[JPRT, 110th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
Juanita Millender-McDonald
LATE A REPRESENTATIVE FROM
CALIFORNIA
a
MEMORIAL ADDRESSES
AND OTHER TRIBUTES
hon. juanita millender-mcdonald
1938-2007
[GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED]
Juanita Millender-McDonald
Memorial Addresses and
Other Tributes
HELD IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
AND SENATE
OF THE UNITED STATES
TOGETHER WITH MEMORIAL SERVICES
IN HONOR OF
JUANITA
MILLENDER-McDONALD
Late a Representative from California
One Hundred Tenth Congress
First Session
Compiled under the direction
of the
Joint Committee on Printing
CONTENTS
Biography.............................................
v
Proceedings in the House of Representatives:
Tributes by Representatives:
Baca, Joe, of California.......................
21
Bishop, Sanford D., Jr., of Georgia............
27
Bonner, Jo, of Alabama.........................
75
Bordallo, Madeleine Z., of Guam................
43
Butterfield, G.K., of North Carolina...........
22
Calvert, Ken, of California....................
10, 32
Capito, Shelley Moore, of West Virginia........
45
Capps, Lois, of California.....................
13
Christensen, Donna M., of Virgin Islands.......
44
Clarke, Yvette D., of New York.................
59
Cleaver, Emanuel, of Missouri..................
46, 57
Conyers, John, Jr., of Michigan................
49, 74
Cummings, Elijah E., of Maryland...............
70
Davis, Artur, of Alabama.......................
62
Davis, Danny K., of Illinois...................
39
Davis, Susan A., of California.................
35
Doolittle, John T., of California..............
12
Dreier, David, of California...................
5
Ehlers, Vernon J., of Michigan.................
16
Ellison, Keith, of Minnesota...................
40
Faleomavaega, Eni F.H., of American Samoa......
18
Green, Al, of Texas............................
62
Harman, Jane, of California....................
33
Hastings, Alcee L., of Florida.................
56
Hoyer, Steny H., of Maryland...................
58
Jackson, Jesse L., Jr., of Illinois............
64
Jackson-Lee, Sheila, of Texas..................
20
Jefferson, William J., of Louisiana............
68
Johnson, Eddie Bernice, of Texas...............
25
Jones, Stephanie Tubbs, of Ohio................
29
Kaptur, Marcy, of Ohio.........................
32
Kilpatrick, Carolyn C., of Michigan............
7
Langevin, James R., of Rhode Island............
52
Lantos, Tom, of California.....................
46
Lee, Barbara, of California....................
9
Lewis, John, of Georgia........................
66
Lofgren, Zoe, of California....................
11
Lowey, Nita M., of New York....................
57
Lungren, Daniel E., of California..............
8
Maloney, Carolyn B., of New York...............
34
Matsui, Doris O., of California................
48
McCollum, Betty, of Minnesota..................
54
Meeks, Gregory W., of New York.................
67
Miller, Candice S., of Michigan................
47
Miller, Gary G., of California.................
55
Myrick, Sue Wilkins, of North Carolina.........
36
Oberstar, James L., of Minnesota...............
17
Payne, Donald M., of New Jersey................
40
Pelosi, Nancy, of California...................
4
Rahall, Nick J., II, of West Virginia..........
68
Rangel, Charles B., of New York................
50
Rohrabacher, Dana, of California...............
29
Roybal-Allard, Lucille, of California..........
53
Rush, Bobby L., of Illinois....................
56
Sanchez, Linda T., of California...............
23
Sanchez, Loretta, of California................
24
Schiff, Adam B., of California.................
43
Scott, David, of Georgia.......................
27
Scott, Robert C. ``Bobby,'' of Virginia........
34
Sherman, Brad, of California...................
41
Shuler, Heath, of North Carolina...............
51
Solis, Hilda L., of California.................
31
Stark, Fortney Pete, of California.............
3
Waters, Maxine, of California..................
33, 60
Watson, Diane E., of California................
3, 37
Watt, Melvin L., of North Carolina.............
28
Woolsey, Lynn C., of California................
42
Proceedings in the Senate:
Tributes by Senators:
Bingaman, Jeff, of New Mexico..................
78
Boxer, Barbara, of California..................
78
Memorial Services.....................................
81
BIOGRAPHY
A recent Washington Times article reported a University
of California study citing Congresswoman Juanita
Millender-McDonald as one of the five most effective
Members of Congress given her ability to reach across the
aisle to effectively move bipartisan legislation. As the
first African American woman in history to hold the
distinguished positions of ranking member and chairperson
on the powerful Committee on House Administration, she
oversaw the operation of the House of Representatives; the
Library of Congress; the Smithsonian Institute; the
National Zoo; and all Federal elections.
