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Celebrating the life of Kitty Clark Stevenson.
Agreed to by the House of Delegates, March 9, 2026
Agreed to by the Senate, March 11, 2026
WHEREAS, Kitty Clark Stevenson, a longtime business owner, civic official, and community organizer who touched countless lives in Arlington County through her diligence, integrity, and passion for service, died on June 4, 2025; and
WHEREAS, Kitty Clark Stevenson was born in 1949 to Jalorce M. Clark and Alfred W. Clark, Sr., the first Black firefighter to be paid by Arlington County; she grew up in the Hall's Hill neighborhood and spent much of her childhood at the Hall's Hill Volunteer Fire Department's Fire Station 8; and
WHEREAS, Kitty Clark Stevenson was one of the first Black students to integrate Claude A. Swanson Junior High School, then graduated from what is now Washington-Liberty High School; and
WHEREAS, Kitty Clark Stevenson dedicated her professional career to the promotion of equity in the workplace as a human resources management professional for 50 years; she owned the human resources consulting firm ABLE'N Consulting from 1981 until her death, and worked for the Arlington County Human Resources Department from 1983 until 2000; and
WHEREAS, during that period, Kitty Clark Stevenson served as Arlington County's first Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) officer, as well as the personnel EEO specialist, the selective placement program manager, and a trainer on disability awareness and workplace sensitivity issues; and
WHEREAS, in 2002, Kitty Clark Stevenson began working with the Arlington County Department of Voter Registration and Elections as an elections officer, then served as a precinct chief and assistant registrar; based on her own experiences with poll taxes and other forms of voter discrimination in her childhood, she was committed to making voting more accessible and ensuring that every person with whom she interacted understood their rights as a voter; and
WHEREAS, Kitty Clark Stevenson also continued to challenge discrimination through her role as a member of the Arlington Human Rights Commission and served as chair of the commission from 2011 to 2017; and
WHEREAS, in 2015, Kitty Clark Stevenson was part of a grassroots effort to preserve the historic Fire Station 8, which was scheduled for relocation; the station had been a beloved community meeting place for years, bringing together residents of the three largest predominantly Black neighborhoods, Hall's Hill, Johnson's Hill, and Green Valley; and
WHEREAS, Kitty Clark Stevenson sought to honor the legacy of the firefighters who not only served and safeguarded local residents, but organized neighborhood events and activities for young people, fostering a stronger sense of community in the area; and
WHEREAS, thanks to the determined advocacy by Kitty Clark Stevenson and other local residents, the new, larger Fire Station 8 was built in the same location, and she helped choose the words that adorn the walls of the station, Resilience, Service, and Dedication; and
WHEREAS, predeceased by her husband, Francis, Kitty Clark Stevenson will be fondly remembered and greatly missed by her son, Alfred W. Clark III, and his family, and numerous other family members and friends; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That the General Assembly hereby note with great sadness the loss of Kitty Clark Stevenson, a pillar of the Arlington community who dedicated her life to servant leadership; and, be it
RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to the family of Kitty Clark Stevenson as an expression of the General Assembly's respect for her memory.