HJ313: Celebrating the life of Barbara Wurtzel Rabin.

HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 313

Offered February 25, 2020
Celebrating the life of Barbara Wurtzel Rabin.
Patron-- Samirah (By Request)

WHEREAS, Barbara Wurtzel Rabin, founding executive director of Housing Opportunities Made Equal of Virginia, died on September 22, 2019; and

WHEREAS, a native of New York, Barbara Rabin studied at Oberlin College and the London School of Economics and worked as an educator before earning a doctorate in political science from American University in Washington, D.C.; and

WHEREAS, after moving to Richmond in 1966, Barbara Rabin worked with other local parents to lay the groundwork for John B. Cary Elementary School to become, in 1969, the first city school to be voluntarily integrated and have open enrollment; and

WHEREAS, Barbara Rabin also helped create Citizens for Excellence in Public Schools, which spurred the development of Henderson Middle School and Open High School; and

WHEREAS, in 1971, Barbara Rabin helped found and was chosen to lead Housing Opportunities Made Equal of Virginia (HOME), which tackles systemically divisive housing practices through fair housing enforcement and research, advocacy, and statewide policy work; and

WHEREAS, during her tenure at HOME, Barbara Rabin developed a legal case that resulted in a landmark 1982 decision by the Supreme Court of the United States in Havens Realty Corp. v. Coleman that strengthened enforcement of the Fair Housing Act of 1968; and

WHEREAS, Barbara Rabin earned a law degree from the University of Virginia, then relocated to Massachusetts, where she worked for the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law and Greater Boston Legal Services; she also continued to advocate for housing rights as a member of the National Fair Housing Alliance; and

WHEREAS, Barbara Rabin will be fondly remembered and greatly missed by her children, Judy, Daniel, and Sharon, and their families, and numerous other family members and friends; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That the General Assembly hereby note with great sadness the loss of a dedicated activist, attorney, and mother, Barbara Wurtzel Rabin; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to the family of Barbara Wurtzel Rabin as an expression of the General Assembly’s respect for her memory.