LEGISLATIVE RESOLUTION commending Marjorie Bayne Quinones posthumously
upon the occasion of her designation for special recognition after many
years of dedicated service to the Yoruba faith

WHEREAS, It is incumbent upon the people of the State of New York to
recognize and acknowledge those within our midst who have made signif-
icant contributions to the quality of life therein; and
WHEREAS, Attendant to such concern, and in full accord with its long-
standing traditions, this Legislative Body is justly proud to commend
Marjorie Bayne Quinones posthumously upon the occasion of her desig-
nation for special recognition after many years of dedicated service to
the Yoruba faith; and
WHEREAS, Born in Harlem to George and Matilda Wilkerson Bayne, Marjo-
rie Quinones met Jose Quinones in 1956 and they married five years
later; she and her husband had four children, David, twins, Karen and
Kathleen, and Joseph; and
WHEREAS, Though she attended Catholic parochial schools most of her
life, Marjorie Quinones later decided to begin a spiritual search for a
different faith; a good friend, Edward James, told her that he was
studying an African religion called Lucumi or Yoruba in 1958, and
invited her to a religious festival that was held in the Bronx; she
learned that Lucumi originated in the Southeastern region of Nigeria,
and the Nigerians who were enslaved and brought to Cuba continued to
practice the religion under the guise of Christianity, calling it Sante-
ria; and
WHEREAS, Remembering stories from her childhood that her maternal
great-great-grandfather was a priest from Nigeria, Marjorie Quinones did
some investigating and discovered he was a Yoruba priest of Sango; in
1963 Marjorie was initiated by a Cuban priestess as a priest of Sango in
the Bronx, New York City, New York, and was given the name Sango Gunmi;
the year 2013 marks the 50th Anniversary of the Marjorie Bayne Quinones'
initiation; and
WHEREAS, Becoming the first African-American to be initiated as a
Yoruba priest in the United States, Marjorie Quinones was the progenitor
of Ile Ase, the largest and oldest African-American house in the coun-
try; she has been included in various books written about the Yoruba
religion in the United States; and
WHEREAS, Armed with a humanistic spirit and imbued with a sense of
compassion, Marjorie Quinones 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
commend Marjorie Bayne Quinones posthumously upon the occasion of her
designation for special recognition after many years of dedicated
service to the Yoruba faith; and be it further
RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be tran-
smitted to the family of Marjorie Bayne Quinones.