September 28, 2015 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — HOUSE H6293 b 1915 Mr. KILMER. Mr. Speaker, I want to of the Members of the Congressional PUGET SOS ACT thank my friend and cofounder of the Black Caucus. Puget Sound Recovery Caucus, Rep- Let me thank our chairman, Chair- (Mr. HECK of Washington asked and resentative HECK, for his partnership man G.K. BUTTERFIELD, for continuing was given permission to address the on the Puget SOS Act. this tradition and for his continued House for 1 minute and to revise and As you heard from him, the Puget leadership, encouragement, and avoca- extend his remarks.) Sound is truly a gift that we need to tion for Members and for the stories of Mr. HECK of Washington. Mr. Speak- restore and protect. Generations have those who have been such leaders in er, to explain the significance of the enjoyed the ability to swim, fish, and our Nation and such major issues that Puget Sound in 1 minute is impossible. dig for clams in this iconic body of we have been able to contribute to for But I will tell you this: With every 60 water. They have built lives and made the understanding of our colleagues. seconds that goes by, the Puget Sound livelihoods on the Puget Sound. Let me also make mention of my col- is being damaged more than it is being But for the millions of residents that leagues, Congresswoman KELLY and fixed. With every minute that goes by call Puget Sound home and for future Congressman PAYNE, who have led us that we fail to collectively do some- generations, we absolutely have to on this Special Order for the Congres- thing, we are all losing money. take action to fight for the Sound. sional Black Caucus. I thank them for Puget Sound is a resource, but it is That is why I invite my colleagues to their leadership and service. more than that. It is an American sponsor the Puget SOS Act. This bill A very special thanks to those of you treasure. Puget Sound is a body of raises the profile of Puget Sound by who are watching at home and have water that deserves national recogni- naming it a nationally significant body often watched at home and have fol- tion. of water. It enhances the Federal Gov- lowed the Congressional Black Caucus Congressman KILMER and I have ernment’s coordination in addressing through social media, social network, brought together numerous stake- these issues. It respects tribal treaty and also know that our major issues of holders that agree on very few things rights. This bill is an important step. criminal justice reform, civil rights, to agree on this: We need to do more. I look forward to continued work for the restoration of the Voting Rights The Federal Government needs to step Puget Sound. Our kids, including my Act, and many others have been to up to the plate to get recovery moving. two little girls, are counting on us. speak to the vulnerable. Tonight we The Puget SOS Act is that plan. We f again speak to you, but we speak of do it for the Great Lakes. We do it for those heroes that we have lost over the the Chesapeake Bay. Now is the time CONGRATULATING TROOPER J.D. last couple of months. to bring forth this effort for our Puget BERRONG Tonight we pay tribute to Amelia Sound, the largest estuary in America. (Ms. FOXX asked and was given per- Boynton Robinson, Congressman Lou Let’s clean the Puget Sound up. mission to address the House for 1 Stokes, and, of course, Julian Bond. Join us in cosponsoring this bill, minute.) Our Nation was built on the values of along with Mr. REICHERT, Mr. Ms. FOXX. Mr. Speaker, today I rise dealing with the issues of freedom, jus- NEWHOUSE, Mr. MCDERMOTT, Mr. RICK to congratulate Trooper J.D. Berrong, tice and equality, values and principles LARSEN, Mr. ADAM SMITH, and Ms. who recently won the Jimmy K. that were perfectly embodied by the DELBENE. Clean up the Puget Sound. Ammons North American Inspectors service and sacrifices of these three f Grand Champion Award. leaders. This is the first time a North Caro- Mr. Speaker, over the last week we AMERICAN HERO DR. SIDNEY lina trooper has ever won this competi- have watched the Pope make his way PHILLIPS, JR. tion, which recognizes the Nation’s top through a number of American cities (Mr. BYRNE asked and was given roadside inspector. Berrong, who re- and use words that are music to the permission to address the House for 1 sides in the community of Mulberry, ears of Members of the Congressional minute.) competed against 51 other roadside in- Black Caucus. Let me take just one of Mr. BYRNE. Mr. Speaker, I rise spectors representing jurisdictions many citations that I will utilize to today to remember an American hero, across the United States, Canada, and characterize these three individuals: Dr. Sidney Phillips, Jr., who passed Mexico. ‘‘The complexities of history,’’ said away in Mobile over the weekend at Trooper Berrong is stationed in Pope Francis, ‘‘and the reality of the age of 91. Wilkes County and is a 14-year veteran human weakness notwithstanding, Dr. Phillips was a veteran of World of the North Carolina State Highway these men and women, for all their War II, where he served in the Marine Patrol. He is currently assigned to the many differences and limitations, were Corps. At the young age of 18, Sid Phil- motor carrier enforcement section, able, by hard work and self-sacrifice, lips took part in the famous battle of troop F, district 9. some at the cost of their lives, to build Guadalcanal in the Pacific. Troopers who perform motor carrier a better future.’’ Dr. Phillips was one of the most well- enforcement duties ensure that all I would offer to say that Amelia known and respected veterans in Ala- modes of travel, including commercial Boynton Robinson, Congressman Lou bama. His career was profiled in Ken motor vehicles, are consistently mon- Stokes, and Julian Bond, through the Burns’ PBS documentary ‘‘The War’’ itored in order to improve highway sacrifice of their individual families and Steven Spielberg’s HBO series safety. and their lives, were able to make a ‘‘The Pacific.’’ Congratulations, Trooper Berrong, better future for us. To many of us from the Mobile area, and thank you for serving the public We know the civil rights activist we remember Sid Phillips as a local good and helping maintain the safety Amelia Boynton Robinson, 1965, was a family doctor, a patriotic family man, of the highways of North Carolina. leader of the Bloody Sunday march and and a strong advocate for our Nation’s f personified the optimism, determina- veterans. tion, and courage that are at the heart Mr. Speaker, on behalf of all of my A TRIBUTE TO AMELIA BOYNTON of the American spirit. She truly made constituents in Southwest Alabama, I ROBINSON, CONGRESSMAN LOUIS our lives better. want to share my condolences with Sid STOKES, AND JULIAN BOND Known as the matriarch of our Na- Phillips’ family and friends. He em- The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. tion’s civil rights movement, Ms. bodied the American spirit, and he will ROUZER). Under the Speaker’s an- Boynton Robinson fought courageously be sorely missed. nounced policy of January 6, 2015, the to ensure that every American citizen f gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. JACKSON had the right to vote. Her drive to se- LEE) is recognized for 60 minutes as the cure universal voting rights was amaz- PUGET SOS ACT designee of the minority leader. ing, and certainly she risked her life (Mr. KILMER asked and was given Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, when she crossed the Edmund Pettus permission to address the House for 1 thank you very much. I am very privi- Bridge. In her words, her son said civil minute.) leged tonight to lead the Special Order rights was her entire life.

VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:42 Sep 29, 2015 Jkt 049060 PO 00000 Frm 00031 Fmt 7634 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\K28SE7.057 H28SEPT1 SSpencer on DSK4SPTVN1PROD with HOUSE H6294 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — HOUSE September 28, 2015 We now understand that Congress- Again, these individuals, at the cost This year, as we celebrate the 50th man Lou Stokes made an amazing and of their lives or their own futures, built anniversary of the Voting Rights Act impactful statement legislatively and a better future for us. of 1965, we remember the selfless ac- throughout his life. He was a consum- With that, I am delighted to yield to tions of individuals like Amelia Boyn- mate public servant, a trailblazer who the chair of the Congressional Black ton Robinson who fought against sys- broke down barriers for generations of Caucus, Mr. G.K. BUTTERFIELD, a tems of injustice so that future genera- African Americans. former high superior court judge—I am tions would have opportunities that He was the first African American calling him all kinds of names—but, in were not possible to generations past. Congressman from Ohio who served 30 any event, a dynamic leader of the Tonight we honor Mrs. Boynton Robin- years. Representing a portion of Cleve- Congressional Black Caucus. Again, I son for her legacy which continues in land, he prioritized the advancement of yield to the gentleman from North each of us. our Nation’s most vulnerable popu- Carolina. Finally, Mr. Speaker, tonight we lations. Mr. BUTTERFIELD. Mr. Speaker, I honor Julian Bond, a forefather of He advocated for more funding of thank Congresswoman SHEILA JACKSON America’s civil rights movement and education, housing, development LEE for her friendship, for her leader- one of our country’s greatest advocates projects, access to health care. He was ship, and I certainly thank her for for freedom and equality and equitable one of the fiercest advocates for public yielding time tonight. treatment for all people. housing. Let me also thank the other Mem- From his work as a student leader Mr. Stokes was a major proponent bers who are on the floor this evening during the 1960s to his service in the and leader that asked the Housing and to help in honoring the lives of Louis Georgia House of Representatives and Urban Development to assess the poor, Stokes, Amelia Boynton Robinson, and the State Senate, Julian Bond was a deleterious, horrible conditions that Julian Bond. leader in the fight against racism and children were living in as housing im- These three are icons, absolute icons, segregation. pacted their health. of the civil rights movement, who in In fact, just recently I presented my their own way paved the way for so b 1930 housing authority a lead poisoning many. I had the high honor of calling I first met Julian Bond at the funeral grant which was instigated, was en- Lou Stokes and Julian Bond personal of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., in 1968. couraged, was advocated for by Con- friends. As the founding president of the South- gressman Lou Stokes. He has saved As the first African American to rep- ern Poverty Law Center and chairman thousands upon thousands of lives. resent Ohio in Congress, Representa- of the board of the NAACP, Julian I thank him for organizing the Con- tive Lou Stokes was a pioneer in public Bond continued his work educating gressional Black Caucus Health service. He broke down numerous bar- citizens around the world of the strug- Braintrust, and I want to thank him riers for African Americans during his gles of African Americans and the his- personally for allowing me work for extraordinary career as an elected offi- tory of civil rights here in America. him as a staff member of the Select cial on the local, State, and Federal Julian Bond spent his lifetime in Committee on Assassinations, which he levels. public service, calling for equal civil ultimately chaired. We thank him for First elected to Congress in 1969 and and human rights not only for African his amazing service. serving for 30 long years in the U.S. Americans, but for every American. He once said, ‘‘I am going to keep on House, he was a founder of the Congres- Until his untimely death, he was an ad- denouncing the inequities of this sys- sional Black Caucus and the first Afri- vocate, activist, and dedicated cham- tem, but I am going to work within it. can American to serve on the House pion who fought for the most vulner- To go outside the system would be to Appropriations Committee. He was the able individuals and communities deny myself, to deny my own exist- founder of the CBC Health Braintrust, among us. We celebrate his life and his ence. I have beaten the system. I have which remains active today in pro- lasting legacy. proved it can be done. So have a lot of tecting health, equity, and reducing I want to thank Ms. JACKSON LEE for others.’’ This is, of course, the kind of health disparities. leader that Lou Stokes was. Congressman Stokes was the embodi- her leadership and thank her for yield- Our friend, Julian Bond, was a civil ment of a public servant. He selflessly ing. I thank the Members for coming to rights icon. He was a leader in the fight used his elected positions to increase the floor this evening. for equality, freedom, and equal justice opportunities for millions of African Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, let and opportunity. He inspired genera- Americans. me thank the gentleman for his very tions of Americans to build a better fu- We will miss our dear friend Lou thoughtful statement and for leading ture for all people. Stokes. But the impact of his legacy of us off today and setting the tone for Julian Bond was considered the service and commitment to his con- the Congressional Black Caucus that young one in the movement with Dr. stituents and to the African American we will never forget our icons, but we Martin Luther King. He stood as not community will be remembered for also know that to pay tribute is the only an original, but a fierce advocate generations. highest honor for all of us because we of the Student Nonviolent Coordi- Often referred to as the matriarch of are here because of all of them. I thank nating Committee and the founding the movement, Amelia Boynton Robin- Mr. BUTTERFIELD for his leadership. president of the Southern Poverty Law son’s role in Bloody Sunday, as you Mr. Speaker, it is my privilege now Center. have already heard, and the march to yield to Representative CHARLES Elected to office, of course, he him- from Selma to Montgomery is immor- RANGEL, who does not need a long in- self fought against discrimination. He talized in the Oscar-nominated film troduction. It is important to note that was discriminated himself. When he ‘‘Selma.’’ he has led on so many issues. He was was refused a seat in the Georgia State She also made history in 1964 by be- not only the chairman of the Com- Legislature, it did not in any way de- coming the first African American mittee on Ways and Means, but also a mean or undermine his courage or in- woman from Alabama to run for Con- dear friend of Congressman Lou Stokes spiration. He went on to be seated and gress. In her congressional election and one of the founders of the Congres- to do great things. that year, Mrs. Boynton Robinson gar- sional Black Caucus. If Congressman Tonight we are privileged to be able nered 10 percent of the vote despite the RANGEL had not done what he did, we to honor and pay tribute to these three fact that African Americans only made would not be here today. I am de- heroes. We are called to follow the ex- up 1 percent of the voting population in lighted to yield to him at this time. ample they set, to fight to ensure that Alabama’s Seventh Congressional Dis- Mr. RANGEL. Mr. Speaker, I thank all Americans have access to equal op- trict. Congresswoman JACKSON LEE for pull- portunity so they will have a fair shot Forty-six years later the CBC’s very ing together this tribute. It is moving at economic prosperity, have the right own representative, TERRI SEWELL, and emotional that we do this after the to vote, be free from mass incarcer- whom we will hear from in just a few visit to these Chambers by the Pope, ation, and do the things that America moments, now holds that seat here in who made it abundantly clear how all bestows upon them. Congress. of us, no matter how ordinary we are,

VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:26 Sep 29, 2015 Jkt 049060 PO 00000 Frm 00032 Fmt 7634 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\K28SE7.058 H28SEPT1 SSpencer on DSK4SPTVN1PROD with HOUSE September 28, 2015 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — HOUSE H6295 can do extraordinary things when we Bond did, dropping out of school, com- Rights Act, which she is leading on. It make a commitment to do the right ing from a professional family where is my delight to yield to her at this thing. education had a higher standard than time. As some of the older Members know, some of us from the inner cities, it Ms. SEWELL of Alabama. Mr. Speak- it is almost unbelievable how people must have broken their heart to know er, I thank our leader of the CBC, Con- that you know on an everyday basis that he was joining a group that would gressman BUTTERFIELD, so much for his that go through life with their own then provide the leadership for our exemplary leadership and the courage problems still can find the time to try country for people Black and White. that he exemplifies every day in fight- to improve the quality of life for so There is nothing that my heart would ing for the causes that we all hold so many people. allow me to say about Lou Stokes. I dear. I feel almost awkward looking at the came to Congress not knowing that in I want to thank Congresswoman Representative from Selma, Alabama, the Congress was a giant of a man from JACKSON LEE for those wonderful this evening because, after Bloody Sun- Cleveland, Lou Stokes, who motivated words. SHEILA JACKSON LEE has not day, there was a call all over the world the 13 of us, who led us to form the only been an amazing Member of Con- for people to come to Selma. I was one Congressional Black Caucus. I have gress, but she has been a great mentor of those called, and I was one of those walked in the shadows of his giant to me. I want to thank her for all she that did not think that me going to footsteps since I have been privileged does for so many of us and the men- Selma with my bad feet could make a to serve in this House. toring she continues to provide the contribution to anything, and this is Ms. JACKSON LEE and members of the younger generation. especially so after seeing what hap- Congressional Black Caucus, it is real- What can I say to CHARLIE RANGEL? pened on Bloody Sunday. ly extraordinary how God has given us To even have him know my name is an But I did go down because of JOHN the opportunity to say thank you for honor. I know that, but for the remark- LEWIS and Andrew Young and Martin the blessings that we have, and I do able lives of the three people that we Luther King and Ralph Bunche, be- hope that maybe on both sides of the celebrate their lives and their legacies cause they said that if I could just aisle people can talk about those who today, I would not be in this auspicious come down for the press conference, it allowed this country to be so great, the Chamber, and but for his leadership would be appreciated. So I dressed up sacrifices that so many people have and his courage, I would not know how and I went down for the press con- made, and you just don’t have to be a to behave in this Chamber. I thank him ference. I had a round trip ticket back giant to appreciate the fact that God for doing such a great job and con- to New York. I was dressed pretty well, has blessed us all. tinuing to serve the great people of not ever thinking that I would be going I thank her for her effort at bringing Harlem and New York, but also the any further than Selma. us together, not just tonight, but on great people of America—black, white, It started to rain, and I felt that this every committee, on every bill, and green, yellow, all of us. would be the appropriate time for me Mr. Speaker, I rise today to join with to get a cab and to go to the airport. this floor. SHEILA JACKSON LEE is here to continue to inspire all of us. I thank my CBC colleagues in paying tribute to When I saw these older people like the life and legacy of three great giants Amelia Robinson putting plastic on her for that. Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, we in American history: Representative their shoes and starting to sing and Louis Stokes, Amelia Boynton Robin- starting to march, I said, well, maybe I are so grateful for the special wisdom and insight that Mr. RANGEL brings to son, and Julian Bond. Our Nation col- could go a couple of blocks. I did that, lectively mourns the loss of each of except I found out in Selma there all of what we do. I know that the late these trailblazing figures who departed weren’t any couple of blocks. Lou Stokes, the late Amelia Boynton from us way too soon this summer. There were no television cameras. Robinson, and the late Julian Bond are There was no one that recognized me grateful that they knew him and that Their journeys paved the way for my- down there. I marched 54 miles, cussing he is here to tell his story. Even if he self and so many others serving in this every step of the way, trying to figure considers it embarrassing, I think it is august body. While our hearts are out what the devil I was doing in a wonderful testimony for anybody heavy today, we honor them for their Selma. who has said, ‘‘I can’t do it.’’ We want historic and notable contributions to Congresswoman SEWELL, it just him to keep telling us that wonderful this Nation. proves that if you attempt just to do statement over and over again. I thank Congressman Louis Stokes was the the right thing, God can push you to do him so very much for what he provides first African American to represent the the rest. to the Congressional Black Caucus. I State of Ohio in Congress, where he I never did believe, like JOHN LEWIS, thank him for the kind words he men- served for more than 30 years. He rose that that Supreme Court would give us tioned of Representative TERRI SE- to prominence by breaking numerous the voting rights and the civil rights. I WELL. barriers as the first in so many areas. never thought that President Johnson I just say to Ms. SEWELL, I don’t This included being named the first Af- would ever support these things. Today know what kind of phone message that rican American to serve as chairman of I tell this very embarrassing story be- she had to the Vatican, but I repeat the prestigious House Permanent Se- cause you don’t have to be a hero to be now the words of Pope Francis, as I lect Committee on Intelligence. As an counted on if you just try to start to do yield to her. This is Pope Francis, as he African American who now sits on that the right thing, and just maybe God spoke just a few days ago at that very committee, I am deeply honored to fol- will push you to go further. podium: low in Louis Stokes’ footsteps. Certainly when a woman like Amelia Here, too, I think of the march which Mar- During his tenure on the Permanent Boynton Robinson is beaten uncon- tin Luther King led from Selma to Mont- Select Committee on Intelligence, he scious and someone like JOHN LEWIS, gomery 50 years ago as part of the campaign stepped into the national spotlight as a who constantly put his life on the line, to fulfill his dream of full civil rights and po- vocal critic of the Reagan administra- and of course the late Dr. Martin Lu- litical rights for African Americans. tion’s foreign policy. He spoke boldly ther King, who gave up his life, and Representative SEWELL, let me thank on issues of national security and cre- God doesn’t ask us to do these extraor- you for bringing and infusing life into ated a legacy of being a fierce advocate dinary things, but I do believe that the the wonderful city of Selma, all the for the homeland. In honoring his courage that these people have, that wonderful people there, including your memory, we must also commit our- each of us have just a grain of it that dearly beloved mother and father, and selves collectively to continue the would allow us to contribute, as the having us walk with you every step of fight to promote diversity within the Pope said, to show our respect for God, the way. intelligence community. We must also allowing us to inherit this great Earth As I yield to her, let me say that we be committed to supporting policies to try to make the quality of life bet- should make a commitment right here that promote our national security in ter. today, as we make changes in leader- the face of growing threats. It was Con- Of course, when it comes to a young ship, that we commit ourselves to the gressman Lou Stokes who taught us guy going to Morehouse, as Julian restoration of section 5 of the Voting that our Nation deserves nothing less.

VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:26 Sep 29, 2015 Jkt 049060 PO 00000 Frm 00033 Fmt 7634 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\K28SE7.060 H28SEPT1 SSpencer on DSK4SPTVN1PROD with HOUSE H6296 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — HOUSE September 28, 2015 Today we also honor an American reminds us every day by her life, there Congresswoman SEWELL, we look for- treasure and one of my personal he- is still much work to be done. ward to doing our own work on the res- roes, the courageous Mrs. Amelia Finally, Mr. Speaker, I would also toration of the Voting Rights Act, sec- Boynton Robinson. Mrs. Robinson like to remember the shining legacy of tion 5, which you are leading and all of passed away on August 26, 2015, at the yet another giant figure in the fight for us have signed onto. We thank you so age of 110—yes, 110, Mr. Speaker. Mrs. civil and human rights: Mr. Julian much for that eloquent statement and Amelia Boynton Robinson was a key Bond. This courageous voice held sev- that statement of passion. figure in the voting rights movement eral titles over the course of his Speaking of passion, it is my privi- in Selma, Alabama. She is often re- impactful life, but he is most remem- lege to introduce a Member who has membered for her critical role in bered for his service as the NAACP her own storied civil rights history, Bloody Sunday. chairman and the cofounder of the someone who has served as the Com- On that solemn day on the Edmund Southern Poverty Law Center. He was missioner on the EEOC, the Equal Em- Pettus Bridge, Robinson was savagely also one of the original leaders of the ployment Opportunity Commission, beaten. A photo taken of her shortly Student Nonviolent Coordinating Com- and someone who has been in the after she was attacked and posted in mittee, SNCC, while he was a student trenches in civil rights, dealing with The New York Times became a power- at Morehouse College. He later served voting rights cases, dealing with the ful symbol of the injustices suffered by in the Georgia General Assembly for right to vote in her own District of Co- those who were attempting simply to more than 20 years. lumbia. I think she will be the Flor- vote. Yet this tireless, fearless foot sol- He was first elected to the Georgia ence Nightingale, she will be the cham- dier continued her work as a leader on House of Representatives in 1965. How- pion battler; because I believe that this the front lines of securing the right to ever, because of his longstanding leg- Delegate, Congresswoman ELEANOR vote for all Americans. acy of fighting White supremacy, HOLMES NORTON, will be successful as Amelia is best known as the matri- White statehouse members tried unsuc- we fight for the voting rights of the arch of the voting rights movement, cessfully to block him from taking his District through her leadership. and it was her courage, along with seat. This brave spirit was undeterred. I yield to the gentlewoman from the JOHN LEWIS and so many other known He spearheaded efforts to draft land- District of Columbia (Ms. NORTON). and unknown foot soldiers which led to mark legislation that spoke to the Ms. NORTON. I thank my good the passage of the Voting Rights Act of need of Blacks in the State of Georgia. friend, Representative SHEILA JACKSON 1965. Amelia was such an integral part In addition to his time as an eloquent LEE, first, for her kind and generous of the process that the contents of the speaker, he was a celebrated writer, words, but especially today for her bill, the voting rights bill, were drafted poet, television commentator, commu- leadership of this Special Order, which on her kitchen table in Selma, Ala- nity advocate, as well as a communica- is characteristic of her leadership in bama, in 1965. tion specialist. He did so much for the this Congress. I am so pleased that our Ms. Boynton not only trailblazed as a Southern Poverty Law Center to set it chair Rep. G.K. BUTTERFIELD has been voting rights advocate, she put her on its course and so much for the lives here and spoken and that we have money where her mouth was and she, of so many. heard from several other Members. herself, ran for Congress. On May 5, All three of these wonderful giants I just want to say a few words about 1964, Amelia Boynton broke yet an- tell a story, a story of how ordinary this troika of African Americans who other barrier, when she became the people can do extraordinary things. have written their signatures across first woman in the State of Alabama Working collectively, we as a nation our time. You have heard their biog- and the first African American woman can achieve amazing heights, even if raphies. I don’t want to recount their in the State of Alabama to run for Con- we don’t think so. As Congressman extraordinary bios, because that is not gress. In 1964, she garnered 10.7 percent RANGEL’s story best exemplified, if we the only reason we are honoring them of the vote during a time when very just take one step, hopefully the Lord with this Special Order. I just want to few Blacks were registered to vote. Ac- will give us the strength to take many, say something about what they meant tually, only 1 percent of the registered many more towards that fight for jus- to me. voters were African Americans at that tice and equality. Two of them I knew personally: Rep- time. In closing, I am reminded of what resentative Louis Stokes, whose many Her historic run further solidified her Amelia Boynton would often say when years in the Congress happened to impact on the movement for human I and others would come up to her and overlap with my first years here; and, rights and voting rights in Alabama say: ‘‘We stand on your shoulders. We of course, Julian Bond, whom I knew and in this Nation. Without her coura- stand on your shoulders.’’ Well, Ms. best. geous campaign for the Seventh Con- Amelia Boynton was so infamously I was not fortunate to know Amelia gressional District of Alabama in 1964, known for saying, after hearing it over Boynton. She may have been the most I know that my election to this seat in and over again: ‘‘Get off my shoulders. courageous woman in the movement of 2010, some 50 years later, would not There is plenty of work to be done.’’ the 1960s, who insisted upon facing have been possible. ‘‘Do your own work,’’ is what she said. death, if necessary, in that march from And so I say to my colleagues gath- Selma to Montgomery, and nearly lost b 1945 ered here tonight, my colleagues in her life. I was privileged to be in her Her sacrifices paved the way for me this wonderful body called the House of presence, as so many Members of Con- to walk the Halls of Congress, and I Representatives: We have plenty of gress were, when we went to Selma this will carry my love and admiration for work to do. We have plenty of work to past summer. That was a privilege in her in my heart each and every day, for do. And while we walk in the footsteps and of itself. I get to do what she could not, and that of giants such as Amelia Boynton and I was fortunate to know Congress- is vote on behalf of the members of the Louis Stokes and Julian Bond, let us man Louis Stokes, who was a founder Seventh Congressional District of Ala- never forget that they, too, had to take of the Congressional Black Caucus long bama. For that, I am eternally grate- a first step. And as we follow in their before I served. This was a man of ful. footsteps, let us all take many steps great accomplishment. Yes, he can In fact, one of my most memorable towards providing justice and liberty speak about his firsts, and much more. moments in this Chamber is the night for all Americans, especially those that He is the first African American to that she served as my special guest at are most vulnerable. serve in Congress from his hometown the State of the Union on January 20, Ms. JACKSON LEE. I think we can of Cleveland, as one of the two famous 2015, this past year. I am grateful for leave this evening with the words that Stokes brothers—his brother, Carl, the the memories of her greeting President Congresswoman SEWELL has just said, first African American mayor. There is Obama that night. I am so blessed to and we thank her so very much, ‘‘do something about the way those men not only have called her my con- our own work.’’ That message should were raised and showed themselves in stituent, but a beloved mentor and carry for whether we are Republicans public life. But it is Rep. Stokes’ career friend. As she is remembered, and she or Democrats or Independents. in Congress that stands out for me.

