Rep. Takano Statement on the Renaming of the Riverside Post Office After Waudieur “Woodie” Rucker-Hughes
Riverside, CA – Today, Representative Mark Takano (D-Calif.) released this statement following the ceremonial renaming of the United States Postal Service facility located at 4150 Chicago Avenue in Riverside, CA as the “Woodie Rucker-Hughes Post Office Building.”
“It brings me great joy to celebrate the legacy of Woodie Rucker-Hughes, by renaming the Riverside Post Office in her honor,” said Rep. Mark Takano. “Woodie’s vision for social justice and equality in our schools transformed the Riverside community for the better. She had a tremendous impact on others and redefined what it means to be a role model. Her hopeful spirit and fullness of heart touched my own life and the lives of so many others. To this day, I remain inspired by her leadership, and I feel lucky to have called her a dear friend. She undoubtedly deserves this dedication and I look forward to visiting the Woodie Rucker-Hughes Post Office.”
“My mother Waudieur ‘Woodie’ Rucker-Hughes was an advocate for social justice, equality, and education for all,” said Teliece Hughes. “Her passion for the students of Riverside was to reach one and teach one, and to push individuals to see their full potential. My family and I are truly appreciative of such an honor that has been bestowed to my mother with the renaming of the Chicago Avenue Post Office in Riverside, California. Thank you, Congressman Mark Takano, for your perseverance and determination to make this happen. Riverside California truly embraced my mom, and she loved her city right back. It takes a village! Her legacy will live forever.”
Before passing away in 2018, Woodie Rucker-Hughes was a former history teacher at John W. North High School from 1969 to 1975. She was also an administrator for the Riverside Unified School District, and she also served as the NAACP Riverside Charter President. Woodie made an impressionable difference in the Riverside community and lived by the mantra “never let it rest until the good is better and the better is best.”
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