens College of
the City University of New York; and

WHEREAS, In 1949, Kathy Goldman traveled to Budapest, where she
worked pridefully as a translator at the World Youth Festival; and

WHEREAS, Finding passion in a myriad of social causes, Kathy Goldman
was active in the Urban League's campaign against racial discrimination
in housing, and joined a group of parents who actively supported school
desegregation; and

WHEREAS, In 1966, Kathy Goldman, alongside another activist, Ellen
Lurie, took the initiative to compare reading test scores of every
school in the city and publicized them as evidence that Black students
were receiving an inferior education; and

WHEREAS, She and Evelina Antonetty organized to improve South Bronx
public schools, developing a bilingual training initiative for adults
through United Bronx Parents, and, in 1971, introduced a federally
financed free summer meals program; she also assisted in drafting
regulations when the program was expanded nationally in 1979; and

WHEREAS, Kathy Goldman founded the Community Food Resource Center, a
non-profit food advocacy group, as a buffer against stricter eligibility
requirements for welfare, assisting countless citizens since the
organization's founding; this endeavor kickstarted a 50-year journey of
her combatting food insecurity throughout New York City and the Nation
at large, and she was the executive director of the center until her
retirement in 2003; and


WHEREAS, Shortly following her founding of the Community Food
Resource Center, Kathy Goldman helped organize what is now known as the
Food Bank for New York City, which helps to serve numerous soup kitchens
and food pantries around the city; and

WHEREAS, In 1984, Kathy Goldman started the Community Kitchen of
West Harlem, an innovative program that not only offered food but also
helped the hungry with other needs, including housing and health care;
and

WHEREAS, In the early 1990s, Kathy Goldman successfully persuaded
the city to open school cafeterias in the evening in Chinatown and
Harlem to provide dinners to older adults; and

WHEREAS, For her five decades of unrelenting commitment to
counteracting food insecurity, Kathy Goldman is regarded by many as the
single most important voice in fighting hunger in New York, and has
received numerous awards and accolades as a result; she was honored as a
"Champion of Change" by President Obama at the White House, was the 1989
winner of Pillsbury's Best Against Hunger prize, and received the Tisch
Food Center Lifetime Achievement Award from Teachers College in 2023 for
her lifetime of dedicaed service to helping children eat school meals
and the ripple effects of her efforts on school meals across the nation;
and

WHEREAS, Kathy Goldman's commitment to excellence, and her spirit of
humanity, carried over into all fields of enterprise, including
charitable and civic endeavors; and

WHEREAS, Kathy Goldman is survived by her children, Julie, Joseph
and Robert Goldman; five grandsons; and two great-grandsons; and

WHEREAS, Armed with a humanistic spirit and imbued with a sense of
compassion, Kathy Goldman leaves behind a legacy which will long endure
the passage of time and will remain as a comforting memory to all she
served and befriended; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to
mourn the death of Kathy Goldman, distinguished citizen, civic leader,
and devoted member of her community; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be
transmitted to the family of Kathy Goldman.