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[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 115 (Tuesday, July 31, 2012)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1364-E1365]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

  CELEBRATING THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY GOLDEN JUBILEE OF HARLEM'S BELOVED 
                          SYLVIA'S RESTAURANT

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. CHARLES B. RANGEL

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, July 31, 2012

  Mr. RANGEL. Mr. Speaker, I stand to honor a venerable Harlem 
institution, Sylvia's Restaurant, on its 50th anniversary. Founded by 
the late Sylvia Woods, Sylvia's is nationally and internationally 
famous, yet its soul remains in Harlem.
  On Wednesday, August 1, 2012, to kick off Sylvia's Restaurant's 50th 
Anniversary Golden Jubilee, the Woods family salutes the Harlem 
community with a complimentary Southern-style sidewalk breakfast party 
featuring Cake Man Raven complete with a voter registration drive, 
children's programming, live entertainment, guest speakers, prize 
giveaways and plenty of ``Dancing in the Streets.'' The celebration 
continues with The Golden Jubilee Parade, featuring the awesome 
Brooklyn Steppers, which begins at Adam Clayton Powell, Jr. Harlem 
State Office Building African Village Plaza from 125th Street and 7th 
Avenue to Sylvia's Restaurant at 127th Street and Lenox Avenue.
  I'd like to include in this Congressional Record, in celebration of 
this milestone occasion the obituary that was prepared in remembrance 
of Mrs. Sylvia Woods.