This position extended the many firsts the Congresswoman
had amassed since arriving on the political stage. She was
the first African American woman to serve on the Carson
City Council; the first to hold the position of chairwoman
for two powerful California State Assembly committees
(Insurance, and Revenue and Taxation) in her first term.
She was the first African American woman to give the
national Democratic response to President Bush's weekly
radio address, and the first to be named honorary curator
of the Museum of Latin American Art in Long Beach.
Additionally, Millender-McDonald was the first
Democratic chairperson of the Congressional Caucus for
Women's Issues to lead the women on two groundbreaking
meetings, the first with U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan
to talk about the plight of women globally, and the other
with the chairman of the New York Stock Exchange to
develop strategies for increasing women's investments and
net worth.
She convened the first meeting between women Members of
Congress and Supreme Court Justices Sandra Day O'Connor
and Ruth Bader Ginsberg, the only women to serve on the
High Court, to discuss issues of national importance to
women. She also led a delegation of 27 women to meet with
First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton, taking the Families
First Agenda to 35 States across the Nation, another
first.
In recognition of women who served our country in
uniform during wartime, Congresswoman Millender-McDonald
initiated the first annual Memorial Day Tribute to Women
in the Military at the Women's Memorial at Arlington
National Cemetery, and she led the fight to secure $15
million for the maintenance of the memorial. She also
secured $50 million for counseling services for our
returning men and women serving in Iraq and Afghanistan.
In 1997, a Glamour magazine survey identified
Congresswoman Millender-McDonald as ``one of eleven women
who will change the world.'' Bold initiatives have been
her trademark--from the historic move in bringing CIA
Director John Deutch to Watts to address allegations of
covert involvement in drug trafficking in South Central
Los Angeles; to a ``sit-in'' at former Senator Jesse
Helms' office which forced the confirmation of former
Senator Carol Mosley Braun as Ambassador to New Zealand
and Fiji Island.
In her role as ranking member of the Committee on House
Administration, Congresswoman Millender-McDonald
investigated widespread voting irregularities and voter
disenfranchisement and called for a hearing in Ohio, the
first election reform field hearing in congressional
history. Additionally, she spoke out against genocide in
Cambodia, Darfur and other regions of the world where
human rights were in danger or ignored, and worked with
former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright and
Ambassador John Miller on human trafficking and women's
rights issues globally.
Her stellar performance on transportation issues
resulted in her becoming one of the most respected voices
on the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee
where she secured billions of dollars for her region and
California. In 2005, she played a key role in the crafting
and ultimate House passage of the 6-year Transportation
Reauthorization Act (TEA-LU), the largest public works
legislation in our Nation's history.
Her list of landmark legislation includes:
the Projects of National and Regional Significance--a $1.8 billion
program to address national transportation arteries congestion and
mitigation;
the historic Alameda Corridor initiative in the 1990s;
the Mother-to-Child HIV/AIDS Transmission Act--legislation the President
has established as his $15 billion African AIDS initiative;
legislation to increase diabetes research in minority and female
populations;
the American-Asian Justice Act to allow foreign-born children of former
and current American servicemen to be united with their American families;
the Freedmen's Bureau Preservation Act of 2000, which directs the
National Archives to preserve the records of former African American slaves
for future generations to trace their family history;
the Prohibition Against Alcohol Trafficking Act (PAAT Act) to end the
sale of alcohol to minors via the internet.
legislation that directs the Secretary of Education to study and report
to Congress of the troubling dropout rate among Latino, Native American,
American Samoan, and African American high school students;
legislation to secure $2 million to reduce the backlog of equal
employment opportunity complaints, including sexual harassment allegations
of female air traffic controllers;
the Anti-terrorism/Port Security Act of 2003;
the Terrorist Threat to Public Transportation Assessment Act of 2001;
the Child Safety Lock on Firearms Act;
the Date Rape and Violence Act; and
Sexual Trafficking.
When the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)
imposed mandatory flood insurance premiums on the elderly
and low-income residents throughout the South Bay and
South Central regions, Congresswoman Millender-McDonald
went to work securing $50 million in Federal funding to
alleviate those costs to residents and businesses in the
37th District.
Congresswoman Millender-McDonald also secured $2 million
in Federal funding for the first Urban Telemedicine
Project in the Nation for public housing tenants that
focus on eye disease detection, prevention and treatment;
initiated the first outreach to Africans in the diaspora
during the 2000 census campaign; coordinated the first
``Women Across America'' Count 2000 and facilitated the
rollout of California Count 2000; initiated the first re-
enactment of the 19th Amendment on the floor of the
California State Legislature during the 75th anniversary
of women's suffrage.