VerDate Sep 11 2014 05:45 Sep 29, 2015 Jkt 049060 PO 00000 Frm 00034 Fmt 7634 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\K28SE7.061 H28SEPT1 SSpencer on DSK4SPTVN1PROD with HOUSE September 28, 2015 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — HOUSE H6297 I am not certain there has ever been brief. We took very few amicus briefs the day and of the people around him. a more distinguished Member of this to the Supreme Court, but this one I will always miss him. This country body. It looks as if when they were try- seemed to have the makings of a land- will always miss him. We are grateful ing to ask somebody to do something mark case. Indeed, it did become a for the life he led. We are grateful, es- hard, they looked to Louis Stokes. landmark case. You do not see anybody pecially, for this Congressional Black He was the first African American to denying anyone else the right to sit in Caucus evening devoted to his life and serve on the Appropriations Com- his seat—or her seat, today—because of to the lives of two others, very diver- mittee. My heavens. And then look at that person’s views. The Julian Bond gent lives but, in other ways, very the committees he has chaired—hard case settled the matter. similar. ones—the Ethics Committee, the House What was Julian Bond to do with the I thank my good friend, Representa- Permanent Select Committee on Intel- rest of his life? First of all, SNCC broke tive JACKSON LEE, again, for her leader- ligence. Then they needed someone to a fair number of people. And though ship here. do something else that was difficult, they gave much to the movement, you b 2000 may not have heard about many of and that was to serve on the Iran Ms. JACKSON LEE. Let me thank them since. What Julian did was to Contra Committee, and House Select my good friend, Congresswoman ELEA- give the rest of his life to the move- Committee on Assassinations, nothing NOR HOLMES NORTON, for giving these ment. For every single day of his life as was more difficult than that. three legends the vitality and vibrance a man, after he left public service in If you were looking for a Member of a personal story. whom the public would trust and who the Georgia Legislature, he was de- And to just add to his coming to stu- this body would trust, who do you go voted to the civil rights movement he dents at Howard University, I want you to? They went to Louis Stokes. So if had entered as a very young man. to know that, at the University of Vir- He moved to the District of Columbia you are trying to find out how to serve, ginia, where he was, he was the most recall the life of Representative Louis with his wife, taught at American Uni- popular professor with people standing Stokes. versity and the University of Virginia, in line because the students sensed his In the District, we recall his life and and became—and this is a matter that passion and commitment, but they his work. Much of his work was done in makes me chuckle—became the chair- sensed his realness. the field of health. The Howard Univer- man of the NAACP. Thank you so very much for that sity Louis Stokes Health Science Li- At SNCC we thought the NAACP was very vibrant and informative presen- brary is named for him here in the Dis- way too conservative for us, the young tation. trict of Columbia at Howard Univer- and foolish. It tells you how Julian Mr. Speaker, as I introduce this next sity. So we will never forget him. grew. He grew to be the long-time and gentleman, who has his own history, Of the three, the one I knew best, of devoted chairman of the NAACP. let me quote, again, as I indicated, He carried out his devotion to civil course, was my colleague and friend in Pope Francis from last week, which rights magnificently. Throughout his the Student Nonviolent Coordinating captures all of what we are saying to- entire life, he remained a major Committee, later a client of sorts, and night: to respond in a way which is al- spokesman for the civil rights move- then finally—for 25 years, a con- ways humane, just and fraternal. We ment and for progressive causes, his stituent. need to avoid a common temptation entire life speaking all around the I met Julian several years after he nowadays to disregard whatever proves country, carrying the message. founded, along with a handful of other troublesome. Let us remember the When he moved here, I had a Black Golden Rule: Do unto others as you students, the Student Nonviolent Co- Caucus event with Julian and with ordinating Committee. You have got to would have them do unto you. JOHN LEWIS simply discussing their The gentleman that I am going to understand that that group was as dif- lives as young men in the civil rights ferent from any student group since. yield to, Mr. BOBBY SCOTT, is a former movement. That was to be one of the chairman of the Subcommittee on They were not an offshoot of the civil most memorable moments since I have rights movement. They were a group Criminal Justice, now the ranking been in Congress. member on the Committee on Edu- that stood on its own. Just last February, during Black His- I would go down in the summers. I cation and the Workforce, and has led tory Month, I asked Julian to come to his professional, at least his Congres- was in law school. SNCC was the equiv- Howard University, where he and I en- alent of major civil rights organiza- sional life, as I have known it, to be a gaged in an intergenerational con- champion for criminal justice reform, tions, every single one, right alongside versation with Howard students about but, more importantly, has been one them. That is why JOHN LEWIS got to the police shootings in Ferguson, Mis- who has said to us over and over again speak on the March on Washington. souri, and New York City and what that: We must do unto others as we The reason that SNCC stood out is they meant to this generation and how would like them to do unto us. We the quality of its leadership in those this generation had to have its own must change this criminal justice sys- early years. Julian became the spokes- issues and move in its own direction. tem to have it be a fair monitoring of man. The reason he was the spokesman One of the things we indicated was how we inspire and restore people’s was his way with words. He was a poet that for all of the work of the youth of lives. and a writer, and he could explain what the civil rights movement of our day, I yield now to the gentleman from we were doing. we never touched racial profiling. It re- Virginia, Congressman BOBBY SCOTT. He served a most valuable role in mained alive and kicking for a new Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, these early years. So no one should be generation, which has taken it on. I rise to speak in honor of the lives of surprised that he went after the zenith I am, finally, particularly grateful three civil rights luminaries. I thank of the civil rights movement to serve that when Julian moved to the District the gentlewoman from Houston for giv- in the Georgia House of Representa- of Columbia, he really became a part of ing us this opportunity to honor their tives. What you may be surprised to this city, lending his civil rights celeb- lives: Congressman Louis Stokes, learn is that when he moved on to the rity to the great cause of this city for statesman and educator Julian Bond, senate, the Georgia Senate, they re- full citizenship, for D.C. voting rights, both of whom I knew personally, and fused to seat him because he had en- yes, and for statehood for the District activist Amelia Robinson. dorsed a SNCC statement opposing the of Columbia. These champions of social and eco- Vietnam war. Imagine denying a seat If you came into the District by taxis nomic justice lived their lives just as to a member duly elected because of a a few years ago, there was an adver- Pope Francis challenged Members of statement he had made on an issue of tisement. Julian was speaking in a cab, Congress to do. great moment. informing you that you were coming to Specifically, the Pope reminded us of This case was taken all the way to the District of Columbia, where the the Golden Rule—do unto others as you the Supreme Court. At that point, I residents were trying to get their full would have them do unto you—and was a constitutional lawyer working citizenship. that that rule points us in the right di- for the American Civil Liberties Union Wherever he was, he had a way of rection. He specifically reminded Con- in New York. I got to write the amicus touching upon the issue of freedom of gress that, if we want opportunities,

VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:26 Sep 29, 2015 Jkt 049060 PO 00000 Frm 00035 Fmt 7634 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\K28SE7.063 H28SEPT1 SSpencer on DSK4SPTVN1PROD with HOUSE H6298 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — HOUSE September 28, 2015 then let us provide opportunities. The adult, she opened her home to Martin ican people deserve to have real voting lives we honor today are the personi- Luther King and James Bevel and rights. fication of the Pope’s call. members of SNCC and others to help Thank you, Congresswoman SHEILA Congressman Stokes, the beloved son organize and strategize for civil rights JACKSON LEE, not only for your leader- of the State of Ohio, was affectionately and the right to vote. ship tonight, but for being a leader, for called ‘‘Lou’’ when I served with him in Despite the brutal beating she en- walking in their shoes, and for hosting the House. His motto was to aim high, dured during the march for voting the Congressional Black Caucus Spe- which he did even before he was a rights in Selma, Alabama, 50 years ago, cial Order honoring three giants. Member of Congress when he argued she was unwavering in her fight to end This year is the 50th anniversary of the Supreme Court case challenging segregation and achieve full voting the Voting Rights Act. Leaders es- the abusive stop-and-frisk policies and rights for all. poused words in 1965 that still hold true practices in the Terry v. Ohio case. Reflecting on her life as an activist, today, words because of the work of Lou’s integrity was why he was se- she stated that, ‘‘I have been called these three giants, works like: lected to serve on the House Select rabble-rouser, agitator. But because of We have proved that great progress is pos- Committee on Assassinations of Presi- my fighting, I was able to hand to the sible. We know how much still remains to be dent Kennedy and Dr. Martin Luther entire country the right for people to done. And if our efforts continue, if our will King, Jr., and the House investigation vote.’’ is strong, if our hearts are right, and if cour- of the illegal arm sales during the Iran- These three American giants—the age remains our constant companion, then my fellow Americans, I am confident we contra affair and, of course, his service legislator, the educator, the activist— shall overcome. Our objective must be to as- on the Ethics Committee. were all driven to push towards a more sure that all Americans play by the same His strive for social and economic just and equal society. I am honored to rules, and all Americans play against the justice was on full display when he be- recognize their lives and the gifts they same odds. Who amongst us would claim came the first African American to gave to our Nation. that that is true today? serve on the House Appropriations Again, I want to thank the gentle- Just last week His Holiness, Pope Committee. There he directed Federal woman from Houston for organizing Francis, delivered a historic, profound, dollars to eradicate injustice and in- this Special Order so that we could pay provocative address to the Joint Ses- equities by funding programs such as appropriate tribute to these fine Amer- sion of Congress. This address re- healthcare facilities for veterans, sup- icans. minded us that the nation is ‘‘consid- porting the National Science Founda- Ms. JACKSON LEE. I thank the gen- ered great’’ when ‘‘it fosters a culture tion, and creating the first office of mi- tleman from Virginia for citing, in par- which enables people to dream of full nority health at the National Insti- ticular, the case law that Julian Bond rights for all their brothers and sis- tutes of Health. particularly generated from the hor- ters.’’ Statesman and educator Julian Bond rific denial of his right to be seated. At the White House, he quoted from dedicated his entire life to this cause of Let me also indicate the importance Martin Luther King, to use a telling social justice and equity. As a founding of members of the Congressional Black phrase of the Reverend Martin Luther member of the Student Nonviolent Co- Caucus sharing the history of these King: ‘‘We can say that we have de- ordinating Committee, or SNCC, he led icons, which I hope my colleagues will faulted on a promissory note, and now protests against segregation. appreciate these giants, for many is the time to honor it.’’ In 1965, Julian Bond was elected to times the history is not remembered or These three individuals we honor to- the Georgia House of Representatives, it is not understood. night tirelessly contributed to this cul- but was denied a seat at the State Certainly, it is my privilege to now ture of full rights and equality we are House because of his opposition to the yield to the gentlewoman from Ohio, committed to achieving. Vietnam war. In 1966, the Supreme who has firsthand knowledge because Tonight’s roll call: Congressman Lou Court ruled 9–0 that the Georgia she can say that she comes from the Stokes. House’s refusal to seat Julian Bond State of which Lou Stokes and Carl I am honored to be the third African violated the United States Constitu- Stokes were native sons. American from Ohio to follow in his tion. She is, of course, an inspirational footsteps, following my mentor and He was subsequently elected for sev- leader for her district in Columbus, dear friend, Stephanie Tubbs Jones, my eral terms, including service in the but, more importantly, someone who colleague, mentor and friend, Congress- Georgia Senate, despite efforts to re- brings a wealth of experience from her woman MARCIA FUDGE, who said at his draw his district. previous service in the Ohio State Leg- footsteps: I don’t salute or get excited He was also the first African Amer- islature and someone who has a passion about a one hit wonder because Lou ican nominated at a major-party con- for the improvement of lives of all peo- Stokes was far from that. vention as a candidate for Vice Presi- ple. I believe, as Lou Stokes has said, Lou Stokes loved people. He loved dent of the United States. she understands the value and impor- the law. He loved the legislative proc- Beginning in the 1980s, Julian Bond tance of improving the health of Afri- ess. He loved his family. And he loved taught at several universities, includ- can Americans and all Americans. Cleveland, Ohio. ing Harvard, Drexel, University of Vir- Mr. Speaker, it is my privilege to You have heard so much about him, I ginia, and American University. yield to the gentlewoman from Colum- won’t repeat it. I will submit it for the For more than 20 years at UVA and bus, Ohio (Mrs. BEATTY). RECORD, Congresswoman SHEILA JACK- American University, he taught thou- Mrs. BEATTY. Thank you so much, SON LEE, if that is okay. sands of students about the role of the Congresswoman SHEILA JACKSON LEE. But I will forever be grateful for his civil rights movement as a seminal Mr. Speaker, tonight the Congres- encouragement, his friendship, his wis- part of America’s history. sional Black Caucus honors the life and dom, and his leadership. I can’t think He stated that the ‘‘humanity of all legacy of three civil rights leaders, of a time or a decision in my life that Americans is diminished when any Congressman Lou Stokes, Amelia I didn’t pick up the phone and call Lou group is denied rights granted to oth- Boynton Robinson, and Julian Bond, Stokes. ers.’’ who dedicated their lives to making Love you, Lou Stokes. He served as chairman of the NAACP our Nation a better place. Let me just briefly say we also salute from 1998 to 2009. At the 2009 com- Countless more follow in their foot- Amelia Boynton Robinson, and much mencement at Virginia State Univer- steps and continue to push for civil has been said about her. I stand on her sity, he told the graduates that, ‘‘We rights and voting rights today. shoulders. all hope that you do well, but I also We have come to these chambers to- And then Julian Bond, another great hope that you do good.’’ night, Mr. Speaker, to continue their civil rights icon, whose passion and Activist Amelia Robinson was among work as members of the Congressional dedication to equality and justice pro- the many foot soldiers who fought for Black Caucus. We call on Congress to pelled him to the Georgia Legislature, civil rights. As a girl, she championed immediately pass the Voting Rights the NAACP, and the Southern Poverty the right to vote for women. As an Advancement Act of 2015. The Amer- Law Center, which he co-founded.