     In Remembrance of Sylvia Woods, February 2, 1926-July 19, 2012

       If ever there was a woman who defined strength, ambition 
     and determination coupled with enough entrepreneurial spirit 
     to uplift and inspire generations, it was Sylvia Pressley 
     Woods, `The Queen of Soul Food.' Encapsulating family 
     traditions of love, unity, female empowerment and of course 
     soul into her business ventures, she not only established an 
     imprint with her famed restaurant Sylvia's, but the visionary 
     blazed a trail for an entire community to emulate. After a 
     blessed 86 years with us, Sylvia Woods departed this world 
     and reunited with her late husband, Herbert Deward Woods, on 
     July 19, 2012.
       On February 2, 1926, Sylvia Woods was born to Van and Julia 
     Pressley in Hemingway, South Carolina. Three days after 
     Sylvia's birth, her father succumbed to chemical-weapons 
     injuries; he worked to ensure financial stability. When 
     Sylvia was three years old, her mother left her in the care 
     of her grandmother and the greater community of Hemingway as 
     she went to Brooklyn, New York in search of work and 
     increased opportunities. It was the notion of strength and 
     that sense of family togetherness which ultimately defined 
     who Sylvia Woods became. Julia returned to Hemingway a short 
     time later whereby she raised her children, Sylvia, Louise, 
     whom she adopted, Christine (Tiny), and Janie (Cout), whom 
     she also raised.
       In an era where women were fighting for equal footing, 
     Sylvia's grandmother already had a farm and instilled the 
     value of ownership in Julia and later in Sylvia herself. 
     Widowed after her husband was falsely accused of a robbery 
     and hung, her grandmother later remarried and eventually 
     fought to maintain control of the property after the second 
     husband passed away. It was on that land, on that farm that 
     Sylvia Woods absorbed an impeccable work ethic along with her 
     cousins and other children from the community. It was under 
     the hot sun that she picked beans every day after school and 
     first fell in love with food. And it was there that Sylvia 
     initially met her future husband at the tender age of 11 as 
     she worked alongside him on the farm. You could say it was 
     destiny.
       Sylvia's mother Julia worked tirelessly as a laundress in 
     New York and saved nearly every penny with the aim of 
     purchasing the property adjacent to her own mother. That 
     dream ultimately came to fruition. She returned to South 
     Carolina when Sylvia was still an adolescent. Julia bought 
     property next to the farm and had her own house constructed.
       Together, as a family unit, they worked the farm and 
     provided living examples of strong, independent, Black land 
     owning women for young Sylvia to one day replicate.
       In addition to their domestic work and maintenance of the 
     farm, both Sylvia's mother and grandmother were midwives for 
     Hemingway during their prime. Despite being unable to read or 
     write, her grandmother was the community's only midwife at 
     the time. This unyielding persistence to rise above adversity 
     was a quality passed down to Sylvia, as was a sense of 
     humility and gratitude for all of life's blessings. Sylvia 
     herself once recounted that as a young child, she considered 
     herself extremely lucky to be able to study by a lamp, for 
     many in her neighborhood could not afford electricity. It was 
     these humble beginnings that allowed Sylvia to continue to 
     cherish each and every success and never waver in support of 
     the less fortunate.
       During her formative years in Hemingway, Sylvia observed a 
     community that lived and worked for the benefit of all. It 
     was commonplace to adopt someone's child if the need arose, 
     or to help out in a person's home if necessary. Sylvia's 
     mother and grandmother had both adopted children at various 
     points in their lives. It was in this environment where 
     Sylvia's dedication to hard work was fine tuned, as her 
     mother made sure she stayed busy even on rainy days when the 
     beans could not be picked. Learning to sew and mend, Sylvia 
     started replacing buttons and repairing worn out clothing for 
     herself and the family. But soon enough, that transitioned 
     into a new creative outlet. Without the benefit of patterns 
     to duplicate, or any formal training, Sylvia began making 
     clothes--complete outfits--and tapping into the ingenuity 
     that played a key role in all her life's work
       Whether she was expressing her innovative side, or working 
     on the farm, Sylvia's childhood also centered on one other 
     main factor: food. Watching her mother, grandmother, 
     relatives and neighbors pour their hearts into the dishes 
     they served, she understood that great food didn't just 
     emerge; it required passion, love and soul. As different 
     folks added their own ingredients and made their own 
     specialties, Sylvia soon learned that cooking was a creative 
     and artistic process unto itself. It was those recipes that 
     were in turn handed down from generation to the next. And no 
     matter what the occasion, it was food that brought everyone 
     together.
       When Sylvia was 16, her grandmother sent her to cosmetology 
     school in Brooklyn in order to find work as a beautician. The 
     youngest person to graduate in her class, Sylvia then 
     returned to South Carolina. After a few years honing her 
     beautician skills while still assisting her family at home, 
     she made the difficult decision to return to New York. In 
     addition to parting ways with relatives, Sylvia faced the 
     heart-wrenching reality of saying goodbye to her beloved 
     Herbert. Possessing the same sentiments as Sylvia, Herbert 
     joined the Navy shortly thereafter with the hope that he 
     might one day sail to Brooklyn and reunite with his love. 
     Although he never quite made it to Brooklyn through the Navy, 
     the two married soon enough and moved to the village of 
     Harlem.
       On the tough and often unforgiving streets of New York, 
     almost everyone was chasing after a dream. But it was the 
     incomparable lessons of integrity, sacrifice, dedication and 
     courage of her childhood that laid the foundation for 
     Sylvia's eventual empire in Harlem and was an imprint for the 
     nation. When the Woods first moved uptown, Herbert drove a 
     cab to earn a living, while Sylvia worked a factory job on 
     Long Island. Exhausted for her commute, she seized an 
     opportunity to work as a waitress at Johnson's Luncheonette 
     on Lenox Avenue. It was a decision that later proved 
     invaluable.
       When Sylvia first accepted this waitressing job, it was yet 
     another daring move not only because she was inexperienced, 
     but because she had never set foot inside a restaurant 
     before. Growing up in the Deep South at a time when most 
     restaurants barred Blacks and Black-owned restaurants were 
     basically non-existent, she had no knowledge of the 
     complexities of the fast-paced industry. But Sylvia was a 
     quick learner.
       In 1962, when the owner of this luncheonette was leaving to 
     focus on other ventures, he offered to sell Sylvia the 
     establishment. After her initial shock, Sylvia realized the 
     potential this venue could have for a community that was 
     still yearning for a place to call home. Remaining true to 
     the ideals of working as a family, Sylvia went to her mother 
     who then mortgaged the family farm and allowed her daughter's 
     concept to become a reality. On Aug. 1, 1962, Sylvia's opened 
     its doors. It had 15 stools and six booths.
       Having a business is no small feat, let alone a restaurant 
     vying to survive during a period when many were forced to 
     close their doors. It was Sylvia's faith and unbelievable 
     relationship with Herbert that allowed her to overcome any 
     obstacle big or small. From the fields of South Carolina 
     where they looked after one another, through an enduring 
     marriage that saw the birth of four children--Van, Bedelia, 
     Kenneth and Crizette--the Woods had a bond that few will ever 
     experience in their lives. Both were born in Hemingway, and 
     both lost their fathers as babies. And in an added twist of 
     fate, both Sylvia's mother and Herbert's mother were born 
     on the same day, January 1, 1906.
       During the 1960's, Harlem was an unpredictable and ever-
     changing neighborhood. As many restaurants struggled to 
     remain open, Sylvia's found a niche with its southern 
     cuisines of collard greens, peach pies, fried chicken, 
     cornbread and other soul foods. But it was the warmth and 
     love with which Sylvia welcomed patrons into the restaurant 
     and that extra touch of care added into her dishes that won 
     the hearts of the community. Her establishment was so well 
     respected in fact, that during the riots of the '60s, as 
     businesses were set ablaze, hers remained protected and 
     intact.
       ``Sitting idle is not an option'' is what Sylvia's mother 
     used to say, and it's what Sylvia herself exemplified 
     throughout her time on earth. As her restaurant grew in 
     popularity, so did her efforts towards expansion. Sylvia's 
     currently seats over 450 patrons, and the powerhouse behind 
     it all had branched off into other business endeavors. She 
     purchased the remaining stores on the restaurant's Lenox 
     Avenue block, as well as several nearby brownstones. She 
     packaged her own signature line of food products that found 
     their way into grocery stores across America and remain of 
     the few truly Black owned businesses in food production 
     today.

