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National
Black Leadership Commission on AIDS
C. Virginia Fields is former President of
the Manhattan Borough, New York City. She was
elected Manhattan Borough President, chief executive of
1.5 million residents, in 1997 and re-elected in 2001.
In 2005, she was a Democratic Candidate for Mayor of New
York City, becoming the first African-American woman to
seek that office.
Throughout the course of her career, Ms,
Fields has maintained her commitments to building
communities, revitalizing neighborhoods and empowering
citizens. As Borough President, she built a record
of success in education, economic development,
affordable housing, and health care.
Ms. Fields' long list of accomplishments
as Borough President include: bringing the public school
system into the 21st century through her allocation of
millions of dollars for libraries, computer and science
labs, and safe playgrounds; conducting annual Parent
Power Education Conferences to address public education
issues; creating hundreds of construction jobs by
allocating over $28 million dollars to build thousands
of units of affordable housing; initiating, and
allocating funds for the comprehensive redevelopment of
Frederick Douglas Boulevard, in Central Harlem, with
affordable housing, retail and commercial space;
creating and funding Manhattan's first lead-safe housing
for families whose children have suffered severe lead
poisoning; and commissioning a major healthcare study to
eliminate healthcare disparities among communities of
color.
She created the first Banking Development
District in Harlem; Carver Bank, located at 117th Street
and Adam C. Powell, Jr. Boulevard and a bank on
Roosevelt Island. She funded the first government
grants to small downtown businesses after the September
11, 2001 attacks. In collaboration with the Mayor
of Seocho City, South Korea, Ms. Fields created the
first Teacher's Exchange Program between the two cities.
During her term as Borough President, Ms.
Fields was elected Board Member of the National League
of Cities, which represents over 18,000 cities, towns
and villages throughout the United States. She
co-chaired its Homeland Security Working Group.
She also served on the boards of Jazz at Lincoln Center,
American Museum of Natural History, Museum of the City
of New York, el Museo Museum, Arts and Design, and a
number of other governmental and cultural institution
boards.
Elected to the City Council, in 1989, Ms.
Fields became the first African American woman to assume
that position in Manhattan, where she served two
four-year terms. She served on the following
committees: Land Use; Co-chaired: sub-committee on
Franchise, Dispositions and Concessions; Finance;
Health; Youth; and Standards and Ethics.
Ms. Fields' deep-rooted commitment,
courage and determination go back to her teenage years
of growing up in Birmingham, Alabama. In 1963, she
marched with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., braving the
fire hoses and police dogs of Birmingham taking her
stand in the civil rights struggle that transformed our
nation.
Born in Birmingham, Alabama, Ms. Fields
received a Bachelor of Arts Degree from Knoxville
College in Tennessee and Master's Degree in Social Work
from Indiana University. She moved to New York
City in 1971 to begin her career in social work and
worked in a variety of administrative positions.
She served as an Administrator for the City's Work
Release Program; Supervisor of Foster Care and Adoption
for the Children's Aid Socirty; and Field Consultant to
the National Board of the YWCA.
Ms. Fields is recipient of numerous
awards, citations and honors of distinction for her
leadership on education, health, community and economic
issues. In 2005, she received The President's
Medal, from Hunter College, The City University of New
York; and Special Honor Medal, Interboro Institute.
In 2006, she was presented the Marconi Medal, in honor
of Founder of The College of Technology; and the
Distinguished Black Women Award. In 2007, she
received the "Profile in Courage" Award from the New
York State Young Democrats' Caucus of Color; and JP
Morgan Chase Bank's Outstanding Leadership Award.
C. Virginia Fields is President of
C. VIRGINIA FIELDS ASSOCIATES, L.L.C., an
integrated government relations consulting firm.
She is an Adjunct Faculty at Columbia University
Graduate School of Social Work.
C. Virginia Fields resides in
Harlem, New York.
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