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Caribbean L 8 ife, MAY 14-20, 2021
Trinidadian Mary Bishop (right), director of Constituent Services for Congresswoman
Yvette D. Clarke with Congresswoman Yvette D. Clarke. Offi ce
of Congresswoman Yvette D. Clarke
Trinidadian Mary
Bishop dead at 59
By Nelson A. King
Caribbean American Democratic Congresswoman
Yvette D. Clarke announced
on Thursday that Trinidadian-born Mary
Bishop, Clarke’s long-standing director of
Constituent Services in the 9th Congressional
District in Brooklyn, died on Sunday.
She would have been 59 on June 25.
“Mary has been with our office and me
for more than 15 years,” said Clarke, the
daughter of Jamaican immigrants, stating
that she was profoundly saddened by
her passing. “She began working with me
in my campaign for Congress in 2006 and
was critical to our success.
“She was among the first of my staffers
to work with me in DC (District of Columbia)
as my first congressional scheduler,”
Clarke added. “After an extended period,
she returned home to her beloved 9th
Congressional District.”
The congresswoman described Bishop
as “a consummate public servant who
was passionate about helping others.
“She seemed to be driven to help others
who found themselves in the most
difficult of circumstances, and she was
gratified by bringing a smile to the face of
those in distress,” she said.
Clarke also said that Bishop “had a
heart of gold,” and that “she embodied
what it meant to advocate for the people.”
She said Bishop’s passing “will resonate
in our district immensely.
“She fought on behalf of every constituent
that she encountered as if they were
her blood relatives,” Clarke said. “She
ingratiated herself to decision-makers
and established relationships that would
accrue to the benefit of the most vulnerable
amongst us.
“On a personal note, I will miss Mary
dearly,” she added. “We celebrated together,
laughed together, and shared a passion
for the people of the 9th district
together.
“Mary Bishop worked hard, played
hard, and was a God-fearing woman who
loved her family immensely,” the congresswoman
continued. “She was a proud
Caribbean Woman from Trinidad and
Tobago, who added so much to the richness
of the cultural diversity in our office
and her adopted home, Brooklyn, New
York.
“I want to extend my thoughts and
prayers to Mary’s immediate and extended
family, loved ones, friends and all
who were touched by the life and legacy
of the incomparable Mary Bishop,” she
said. “While I’m still coming to grips and
processing her passing, I know that to be
absent from the body is to be present with
the Lord.”
Clarke ended her tribute by quoting
Mahalia Jackson: “’If I can help somebody,
as I travel along; If I can help somebody
with a word or song;
If I help somebody from doing wrong;
No, my living shall not be in vain.’”
Anita Taylor, Clarke’s 9th Congressional
District director, and Bishop’s immediate
supervisor, said on Facebook on
Wednesday: “With heavy heart, I wish to
inform you of the passing of my ride or
die chick, my confidant, my best friend,
Mary Bishop.
“I’m hurting,” Taylor added. “RIP (rest
in peace) my sister until I see you again.”
Taylor also told Caribbean Life on
Thursday: “This hit me like a brick. I
can’t even process it. I can’t even come
to my senses.”
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