[[Page E1365]]

     And she somehow found time to publish two successful 
     cookbooks.
       In 2001, Sylvia said goodbye to her best friend, the love 
     of her life, Herbert Woods. In his memory, the Woods family 
     founded the Sylvia and Herbert Woods Scholarship Fund 
     offering collegiate scholarships to Harlem and local 
     residents. To date, the fund has dispersed 76 scholarships 
     and will continue to live up to its mantra: ``a higher level 
     of education should not be a high-end luxury, but a right to 
     all those who seek it''.
       After the death of her soul mate, Sylvia once again turned 
     to her faith for renewed empowerment. Growing up in a strong 
     Christian home, she came to know God as a young child. She 
     was a firm believer in the notion that no matter what the 
     adversity, God would see you through. It was a value and 
     belief system she passed down to her children and 
     grandchildren. Sylvia was a member of Abyssinian Baptist 
     Church for many years, and later joined Grace Baptist Church 
     as it was more convenient for her to attend there. She was 
     instrumental in the construction of her home church, Jeremiah 
     Methodist, in Hemingway.
       In 2007, Sylvia received a Congressional honor 
     acknowledging her immense contribution to American society. 
     She appeared in numerous national and international media 
     outlets and has been saluted by President Bill Clinton, New 
     York Governor Pataki, New York Mayors Ed Koch, David Dinkins 
     and Mike Bloomberg, the New York Stock Exchange, among 
     others. She was also recognized by the NAACP and received 
     numerous awards.
       Sylvia's has proudly served Presidents--including the first 
     African American President, Barack Obama--international 
     dignitaries, celebrities, Harlem residents and tourists the 
     world over. It is owned and operated by three generations of 
     the Woods family that remain committed to the work ethic, 
     devotion, and entrepreneurial spirit of its founder. 2012 
     marks the 50th anniversary of Sylvia's.
       A relentless fighter and champion first for her family, 
     community, and minority/female-owned businesses, Sylvia is 
     now reunited with her mother, grandmother, husband Herbert, 
     adopted sister Louise Thomas and half-brother McKinley 
     Preston, all of whom have passed on. She is survived by her 
     four children, Van (Brenda Woods) Bedelia, Kenneth (Sylvia 
     Woods) and Crizette; one step-daughter, Linda Woods; 18 
     grandchildren; two great-grandchildren; two great-great-
     grandchildren; two special cousins, Christine Cameron and 
     Janie Cooper; one sister-in-law, Evelyn Woods; a host of 
     loving nieces, nephews, cousins and a nation that will 
     forever be indebted to a woman who reminded us to never lose 
     sight of the key ingredient for any success.

  Mr. Speaker, I ask that you and my colleagues join me in 
commemorating the 50th anniversary of the founding of this esteemed 
Harlem institution. May it continue its long run of excellence for 
another 50 years and more.

                          ____________________
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