AAECF Memorial Wall
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The AAECF honors Leslie B. Anderson is a graduate of SUNY Albany. During her junior year of college, she studied abroad at the University of Edinburgh in Edinburgh, Scotland. She graduated from Union University, Albany Law School with a Juris Doctor in 1990, and admitted to the New York State Bar in 1991. She first served as an Assistant District Attorney in the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office from 1991 through 2002. While her initial assignments were varied, including the Major Crime and District Court Bureaus, she spent her last four years as Chief of the Gang Investigations Unit during her first assignment with the Office.
Leslie was a great friend, sister and a great financial donor to the efforts of the AAECF Mission.
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“Without community service, we would not have a strong quality of life. It's important to the person who serves as well as the recipient. It's the way in which we ourselves grow and develop."
We the AAECF, Inc honor the legacy and remember the contributions of Dr. Dorothy Irene Height “The Godmother of the Civil Rights Movement” who was a civil rights and women's rights activist. She focused on the issues of African-American women, including unemployment, illiteracy, and voter awareness. She served as president of the National Council of Negro Women for 40 years. At the 1963 March on Washington, Dr. Height was on the platform when The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr delivered his "I Have a Dream" speech.
In 1994, Dr. Height was presented with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s Highest Civilian award by former President Bill Clinton and in 2004, she was presented with the Congressional Gold Medal, the Highest Civilian and Most Distinguished Award by the United States Congress.
"At the September 2005 Congressional Black Caucus Foundation 35th Annual Legislative Conference, in Washington, D.C. I was in the room with leaders as Congressman William Jefferson was Chair, Senator Barack Obama & Senator Hillary Clinton, Professor Charles Ogletree Harvard University, Dr. Henry Louis Gates, Jr, Dr.Ben Carson Johns -Hopkins Hospital, Mr. Marc Morial - National Urban League, Mr. Jim Brown and Dr. Priscilla Slade Texas Southern University, Senator Maxine Waters, Rep. Jesse L. Jackson, Jr., Rep. Gregory W. Meeks and Rep. Stephanie Tubbs Jones to name a few greats. I was honored to have the memorable opportunity to speak with Dr. Height, who motioned me over to her. I told her of how my colleagues and I formed the AAECF and we spoke about voting and civil rights. She told me to bend down as she was sitting in a wheel chair at that time. This Elder touched the top, and blessed me while saying 'keep going with your organization, don't waiver, never tire and never stop. Twenty-eight years later from our organizations inception, we are still here!" - Marylin Banks-Winter, Founding President.
On Tuesday, April 20th, 2010, the nation lost one its greatest civil rights leaders, Dr. Dorothy Height who passed away at the age of 98.