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These were civil rights activists, He, like the other individuals we pay His indelible mark in history will continue to statesmen and women, trailblazers, tribute to tonight, helped change this live on. members of a great generation of indi- country for the better. AMELIA BOYNTON ROBINSON viduals who gave so much of them- Thank you, Congresswoman SHEILA It is also an honor to pay tribute to Amelia selves to the Civil Rights Movement JACKSON LEE. Thank you to all my col- Boynton Robinson—the matriarch of the voting and to the advancement of minorities leagues with the Congressional Black rights movement. in our country. Caucus for capturing and reflecting on As an African-American female serving in They are former Congressman Louis the lives of three great civil warriors the U.S. Congress, I stand on the shoulders of Stokes, former chairman of the NAACP as we took a walk in their footsteps of Mrs. Boynton Robinson. and Georgia State Senator Julian greatness. Mrs. Boynton Robinson helped organize the Bond, and civil rights icon Mrs. Amelia Tonight the Congressional Black Caucus Selma-to-Montgomery marches, and walked at Boynton Robinson. honors the life and legacy of three Civil Rights the front of the line that fateful day on March A centenarian—Mrs. Robinson’s 110 leaders—Congressman Louis Stokes, Amelia 7, 1965, which we now know as ‘‘Bloody Sun- years of life, that in itself is a great Boynton Robinson and Julian Bond who dedi- day’’. honor—she was dedicated to education, cated their lives to making our nation a better On August 6, 1965, she was the guest of fighting state-sanctioned discrimina- place. honor at the White House when President tory practices against African Ameri- Countless more follow in their footsteps and Johnson signed the Voting Rights Act of 1965 cans, and voter disenfranchisement. continue to push for civil rights and voting into law. b 2015 rights today. I had the privilege to join Mrs. Boynton Rob- We have come to these chambers to con- inson this past March, as thousands of Ameri- One can make the argument that her tinue their work as Members of the Congres- cans marched once again over the Edmund role in Selma’s civil rights demonstra- sional Black Caucus; we call on Congress to Pettus Bridge, remembering the struggles and tions, including the infamous march on immediately pass the Voting Rights Advance- recommitting ourselves to restoring voting Bloody Sunday where she was beaten ment Act of 2015. rights protections, equality, and justice. unconscious by State police, paved the The American people deserve to have real JULIAN BOND way, through the subsequent passage of voting rights now. Julian Bond was a civil rights icon whose the Voting Rights Act of 1965, for both Thank you Congresswoman SHEILA JACK- passion and dedication to equality and justice Congressman Stokes and State Rep- SON LEE for hosting the CBC’s Special Order propelled him to the Georgia legislature, the resentative Bond to serve in elected of- Hour paying tribute to Congressman Louis NAACP, and the Southern Poverty Law Cen- fice. Stokes, Amelia Boynton Robinson, and Julian ter, which he co-founded. As the first African American elected Bond. His commitment to ending discrimination to Congress from the State of Ohio, This year is the 50th Anniversary of Voting and injustice continues to inspire us and his Congressman Stokes was a founding Rights Act. Leaders . . . espoused words in legacy will guide the next generation of civil member of the Congressional Black 1965 that still hold true today. Words like: rights leaders and activists to greatness. Caucus and spent his 30-year career in We have proved that great progress is pos- He, like the other individuals we pay tribute Congress advocating issues of impor- sible. We know how much still remains to be to tonight, helped changed this country for the tance to Ohioans and to African Ameri- done. And if our efforts continue, and if our better. cans across the country. will is strong, and if our hearts are right, and Thank you CBC for capturing and reflecting Julian Bond, that great statesman if courage remains our constant companion, on the lives of three great civil rights warriors from Georgia, was one of 11 African then my fellow Americans, I am confident, as we took a walk in their footsteps of great- we shall overcome. Our objective must be to Americans elected to the Georgia ness. House of Representatives after the pas- assure that all Americans play by the same Ms. JACKSON LEE. Congresswoman rules, and all Americans play against the sage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and BEATTY, thank you for letting us know the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Bond same odds. Who among us would claim that whose footsteps we walk in and for that is true today? served 20 years in both legislative that celebratory statement. Just last week, His Holiness Pope Francis Mr. Speaker, it is certainly my pleas- chambers in the State of Georgia and delivered a historic, profound, and provocative ure to yield to the gentlewoman from served as the first president of the Southern Poverty Law Center. He also address to a Joint Session of Congress. the U.S. Virgin Islands (Ms. PLASKETT), This address reminded us that a nation is who has come with the expertise of a served as chairman of the NAACP. ‘‘considered great’’ when ‘‘it fosters a culture renowned and trained lawyer, one who These individuals have impacted the which enables people to dream of full rights is a collaborator. lives of so many African Americans for all their brothers and sisters.’’ Ms. PLASKETT. Thank you so much and have undoubtedly advanced the At the White House, he quoted words from to my colleague, SHEILA JACKSON LEE. rights and interests of minorities in MLK . . . to use a telling phrase of the Rev. I want to thank you and the Congres- both our States’ and our Nation’s gov- Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. . . . we can say sional Black Caucus for this Special ernments. that we have defaulted on a promissory note Order Hour, a special tribute to the Similarly, I would like to just take a and now is the time to honor it. lives and legacy of Representative moment to recognize two individuals The three individuals we honor tonight tire- Louis Stokes, Amelia Boynton Robin- from my own home district of the Vir- lessly contributed to this culture of full rights son, and Julian Bond. gin Islands who, like Congressman and equality we are committed to achieving. Thank you, Ms. JACKSON LEE, for Stokes, Julian Bond, and Amelia Rob- CONGRESSMAN STOKES your work here in Congress, your tire- inson, have changed the landscape of I am honored to be the third African-Amer- less efforts to raise awareness to issues the Virgin Islands through their advo- ican from Ohio to follow Congressman Louis which many Americans may have for- cacy and education. Stokes who served for 30 years in Congress. gotten or not given thought to. I would like to recognize a former I am forever grateful for his encouragement, Thank you for your mentorship to us judge and Lieutenant Governor of the friendship, wisdom, and leadership. younger members here and your tire- Virgin Islands, the late Julio A. Brady, He earned a seat on the powerful House less efforts to support not only the peo- who, like Julian Bond and Congress- Appropriations Committee, the first person of ple of Houston, but the people of Amer- man Stokes, used his training as an at- color to ever do so, and focused on improving ica. torney to contribute to his community housing and urban development for veterans, Thank you for allowing us this most outside of the courtroom. As a U.S. at- seniors, and the poor. important opportunity to pay tribute torney, judge, and attorney general, In 1971, along with our esteemed Dean of to these remarkable individuals. Judge Brady fought to remove barriers the House, Congressman JOHN CONYERS, Mr. Speaker, today we gather in rev- of injustice. He was laid to rest this Congressman Stokes helped found the Con- erence and in solemn reflection to week. Like Congressman Stokes and

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The fight who worked in a laundromat, died leaving age 113 was the oldest living Virgin Is- against poverty and hunger must be young Louis and his younger brother, Carl, to lander until her passing this month. fought constantly on many fronts, es- be raised by their mother, who worked as a She was a griot, an educator whose lon- pecially in its causes. domestic for affluent families in the wealthy gevity afforded a unique perspective of I know that Americans today, as in Cleveland suburbs. witnessing the modern advancement of the past, are working to deal with this Louis Stokes’ maternal grandmother played our territory. problem. That is the essence of Julian a critical role in his life because she took care The lives and legacies of these indi- Bond, who never stopped giving; that is of the Stokes boys while their mother was at viduals are etched in the annals of our the essence of Amelia Boynton Robin- work and instilled in them ‘‘the idea that work history and their impact forever in- son, who continued to fight for civil with your hands is the hard way of doing grained in the minds and hearts of the rights up until her death at the age of things’’ and encouraged them over and over many lives they touched. I am a better 104 on August 6, 2015; that is the es- ‘‘to learn to use their heads.’’ person; and, indeed, we are a better na- sence of Congressman Lou Stokes, a Louis Stokes took the advice to heart so tion through the work of these individ- legislative giant, the chairman of an after attending Cleveland’s Central High uals. appropriations subcommittee, a person School and serving in the U.S. Army during I have listened to my colleagues to- who went to public housing and places World War II, he returned home to attend what night speak about Representative where children were and told America is now Case Western Reserve University on Louis Stokes, Amelia Boynton Robin- that your children are dying because the G.I. Bill at night while working during the son, and Julian Bond and the personal they are living in substandard housing, day for the Veterans Administration and the impact these individuals had on the lead poisoning was killing them, which Department of the Treasury. work of my colleagues with whom they gave me the opportunity, Mr. Speaker, After graduating from college in two years served and have known personally. as I said before, to give a grant to my where he excelled as a student, Louis Stokes Understand, that while many like public housing just this past week on was accepted for admission to Cleveland Mar- myself may not have had the great helping with lead poisoning. shall School of Law, from which he graduated honor and pleasure of toiling and work- I worked for Lou Stokes, and I am in 1953; three years later, his brother Carl ing with them shoulder to shoulder in very glad to note that, working for would also graduate from Cleveland Marshall the struggle for civil rights and the ad- him, I can say, truly a gentleman, School of Law and the two of them would go vancement of minorities in our coun- truly a leader. on to form the law firm of Stokes & Stokes try, Americans like myself understand To this Congress, I beg of you, let us specializing in the areas of civil rights and and appreciate their sacrifice, and we look at these icons and celebrate not criminal law. understand the work that must still be only their lives, but commit to the pas- In 