Remembering Helen Auerbach of Yonkers

Andrea Stewart-Cousins

June 24, 2011

Senator Stewart-Cousins spoke at a memorial service in remembrance of Yonkers activist Helen Auerbach, who passed away in March. Ms. Auerbach was a founding mother of My Sister’s Place – a Westchester based organization that works with victims of domestic violence and human trafficking. A tireless advocate for social justice and peace, Ms. Auerbach was active in the Westchester People’s Action Coalition, the Yonkers Chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and was co-founder of the Yonkers Chapter of the Congress of Racial Equality. She also worked for decades at Leake and Watts Children’s Home in Yonkers. At the memorial, held at the Community Unitarian Church in White Plains, friends and family shared their memories of how Helen Auerbach touched their lives and the lives of others. Senator Stewart-Cousins recalled Ms. Auerbach’s magnetic spirit and smile adding that she always admired Ms. Auerbach’s efforts to effect change in the local community and around the world. At the end of her speech, the Senator presented a proclamation from the New York State Senate to Ms. Auerbach’s son.