Harlem names July 6 ‘Alelia Murphy Appreciation Day’ after oldest woman in the US

Officials in the New York neighborhood of Harlem have declared that July 6 will be recognized as “Alelia Murphy Appreciation Day” to honor the country’s oldest living person, who lives in the neighborhood. 

The day was proclaimed Saturday to honor Murphy’s 114th birthday, CNN reports. 

{mosads}State Sen. Brian Benjamin (D) presented Murphy with a poster and copy of the proclamation and joined the community in singing “Happy Birthday” to celebrate.

Murphy was born in North Carolina in 1905 and has lived in Harlem since 1926. Widowed in 1953, Murphy supported her two children as a seamstress for most of her life, CNN reports. 

Murphy’s granddaughter, Nefer Nekhet, told CNN affiliate WPIX her 114-year-old grandma is the “glue that holds this family together.”{mosads}

Murphy’s family said she credits God and “being a good person” to her long life, according to CNN. 

Her age is confirmed by the Gerontology Research Group, in a ranking of supercentenarians, people who are at least 110. 

All 33 recorded supercentenarians in the world are women, based on the list. The eldest, Kane Tanaka of Japan, is two years and 185 days older than Murphy.