1964, the Supreme Court decided the done. We will continue their legacy sion and justice of their lives, and, as landmark case of Reynolds v. Sims, 377 U.S. here today and in Congress in the fu- well, the words of Pope Francis that 533 (1964), which established the principle of ture. tell us to do unto others as we would ‘‘one person, one vote’’ governing the reappor- Thank you so much, Congressional like them to do unto us. tionment of legislative boundaries. Black Caucus, for this time. And thank Mr. Speaker, it is my privilege to The following year, working on behalf of the you again to my colleague from Texas, again thank the members of the Con- local branch of the NAACP, Louis Stokes led SHEILA JACKSON LEE, for the time that gressional Black Caucus. the legal challenge to the Ohio legislature’s I have been afforded to speak on behalf Mr. Speaker, it is with a heavy heart that I congressional redistricting, which had the ef- of these great Americans. rise to speak in praise of Louis Stokes, one of fect of diluting African American voting Ms. JACKSON LEE. Congresswoman the greatest and most respected Members strength in Cleveland. PLASKETT, thank you so very much for ever to serve in this body, who died on Tues- The challenge was unsuccessful in the fed- laying the groundwork for those who day, August 18, 2015, at his home near eral district court but undeterred, Louis Stokes, now step into those footsteps, and you Cleveland, Ohio at the age of 90. joined by Charles Lucas, an African American have done so with such leadership and It is not unusual in these days for com- Republican, successfully appealed the deci- certainly such passion. Thank you so mentators and politicians to talk of something sion to the U.S. Supreme Court, which in an very much. called ‘‘American Exceptionalism.’’ order handed down in 1967 ruled the redis- Mr. Speaker, what is my time re- But what is meant by the term? tricting plan unconstitutional and ordered it maining? Mr. Speaker, one way to understand the redrawn, resulting in the creation of Ohio’s first The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. term: America is exceptional because it pro- majority-black district, the 21st Congressional RUSSELL). The gentlewoman from duces and finds persons like Louis Stokes and District of Ohio. Texas has 2 minutes remaining. affords them the opportunity to utilize their tal- Ironically, Louis Stokes would defeat his Ms. JACKSON LEE. Let me conclude ents to the fullest in the service of their com- one-time ally Charles Lucas to win that seat in by thanking the chairman of the Con- munity and their country. November 1968, capturing 75% of the vote, gressional Black Caucus and my col- Think about it: in what other nation does a the closest of his 15 successful elections to leagues. It is so important for the Con- little African American boy born in 1925 on the the U.S. House of Representatives. gressional Black Caucus to be able to east side of Cleveland and raised in the For the next 30 years, from 1969 to 1999, talk to America—Representative Outhwaite Homes housing project by a mother Congressman Stokes tirelessly fought for his BUTTERFIELD, Representative RANGEL, who worked as a domestic go on to become constituents in Cleveland and for the best in- Representative SEWELL, Delegate a lawyer who argues and wins a landmark terests of the people of Ohio and the United HOLMES NORTON, Representative BOBBY criminal justice reform case (Terry v. Ohio, States. SCOTT, Representative JOYCE BEATTY, 392 U.S. 1 (1968)) in the United States Su- Louis Stokes, a founding member and Chair and, of course, Congresswoman preme Court; become the first African Amer- of the Congressional Black Caucus from PLASKETT—to be able to give life to ican elected to Congress; is selected to chair 1972–74, was the epitome of a public servant. why we are here representing all of the powerful Permanent Select Committee on In his second term in Congress, he won ap- America. We have those special people Intelligence, the Committee on Standards of pointment to the powerful House Appropria- that, without our voices, would not be Official Conduct, the Select Committee on As- tions Committee, where he served for 28 able to be heard. sassinations, and an Appropriations Sub- years, later becoming the second African I simply want to add these words of committee responsible for more than $90 bil- American ‘‘Cardinal’’ in history when he was the Pope, again, to be able to remind lion annually in federal outlays? selected to chair the VA, HUD, and Related everyone why these icons that we are Yes, America is an exceptional nation and Agencies Subcommittee. speaking of tonight in the Congres- Louis Stokes was an exceptional human Because of the esteem in which he was sional Black Caucus—46 of us, along being. held by his colleagues and the leadership, with Senator BOOKER—have a vital role Mr. Speaker, Louis Stokes was born on Louis Stokes would also later be selected to in this place. As the Pope indicated, I February 23, 1925, in Cleveland, Ohio, to Chair the House Permanent Select Committee

VerDate Sep 11 2014 05:45 Sep 29, 2015 Jkt 049060 PO 00000 Frm 00038 Fmt 7634 Sfmt 9920 E:\CR\FM\K28SE7.067 H28SEPT1 SSpencer on DSK4SPTVN1PROD with HOUSE September 28, 2015 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — HOUSE H6301 on Intelligence and the Select Committee Mr. Speaker, Louis Stokes’ commitment to [From cleveland.com] charged with investigating the assassinations fairness and equal treatment started long be- LOU STOKES PUT HEALTH IMPACTS OF SUB- of President Kennedy and the Rev. Dr. Martin fore he was elected to Congress. STANDARD HOUSING ON THE NATIONAL AGEN- Luther King, Jr. As a lawyer for the NAACP, he brought anti- DA, AND IN CLEVELAND: TERRY ALLAN, DORR As Chairman of the House Ethics Com- discrimination lawsuits, represented dem- DEARBORN AND DAVE JACOBS (OPINION) mittee and a person of unquestioned integrity, onstrators arrested in antidiscrimination In this file photo from 2012, Timothy Louis Stokes oversaw the committee’s inves- marches and sit-ins, and took the cases of Benner, then 8, looks outside from his Mau- tigation of the corruption scandal known as poor persons charged with crimes. rice Avenuue home in Cleveland. After Tim- ABSCAM in 1979–80, which eventually led to One of those criminal cases he took is othy and some of his siblings tested positive convictions of a senator and six House mem- for lead poisoning, traced to the soil around known to every lawyer in America and appre- their home, their mother restricted their bers. ciated by every person who cherishes the pro- Mr. Speaker, Louis Stokes perhaps is best outdoor play time. U.S. Rep. Lou Stokes, tections guaranteed by the 4th Amendment to known for the national attention he attracted in who died earlier this month, championed na- the U.S. Constitution. tional attention and funding to address the 1987 as a member of the House Select Com- I am speaking of the famous case of Terry problem of lead poisoning in inner-city chil- mittee to Investigate Covert Arms Trans- v. Ohio, 392 U.S. 1 (1968) won by Louis dren. actions with Iran/(‘‘Iran-Contra’’), the scandal Recent stories and opinion pieces have eu- involving the illegal sale of military weapons to Stokes in which the Supreme Court held that a police officer could ‘‘stop and frisk’’ an indi- logized the many accomplishments of the the Ayatollah Khomeini’s Iran to generate late U.S. Rep. Louis Stokes, from civil-rights money to fund the illegal contra war in Nica- vidual only where he could articulate a reason- champion to accomplished litigator, states- ragua. able basis that the person was, or was about man and lawmaker. We believe that Louis In response to the claim by Colonel Oliver to be, engaged in criminal activity. Stokes should also be recognized as a na- North that he acted out of patriotism in engi- As a result of Terry v. Ohio, a police officer tional leader who clearly understood the neering the illegal weapons sales and divert- has the right to stop, frisk, and question an in- connection between substandard housing and ing the proceeds to fund the contras, a stern dividual he reasonably suspects to be en- health, and acted to address the problem, at a time when very few did. Louis Stokes lectured the misguided Colonel gaged in criminal activity, but cannot seize items from that person if the pat down of the Back in the 1980s, the scope and magnitude North on the rule of law, the true meaning of of the childhood lead-poisoning problem and patriotism, and, in the process American suspect’s outer clothing does not reveal any its impact on our nation’s children was not exceptionalism: weapons posing a threat to the officer’s safety. fully recognized or well understood. ‘‘I suppose that what has been most dis- Because of Louis Stokes’ exceptional advo- Subsequent efforts to increase blood turbing to me about your testimony is the ugly cacy in Terry v. Ohio, the right of every indi- screening in early childhood revealed that part. In fact, it has been more than ugly. It has vidual to secure from unreasonable searches Greater Cleveland had among the highest been chilling, and, in fact, frightening. I’m not and seizures was preserved while at the same rates of lead poisoning in the country, add- just talking about your part in this, but the en- not impeding the ability of law enforcement of- ing to the compounding disadvantages of tire scenario, about government officials who ficers to perform their duties safely. children living in poverty in our community plotted and conspired, who set up a straw Mr. Speaker, every citizen benefits from this and across the United States. Some of us have vivid memories from 1991, man, a fall guy. Officials who lied, misrepre- ruling and communities that have a history of when Congressman Stokes held up a News- sented and deceived. Officials who planned to being harassed by law enforcement protected week magazine cover story on threats posed superimpose upon our government a layer by the Constitution from arbitrary and abusive to children by lead paint, passionately advo- outside of our government, shrouded in se- treatment by law enforcement. cating for the voiceless in our society while crecy and only accountable to the conspira- But the fight for a criminal justice system educating the community about this silent tors. that respects the rights of all persons is not epidemic. He wanted all of us to understand ‘‘Colonel, as I sit here this morning looking over. the debilitating consequences of childhood at you in your uniform, I cannot help but re- lead exposure in the home environment and That is why I am proud to be the Ranking its impact on the life trajectory of these vul- member that I wore the uniform of this country Member of the House Judiciary Subcommittee in World War II in a segregated Army. I wore nerable kids. on Crime, Terrorism, Homeland Security, and Congressman Stokes turned that message it as proudly as you do, even though our gov- Investigations and a leader in the effort to re- into action, by using his formidiable legisla- ernment required black and white soldiers in form the criminal justice system so that all per- tive acumen to establish the first Healthy the same Army to live, sleep, eat and travel sons receive fair and equal treatment regard- Homes program in the country within the separate and apart, while fighting and dying less of their race, gender, religion, or national U.S. Department of Housing and Urban De- for our country. But because of the rule of law, origin. velopment. today’s servicemen in America