City Council:
A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF
THE CITY OF MOUNT VERNON, NEW YORK
CELEBRATING THE EXTRAORDINARY LIFE OF
DEACONESS SARAH BUSH HOWELL,
ON HER 100TH BIRTHDAY
Whereas, the great City of Mount Vernon, NY, joins together the extraordinary life of DEACONESS SARAH BUSH HOWELL in honor of her 100th birthday; and
Whereas, DEACONESS SARAH BUSH HOWELL was born on February 5, 1925, in Williston, South Carolina, a small town in Barnwell County, South Carolina, and was named after her grandmother. She was the sixth of ten children born to Jesse and Euler Bush and is the last surviving child. Sarah was raised in a family of sharecroppers, working the land under brutal and unjust conditions, experiencing firsthand the hardships imposed by systemic racism and economic oppression; and
Whereas, despite limited access to formal education due to agricultural labor demands, Sarah demonstrated resilience and a strong desire to learn. She attended a one-room schoolhouse before enrolling in boarding school to complete her high school education and beauty school. She endured the challenges of growing up in the segregated South, witnessing the injustices of Jim Crow laws and the terror inflicted by the Ku Klux Klan, which directly impacted her family and community. Seeking more significant opportunities, Deaconess Howell moved to Mount Vernon, NY, where she built a life rooted in faith, perseverance, and family, becoming an active member of Macedonia Baptist Church. She met and married the love of her life, Sterland Howell, with whom she raised two children and achieved the American Dream of homeownership; and
Whereas, Deaconess Howell and her husband remained devoted members of Macedonia Baptist Church, where she served as Deaconess and her husband as a Deacon, instilling strong values of faith and service in their family. In 2009, Deaconess Howell moved her church membership to Mount Zion Christian Church in Mount Vernon, NY, where she maintains her Deaconess status....
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