What:

On May 23, 2018, legislation introduced in the House of Representatives by Congressman Yvette Clarke, of New York’s 9th District, and co-sponsored in the U.S. Senate by Senators Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) and Charles E. Schumer (D-NY), was signed as Public Law No: 115-317 by President Donald J. Trump, to designate the St. Johns Post Office as the “Major Robert Odell Owens Post Office Building.”

Who:

Congresswoman Yvette Clarke (NY-9)
Staff from Senator Gillibrand
Family of Former Congressman Owens

When:

Friday, June 28, 2019, 11 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.

Where:

St. Johns Post Office
1234 Saint Johns Place
Brooklyn, New York 11213

Background:

“Congressman Owens, a dedicated and life-long public servant, helped to improve the lives of New Yorkers and Americans across the Nation by fiercely advocating for education, gun control, and equal rights,” Congresswoman Clarke said. “I’m thrilled that my bill to designate the post office on Saint John Place in the Ninth Congressional District has passed into law. This is just one way we can pay tribute to Owens’ life and living legacy.”

“Brooklynites, like myself, will never forget Rep. Major Owens’s tireless leadership, ability to deliver for his district, goodhearted nature and commitment to the all-American value of equality,” said Senator Schumer. “As a trained librarian, Rep. Owens was a leading advocate for the public library system as a whole and did everything in his power to make sure children and families had equal access to important educational resources. Rep. Owens also helped lead the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 to passage. I am so pleased that the legislation to honor the legacy of my dear friend, Rep. Major Owens, with a Brooklyn post office designation, was signed into law.”

“From the very beginning of his career at the Brooklyn Public Library, following him all the way to his time in the U.S. House of Representatives, Congressman Major Owens was a fighter for the Brooklyn community,” said Senator Gillibrand. “He spent years advocating for issues that would help improve the lives of New Yorkers and people throughout this country, championing causes such as such as equal rights and education. I’m pleased that my bill to designate the post office at Saint Johns Place after him has passed into law. This post office designation will help honor his memory in the community he fought for and represented.”

Owens served New Yorkers in public office for 32 years, first serving in the New York State Assembly from 1975 to 1982, and then succeeding Shirley Chisholm as the Representative for New York’s 11th Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives. During his time in Congress, Owens was a fierce advocate for education, gun control, and equal rights until his retirement in 2007.

Prior to his decades in public office, Owens was actively involved in serving the Brooklyn community. He was the community coordinator at the Brooklyn Public Library, chairman of the Brooklyn Congress of Racial Equality (CORE), vice president of the Metropolitan Council of Housing, executive director of the Brownsville Community Council, commissioner of the Community Development Agency in New York City, and director of the Community Media Library Program at Columbia University.

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