suffer no such Louis Stokes fought tirelessly to fulfill the When he recognized in 1998 that young in- indignity. promise of the 14th Amendment that ‘‘no state fants in his district were suffering from ‘‘My mother, a widow, raised two boys. She sometimes fatal lung bleeding associated shall make or enforce any law which shall with water-damaged, moldy homes, he asked had an eighth-grade education. She was a do- abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens mestic worker who scrubbed floors. One son HUD to address the impact of inner-city of the United States; nor shall any state de- homes on children’s health. He understood became the first black mayor of a major Amer- prive any person of life, liberty, or property, that houses are systems, and that independ- ican city. The other sits today as chairman of without due process of law; nor deny to any ently addressing lead paint problems, mois- a House intelligence committee. Only in Amer- person within its jurisdiction the equal protec- ture intrusion and mold, injury risks and ica, Col. North. Only in America. And while I tion of the laws.’’ other housing hazards was inefficient and admire your love for America, I hope that you costly. He also had the vision to recognize It is a fight I am proud to continue today. will never forget that others too love America that treating children at the hospital, only Mr. Speaker, Louis Stokes will be mourned just as much as you do and that others will die to release them back into the same sub- by friends and colleagues on both sides of the for America, just as quick as you will.’’ standard home that made them sick, created Louis Stokes never wavered in his belief aisle who had the privilege to serve alongside a vicious circle with major public health that America could fulfill the promise of its him. consequences. He knew these homes needed He was a mentor to me and I will always re- to be fixed. Founders or his dedication to the principles of The HUD Office of Lead Hazard Control the Declaration of Independence and the Con- member his commanding presence and cher- ish the assistance he provided me and the ex- had shown interest in applying the experi- stitution, stating: ence of lead-poisoning prevention to include ‘‘I’m going to keep on denouncing the in- ample he set for new Members to follow. other health hazards in the home, such as equities of this system, but I’m going to work My thoughts and prayers are with his Jay, plumbing problems and leaky basements, but within it. To go outside the system would be Louis’ beloved wife of 55 years; to his chil- lacked the authority. to deny myself—to deny my own existence. dren, Shelly, Louis, Angela, and Lorene; his Through his vision, the Congressman in- I’ve beaten the system. I’ve proved it can be grandchildren; and the untold thousands of vited us and others to testify at the House done—so have a lot of others. persons who touched and whose lives were Subcommittee on HUD appropriations to see ‘‘But the problem is that a black man has to touched by one of Cleveland’s greatest sons. what could be done. Lou Stokes convinced be extra special to win in this system. Why Mr. Speaker, I ask the House to observe a his fellow committee members to provide the very first appropriation of $10 million to should you have to be a super black to get moment of silence in memory of Louis Stokes, HUD for ‘Healthy Homes’ prevention pro- someplace? That’s what’s wrong in the soci- an exceptional American, and the gentleman grams in low-income housing. His legacy has ety. The ordinary black man doesn’t have the from Ohio who served in this chamber for resulted in millions of homes that are safer same chance as the ordinary white man three decades with honor, integrity, and dis- and healthier as a direct result of that in- does.’’ tinction. vestment in our children. Since that time,

VerDate Sep 11 2014 05:45 Sep 29, 2015 Jkt 049060 PO 00000 Frm 00039 Fmt 7634 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\A28SE7.043 H28SEPT1 SSpencer on DSK4SPTVN1PROD with HOUSE H6302 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — HOUSE September 28, 2015 the HUD Office of Lead Hazard Control and the Civil Rights Movement, conceived the close the gap between the promise of Amer- Healthy Homes has provided more than $175 Freedom Rides that challenged the practice of ica’s founding ideals and the reality of peo- million in competitively awarded grants to racial segregation in interstate transportation ple’s lives. communities across the nation to inves- CIVIL RIGHTS GIANT JULIAN BOND NEVER tigate and address health hazards in homes. and the Mississippi Freedom Summer project STOPPED GIVING The asthma home-visit program in Cleve- that undertook the dangerous work of helping land that decreases the hospitalization rate African Americans register to vote in the state (Posted By Edna Kane-Williams on August of children with asthma, highlighted in The most committed to maintaining White suprem- 31, 2015) Plain Dealer in June, is a direct outgrowth acy by any means necessary. President Obama described him as a of Congressman Stokes’ work. SNCC was not the first leadership role his- ‘‘hero’’ who ‘‘helped changed this country for In 2012, HUD created the Louis Stokes tory and circumstance would call upon Julian the better.’’ The Rev. Jesse Jackson called Healthy Homes Award and presented the him a ‘‘leader with strength, character.’’ Bond to assume; nor would it be the last. NAACP Chairman Roslyn Brock said he ‘‘in- first one to him at the City Club of Cleve- In 1965, after passage of the Civil Rights land. When he received the award, he pointed spired a generation of civil rights leaders.’’ out that much has been achieved and that Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965, Teresa Sullivan, president of the University much more remains to be done. He also said Julian Bond was elected to represent the resi- of Virginia, where he taught history for that he really didn’t know what all the fuss dents of the 32nd district in Georgia House of many years, called him a beloved retired was about, as he was just a kid who grew up Representatives. professor who ‘‘shaped the course of history in public housing, who wanted to do the But on January 10, 1966, his white col- through his life and work.’’ How ever you choose to describe Julian right thing for our children. leagues in the Georgia House voted 184–12 He was an inspiration to us all. Bond, one thing is for sure: He taught us all not to seat him because he had publicly ex- how to stand for what we believe. And he be- Mr. Speaker, it is with a heavy heart that I pressed his opposition to the Vietnam War. lieved in freedom, justice and equality. rise to speak in praise of Julian Bond, one of Julian Bond challenged the refusal of the For me, one of the most remarkable at- the leading lights of the Civil Rights Move- Georgia House to seat him and took his case tributes of this civil rights giant is the fact ment, who died on Saturday, August 15, 2015, all the way to the United States Supreme that he never stopped giving. Even at the at the age of 75. Court, which ruled in the unanimous decision time of his brief illness and death on Aug. 15 While Julian lost his battle to the illness that at the age of 75, he was still serving faith- of Bond v. Floyd, 385 U.S. 116 (1966), that fully as chairman emeritus on the NAACP claimed his life, it is the struggle for civil rights expressing opposition to the Vietnam War was board. Even after he retired from the profes- and human dignity he helped to win that he speech protected by the First Amendment and sorship at the University of Virginia, he con- will forever remembered and revered. directed that he be seated as a duly elected tinued to mentor and remained a role model Horace Julian Bond was born January 14, member of the state legislature. for students and others. 1940 in Nashville, Tennessee to Julia Agnes Julian Bond would go on to serve three A writer, poet, television commentator, and Horace Mann Bond. more terms in the George House, where he lecturer and college teacher—and as a former Julian’s father was the first African-American co-founded the Georgia Legislative Black Cau- politician—Julian Bond was one of those President of Lincoln University of Pennsyl- rare people whose work became legendary cus, and six terms in the Georgia State Sen- while he was still doing it. In fact, the Li- vania, the same institution attended by ate. brary of Congress once called him a ‘‘living Thurgood Marshall and Langston Hughes who In 1971, Julian Bond co-founded and served legend.’’ would both go on to make substantial con- as president of the Southern Poverty Law And because of the magnitude of his work, tributions to the Civil Rights Movement and Center that tracks the actions of hate groups he leaves many treasures that will simply the advancement of African-Americans. to better inform and prepare communities keep on giving. UVA, where his papers are Julian’s father later became president of At- about the dangers these groups pose. housed, has announced its goal to establish a lanta University and Julian decided to attend Julian Bond consistently identified issues of Julian Bond Professorship in Civil Rights and Social Justice, which ‘‘will continue Morehouse College, one of the leading black civil inequality and provided solutions by gath- Bond’s scholarly legacy.’’ There will cer- colleges in the nation. ering groups of community leaders, profes- tainly be many more designations in honor Julian Bond, who came from a long line of sionals, and educators to protect what the of his life’s work. educators, determined at an early age to put laws and policies would not, our basic civil And surely some will rise, seeking to fol- his journalistic and organizing talents in serv- rights. low in his footsteps. Mr. Bond believed in ice of the cause of civil rights and racial equal- In 1998, Julian Bond’s commitment to jus- young people’s ability to take the civil ity. tice and equality led him to answer the call to rights and social justice baton and run with While a student at Morehouse College, Ju- it. Earlier this year, he told a group of How- serve and accept the position of Chairman of ard University students, ‘‘I think you know lian helped found The Pegasus, a literary the NAACP, a post he held until 2010. what the problems are. You know what the magazine, and led nonviolent student protests Julian Bond was able to bring the earnest solutions are, and I’m sure we will be glad to against segregation in Atlanta parks, res- fight to achieve equality into the modern era help. But don’t depend on us to tell you what taurants, and movie theaters. as he watched African-Americans achieve the to do. Just go out and do it.’’ Mr. Speaker, today it is difficult to imagine highest awards in their professions and contin- Well, he left an amazing road map. From there once was a time in our country when ued to break down barriers. his pioneering civil rights work as a co- blacks and whites could not eat together in In November 2008, Julian Bond witnessed founder of the Student Nonviolent Coordi- nating Committee to all of his work and con- public restaurants, use the same public rest- the election of the first African American Presi- tributions thereafter, Julian Bond was a rooms, stay at the same hotels, or attend the dent of the United States, a feat thought im- model for anyone who aims to make an im- same schools. possible just a decade earlier. pact and leave the world a better place. Julian Bond answered the call to action and Mr. Speaker, because of trailblazers like Ju- In that regard, he was a role model for us put his studies on hold to devote all of his en- lian Bond millions of Americans gained access all. What a life. What a legacy. ergies and efforts to ending segregation and to opportunities previously denied to members Amelia Boynton was born on August 18, racial discrimination. of their communities. 