Senate Resolution No. 1426

BY: Senator MONTGOMERY

HONORING Ashley Hart upon the occasion of her
designation as recipient of the Harambee Achievement
Award by the National Council of Negro Women, Inc.
on April 8, 2017

WHEREAS, It is the sense of this Legislative Body to recognize and
pay tribute to those young people within the great Empire State who have
made strong contributions to their communities and who serve as role
models for their peers; and

WHEREAS, Attendant to such concern, and in full accord with its
long-standing traditions, it is the intent of this Legislative Body to
honor Ashley Hart upon the occasion of her designation as recipient of
the Harambee Achievement Award by the National Council of Negro Women,
Inc., to be feted at its 32nd Annual Harambee Celebration on Saturday,
April 8, 2017, at the Medgar Evers College Cafeteria, in Brooklyn, New
York; and

WHEREAS, The National Council of Negro Women, Inc. (NCNW) is a body
of national African American women's organizations and community based
sections; founded in 1935 by Mary McLeod Bethune, the NCNW strives to
lead, develop, and advocate for women of African descent as they support
their families and communities through research, and national and
community-based services and programs on health, education, and economic
empowerment issues in both the United States and Africa; and

WHEREAS, Through 39 national affiliates and more than 240 sections,
NCNW has reached and supported nearly four million women; and

WHEREAS, The Brooklyn Section of the National Council of Negro
Women, Inc. was organized on January 22, 1962, at the Bedford YMCA by
Odessa L. Skeene, and received its Charter on March 12, 1962; and

WHEREAS, The Brooklyn Section maintains a strong commitment to its
young people through education, outreach programs, counseling and
recognition; it sponsors community ventures to enhance the health and
social services of residents through seminars, health fairs and voter
registration campaigns for self-empowerment; and

WHEREAS, Ashley Hart is receiving this prestigious award for her
exemplary academic accomplishments, community service and church
activities; and

WHEREAS, Ashley Hart was born on July 23, 2000, at Downstate Medical
Center; she was raised in Brooklyn, New York, by her Jamaican mother,
Ivorine Turner; currently, she is a junior at Millennium Brooklyn High
School; and

WHEREAS, Ever since she was a baby, Ashley Hart has attended church;
from 5th to 7th grade, she attended International Christian School,
where she discovered that she enjoyed studying and reading the Word of
God; and

WHEREAS, After Ashley Hart returned to public school M. S. 282, to
finish her 8th-grade year, she became deeply involved in the Lenox Road
Baptist Church; she was a vital member of the youth group, kids church,
Sunday school, and helped feed the homeless in her community; recently,
she was named Youth of the Year; and

WHEREAS, Upon entering high school In 2014, Ashley Hart still found
time to go to church, and help students with their homework during study
hall and at the local library; as time went on, her passion for
volunteering and her love for wanting to serve her community has never
dimmed, in fact, it has only brightened; and

WHEREAS, When she is not at school or helping others, Ashley Hart
enjoys traveling with her mother; through people to people, she explored
Western Canada, and every year, she travels to another country for her
birthday; some of the places she has visited include Jamaica, the
Bahamas, and London; and

WHEREAS, Ashley Hart also likes to play rugby, read, and write
poetry, music, or a simple story; and

WHEREAS, Poised eagerly with enthusiasm and determined purpose, this
scholar now stands honorably, with just pride in her accomplishments and
in eager anticipation of future challenges, understanding and
appreciating the caring counsel and support provided by her teachers,
minister, and family; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to
honor Ashley Hart upon the occasion of her designation as recipient of
the Harambee Achievement Award by the National Council of Negro Women,
Inc.; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be
transmitted to Ashley Hart.