LEGISLATIVE RESOLUTION mourning the death of Jacqueline A. Berrien,
distinguished citizen 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 the great
State of New York; and
WHEREAS, Jacqueline A. Berrien, the former chairwoman of the Equal
Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and a veteran civil rights
lawyer who had earlier served five years as associate director-counsel
of the NAACP's Legal Defense and Educational Fund, died on November 9,
2015, at the age of 53; and
WHEREAS, A resident of both Washington and Brooklyn, Jacqueline A.
Berrien led the EEOC from 2010 to 2014, when her term expired; her lead-
ership and passion for making real our nation's promise of equal oppor-
tunity for all truly changed the country for the better; and
WHEREAS, Jacqueline A. Berrien distinguished herself in her profession
and by her sincere dedication and substantial contribution to the
welfare of her community; and
WHEREAS, With a steadfast and unremitting commitment to underrepre-
sented communities, Jacqueline A. Berrien injected new life into the
EEOC with new ideas and strategies which helped refocus the commission
on its enduring mission of protecting the most fundamental rights of all
Americans; and
WHEREAS, Under the luminous direction of Jacqueline A. Berrien, the
EEOC took action against systemic employment practices and work rules
that discriminated against classes of people on the basis of ethnic
origin, sexual orientation, disabilities and religious beliefs; and
WHEREAS, In addition, Jacqueline A. Berrien was instrumental in the
publishing of guidelines for the consideration of records related to
arrests and convictions in employment decisions, the role of pregnancy
in employment decisions and the application of the Genetic Information
Nondiscrimination Act; and
WHEREAS, Born in Washington on November 28, 1961, Jacqueline Ann
Berrien graduated from the Connelly School of the Holy Child in Potomac,
Maryland in 1979; she went on to earn a degree from Ohio's Oberlin
College in 1983, and from Harvard Law School in 1986; and
WHEREAS, Jaqueline A. Berrien began her illustrious legal career with
the Voting Rights Project of the Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights in
Washington, and with the National Legal Department and Women's Rights
Project of the American Civil Liberties Union in New York; and
WHEREAS, In 1994, Jacqueline A. Berrien became an assistant counsel to
the NAACP's Legal Defense and Education Fund, during which time she
focused on voting rights and school desegregation litigation; and
WHEREAS, Throughout the early 2000s, Jacqueline A. Berrien was a
program officer with the Ford Foundation's Peace and Social Justice
Program; she then returned to the Legal Defense Fund in 2004 as associ-
ate director-counsel, and taught at both Harvard Law School and New York
Law School; and
WHEREAS, In addition to her husband of 28 years, Peter M. Williams,
Jacqueline A. Berrien is survived by a brother, Clifford Eric Berrien;
and
WHEREAS, Jacqueline A. Berrien's commitment to excellence, and her
spirit of humanity, carried over into all fields of enterprise, includ-
ing charitable and civic endeavors; and
WHEREAS, Armed with a humanistic spirit, imbued with a sense of
compassion, and comforted by a loving family, Jacqueline A. Berrien

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 Jacqueline A. Berrien, distinguished citizen and
devoted member of her community; and be it further
RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be tran-
smitted to the family of Jacqueline A. Berrien.