C. Virginia Fields

Clara A. L. Virginia Fields, better known as C. Virginia Fields (née Clark; born August 6, 1945),

Fields was known for her activism during the height of the civil rights movement in which she participated in a number of protests and marches, thus beginning her foray into social and political advocacy. She is a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha. She helped register people to vote in Birmingham, Alabama during the 1960s.

Political career

In 1989, Fields was elected to the New York City Council. In 1997, Fields was elected Manhattan Borough President, after Ruth Messinger served the maximum two terms.She became the first female African American borough president in New York City. Fields supported cultural organizations such as the New York Shakespeare Festival and the West Side Arts Coalition. She was in office during the September 11 attacks.

In 2005, Fields was a Democratic candidate for mayor of New York City. In early polls, she placed second to Bronx Borough President Fernando Ferrer. She received criticism for her campaign's perceived lack of policy-based motivation, with some critics pointing to the term limits of her position at the time as the real impetus for her campaign. It was discovered that her campaign literature included photographs doctored to create the impression of diversity in support. Fields never found traction and in the primary she finished third with 15.92% of the vote. Fields finished behind former Bronx Borough President Fernando Ferrer and Congressman Anthony Weiner, but ahead of City Council Speaker Gifford Miller.

In March 2006 it was reported that Fields would run for the State Senate seat representing Harlem and parts of Upper Manhattan, being vacated by Senate Minority Leader David Paterson. (Paterson ran for lieutenant governor on a ticket headed by State Attorney General Eliot Spitzer who was running for governor.) On June 1, 2006, Fields announced that she was ending her Senate campaign, explaining that it was not the right time for her to run.

Post-political career Fields became president and CEO of the non-profit organization, National Black Leadership Commission on AIDS (NBLCA) in 2008. During her tenure the organization rebranded itself as the National Black Leadership Commission on Health ("Black Health") and broadened its focus to include other diseases that disproportionately affect Black Americans. She retired as president and CEO of Black Health in June 2024. New York City Mayor Eric Adams designated June 19, 2024 as C. Virginia Fields Day, which coincided with the National Juneteenth Holiday.