1911, in Savannah, Georgia. Her early activ- Mr. Speaker, it is not unusual these days for Julian Bond spent 5 years with SNCC, 8 ism included holding black voter registration us to think of a champion as someone who re- years as president of the Southern Poverty drives in Selma, Boynton spent her first two ceives the highest accolades in sports. Law Center, 12 years as the president of years of college at Georgia State College Julian Bond was a champion of the people. NAACP, 20 years as a state representative, (now Savannah State University), then trans- His success is measured not in the numbers and 75 years an unwavering champion of civil ferred to the Tuskegee Institute (now of trophies, medals, ribbons, and champion- rights for all people, including the LGBT com- Tuskegee University) in Alabama. She grad- ship banners, but in the number of doors and munity. uated from Tuskegee with a home economics opportunities he helped to open for those who My thoughts and prayers are with Julian’s degree before further pursuing her education had been neglected, marginalized, and beloved wife Pamela, his children and grand- at Tennessee State University, Virginia State disenfranchised. children; and the untold millions of persons University and Temple University. Julian Bond knew that to bring about non- whose lives were touched by one of America’s In the 1930’s, Boynton Robinson began her violent social change it was necessary to or- greatest sons. activist career by registering African Ameri- ganize so he co-founded the Student Non- Mr. Speaker, I ask the House to observe a cans to vote. In 1964, she ran for Congress to violent Coordinating Committee (SNCC). moment of silence in memory of Julian Bond, represent Alabama. She was the first woman SNCC, which organized and mobilized the a tireless and eloquent voice for justice, equal- to have run for this Democratic seat, and al- participation of students and young people in ity, and human dignity who did so much to though she did not win, she received 10% of

VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:26 Sep 29, 2015 Jkt 049060 PO 00000 Frm 00040 Fmt 7634 Sfmt 9920 E:\CR\FM\A28SE7.045 H28SEPT1 SSpencer on DSK4SPTVN1PROD with HOUSE September 28, 2015 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — HOUSE H6303 votes. As the civil rights movement picked up, islative days in which to revise and ex- ‘‘They are forgotten refugees.’’ Boynton asked Martin Luther King Jr., who tend their remarks and to include ex- Mr. Speaker, I have met with Chris- had witnessed her arrest in January 1965 for traneous material on the subject of my tians and Christian leaders from Syria, seeking to register Black voters, to visit Selma Special Order. What a grand oppor- and the stories they tell and the hor- and empower the community. King accepted, tunity to cite these great Americans: rors they talk about, the inhumanity and joined Boynton Robinson and the South- Amelia Boynton Robinson, Congress- to man that is being inflicted upon ern Christian Leadership Conference in plan- man Lou Stokes, and Julian Bond. Christians in that area is just unten- ning the march from Selma to Montgomery on The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there able. It is unconscionable. Women— March 17th, 1965. objection to the request of the gentle- talk about a war on women. If they are As approximately 600 marchers walked woman from Texas? Christian women, it is absolutely hor- across the Edmund Pettus Bridge, they were There was no objection. rendous. confronted by 200 state troopers and Alabama Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, I I ran into the same problem in meet- policemen, who shot teargas and beat the yield back the balance of my time. ing with family members in Nigeria of non-violent protesters. This horrific event Ms. WILSON of Florida. Mr. Speaker, Amel- girls that were kidnapped by radical came to be known as Bloody Sunday. ia Boyton Robinson was an American hero Islamists, Boko Haram. That was in At least 17 protesters were sent to the hos- who devoted her entire life to the fight for Nigeria. pital, including Boynton Robinson. A picture of equal rights for all. She was a child suffrag- I would be interested to talk to the her unconscious body lying on the ground ette, who alongside her mother, advocated for President of Togo tomorrow. I have after an officer shot tear gas into her throat the women’s vote and then as a young been to his country before. I have seen spread through every news media outlet woman fought for the right of blacks to have the poverty, and I have seen the afflic- across the globe, and quickly became a sym- their say at the ballot box. After bold run to bol for race relations in the United States at tion. represent Alabama in Congress, Mrs. Robin- But in the Middle East, Christians the time. son helped organize the Bloody Sunday The Selma to Montgomery march was a piv- are not even allowed to be in the area March from Selma to Montgomery. She was where the Apostle Paul walked. The otal demonstration in the civil rights move- hospitalized after being knocked unconscious ment, leading to future victories such as the Apostle Paul planted churches where by a white officer on that perilous day, which Voting Rights Acts of 1965 signed by Presi- Christian missionaries were, along the left her undaunted and even more determined dent Lyndon B. Johnson. times right after Jesus resurrected. Amelia Boynton Robinson was an incredible to fight for the African-American vote. It was Right in the early days of the church, activist, leader, and woman, and is remem- my honor to nominate her for a Congressional churches were planted. And now, while bered for her courage and strength throughout Black Caucus Foundation Phoenix Award ear- the United States is said to be the sole the civil rights movement. She worked for lier this year, but sadly, she died before I superpower, Christians are being per- equality for all until her last day on this earth. could present it to her. Thankfully, however, secuted in greater numbers around the [From the Two-Way, Aug. 26, 2015] Mrs. Robinson was able to share enough sto- world than ever in history. (By Bill Chappell) ries about her courageous experiences to fill a If there is a God who loves Chris- history book and resonate for generations to AMELIA BOYNTON ROBINSON, SURVIVOR OF tians, loves all people but has an affin- ‘BLOODY SUNDAY,’ DIES AT 104 come. ity for Jews and Christians, then there Amelia Boynton Robinson, who went from f would have to be a price for any nation being beaten on a bridge in Selma, Ala., in CHRISTIANS UNDER ATTACK that allows this to go on. 1965 to being pushed across the bridge in a The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under This article goes on: A Catholic wheelchair alongside the president of the priest who visited Kurdish Iraq last fall United States, has died at age 104. the Speaker’s announced policy of Jan- Her daughter, Germaine Bowser, confirmed uary 6, 2015, the Chair recognizes the described the wounded souls of the to Troy Public Radio’s Kyle Gassiott that gentleman from Texas (Mr. GOHMERT) Christians who had taken refuge there. Boynton Robinson died early Wednesday for 30 minutes. They had been forced from their homes morning. She had been hospitalized after suf- Mr. GOHMERT. Mr. Speaker, I come in northern Iraq in the summer of 2014. fering several strokes this summer. ‘‘ ‘Without question, we are talking Born in Savannah, Ga., Boynton Robinson before this honorable House with an was a pioneer in the voting rights movement issue that has been rather heart- about genocide here. Genocide is not who took part in the event that came to be breaking for so many of us for so long only when the people are killed, but known as ‘‘Bloody Sunday,’’ when she and now: also when the soul of a people is de- other activists were attacked by state troop- In The Middle East, the cradle of stroyed. And that is what is happening ers as they tried to march across the Ed- Christianity, where it started 2,000 in Iraq now,’ said Fr. Andrzej Halemba, mund Pettus Bridge. years ago based on the Judeo principles head of Aid to the Church in Need’s Along with Rep. John Lewis, D-Ga., Boyn- Middle East section, said October 28. ‘It ton Robinson held hands with President from thousands of years before that, Obama as the men walked across the bridge there has been a massive onslaught. is the most tragic thing that I have this past March, marking the 50th anniver- Against Jews, it has been going on for ever experienced.’ ’’ sary of the march in Selma. some time; but especially in the last This is from the priest. The priest The Montgomery Advertiser reports: several years, it has become untenable goes on: ‘‘ ‘I have seen people who have ‘‘Boynton Robinson asked Martin Luther been deeply wounded in their soul. In King Jr. to come to Selma to mobilize the for Christians. local community in the civil rights move- In an article by Debra Heine, Sep- the various crises in this world, I have ment. She worked with the Southern Chris- tember 20, my sister’s birthday, she often seen people who have lost every- tian Leadership Conference and helped plan wrote about ‘‘2,000 Years of Christian thing. But in Iraq, there are Christians the Selma to Montgomery march. Her role in Civilization Destroyed on Obama’s who have had to leave everything and the event was recaptured in the movie Watch.’’ take flight three or four times. They ‘‘Selma,’’ where she was portrayed by actress It says this in the article: ‘‘The Is- can see no light at the end of the tun- Lorraine Toussaint. She was invited as a nel.’ guest of honor to attend the signing of the lamic State has managed to destroy Voting Rights Act of 1965 by President Lyn- two thousand years of Christian civili- ‘‘Last spring, hundreds of Assyrian don B. Johnson.’’ zations in the Middle East in just a Christians fled to Lebanon after ISIS Boynton Robinson also ‘‘made history in couple of years, Lt. Col. Ralph Peters jihadists stormed their villages in Syr- 1964 as the first African-American to run for noted on ‘The O’Reilly Factor’ last ia’s northeastern province of Hasakeh. Congress in Alabama,’’ Alabama Public week. And he placed the blame square- ‘‘Members of Lebanon’s Assyrian Radio reported earlier this year, when the ly on President Obama’s . . . policy. community did their best to welcome civil rights legend attended Obama’s 2015 State of the Union address in Washington, ‘‘ISIS has been spreading across the the new refugees, but the displacement DC. She was the guest of Rep. Terri Sewell, Middle East like a plague of locusts, had left them traumatized. Alabama’s first elected African-American and as they have spread, they have tar- ‘‘ ‘The villages of Khabur are empty congresswoman. geted religious minorities, particularly now, there is no one left except some GENERAL LEAVE Christians, for destruction. In Syria, fighters,’ lamented Chorbishop Yatron Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous con- tens of thousands of Assyrian Chris- Koliana, as he oversaw the distribution sent that all Members may have 5 leg- tians have been attacked and displaced. at his diocese.’’

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