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[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E294]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
HONORING THE LIFE OF R. ALEXANDRA `SANDY' LARSON OF NORTH BRUNSWICK
______
HON. BONNIE WATSON COLEMAN
of new jersey
in the house of representatives
Wednesday, March 11, 2020
Mrs. WATSON COLEMAN. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the life
and contributions of R. Alexandra Larson, better known as Sandy, who
spent her life advocating for social justice, fighting for those who
might otherwise be voiceless and placed justice higher than any other
objective.
Sandy dedicated her career to the taxing but incredible work of
fighting for civil rights and supporting children and families. Unlike
many, she walked the walk, living her values daily. As an attorney with
the Middlesex County Office of the Public Defender, she developed
projects to document and address disproportionate rates of arrest and
incarceration for people of color--working to correct a disparity that
plagues our society even now. As Director for the Governor's Committee
on Children's Services Planning, Sandy was responsible for reports that
to this day are the basis for broad advocacy efforts for children
across my state, and she is credited with helping to develop the New
Jersey Youth Services Commission--established to fix the way courts
handle at-risk youth.
Sandy's efforts to affect positive change were not limited to her
professional endeavors. In her free time, she shared her three
degrees--a BA in Journalism from Douglass College, an M.S.W. from
Rutgers School for Social Work and a J.D. from Rutgers School of Law--
Newark--and her years of expertise with community organizations that
included the Metuchen-Edison NAACP and the Latino Leadership Alliance
of New Jersey. She served on the Board of Trustees of the New Jersey
Training School for Boys, the Children's Trust Fund of New Jersey, the
Coalition for Hispanic Rights in Criminal Justice, the Middlesex County
Local Advisory Council for Alcohol and Drug Abuse, and the ASAP
program.
What her friends and family, including her daughter Francesca Dulce
Larson, her mother Francesca Nadalini, granddaughter Serafina Giovanna,
and her siblings Michela, Marthe, Robb, Gus, Giovanna, George, Jayne
Amelia, and Jonathan, will no doubt miss the most is her spirit. Sandy
was fearless and fierce. She was about building a brighter future for
everyone and connecting the dots that would improve the world just a
little with every action she took. She was a light in every room, the
link that connected so many friends, and a source of love in a world
that could use more of it. I am so grateful for everything she
accomplished and devoted herself to with her time here, and I send my
heartfelt prayers to all those who join me in mourning her loss.
____________________