Hailed by national leaders for her creative leadership,
she passed a resolution proclaiming a national ``Dr.
Dorothy Height Day'' and received over 100 proclamations
from mayors across the country paying special tribute to
this pre-eminent social and civil rights leader.
Congresswoman Millender-McDonald was a life member of
the National Association for the Advancement of Colored
People and Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority. She served on the
Harbor College Foundation, the Southern Christian
Leadership Conference Board of Directors, and the board of
trustees of Second Baptist Church, Los Angeles. She was
founder and executive director of the League of African
American Women, an organization of 40 African American
women's groups, and the founder of the Young Advocates, a
political leadership-training program for African
Americans between the ages of 18 and 35.
Congresswoman Millender-McDonald earned a bachelor of
science degree in business administration from the
University of Redlands, a master's degree in educational
administration from California State University, Los
Angeles, and teaching and administration credentials from
the California State University system. She was married to
James McDonald, Jr., and they were the proud parents and
grandparents of five adult children and five
grandchildren.
MEMORIAL ADDRESSES
AND
OTHER TRIBUTES
FOR
JUANITA MILLENDER-McDONALD
Proceedings in the
House of Representatives
Monday, April 23, 2007
Mr. STARK. Madam Speaker, it is with great sorrow that I
rise to announce the death of our friend and colleague,
Juanita Millender-McDonald of California. She died, we are
informed, peacefully at home with her family after a
battle with cancer.
Juanita holds a special place in history. She is the
first African American woman to chair a full committee in
the U.S. House. She also worked tirelessly against
genocide and human trafficking, and for women's rights.
Prior to coming to Congress, she exemplified a leadership
role as a teacher, city council member, and California
State Assemblywoman.
She was only 68 years young, a vibrant Member of
Congress, and a good friend. Our sympathy goes to her
husband James, five adult children, and five
grandchildren.
Madam Speaker, I ask for a moment of silence to honor
her at this time.
Ms. WATSON. Madam Speaker, I offer a privileged
resolution (H. Res. 328) and ask for its immediate
consideration.
The Clerk read the resolution, as follows:
H. Res. 328
Resolved, That the House has heard with profound sorrow
of the death of the Honorable Juanita Millender-McDonald,
a Representative from the State of California.
Resolved, That a committee of such Members of the House
as the Speaker may designate, together with such Members
of the Senate as may be joined, be appointed to attend the
funeral.
Resolved, That the Sergeant-at-Arms of the House be
authorized and directed to take such steps as may be
necessary for carrying out the provisions of these
resolutions and that the necessary expenses in connection
therewith be paid out of applicable accounts of the House.
Resolved, That the Clerk communicate these resolutions
to the Senate and transmit a copy thereof to the family of
the deceased.
Resolved, That when the House adjourns today, it adjourn
as a further mark of respect to the memory of the
deceased.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentlewoman from California
is recognized for 1 hour.
Ms. WATSON. Madam Speaker, I yield 30 minutes to the
gentleman from California (Mr. Dreier), pending which I
yield myself such time as I may consume.
Madam Speaker, I now yield 1 minute to our most
distinguished Speaker, Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
Ms. PELOSI. Madam Speaker, I thank our dear friend,
Congresswoman Watson, for bringing us together around this
very sad and necessary resolution today.
On behalf of all Members of Congress, I rise to pay
tribute to Chairwoman Juanita Millender-McDonald, who has
just passed away. I offer deepest sympathy to her family,
who loved her so dearly, her husband James McDonald, Jr.,
her five children and her five grandchildren.
As the first African American to chair a committee in
Congress, Juanita Millender-McDonald was a trailblazer,
always advocating for the full participation of all
Americans in the success and prosperity of our country.
She was a strong defender of the right of every eligible
voter to have full access to the polls and a tireless
proponent of fair elections that ensured that every vote
would be counted.
As chair of the House Administration Committee,
Chairwoman Millender-McDonald's deep commitment to
diversity was manifested in her actions when hiring and
contracting within the House of Representatives. She
enjoyed her role as the ``mayor of Capitol Hill,'' and was
known for asking tourists in elevators, ``Are you finding
everything OK,'' and listening closely to their response.
After her family, the people of California's 37th
District were always first and foremost in Chairwoman
Millender-McDonald's mind and her work here in Congress.
She saw it as a priority to make sure they had every
opportunity. She worked to strengthen the economy and jobs
there, and she saw it as a priority to secure the two
ports adjacent to her district.
Chairwoman Millender-McDonald was an advocate for
justice around the world. She spoke out forcefully against
the genocide in Darfur and was a powerful advocate for the
rights of women everywhere. As a former cochairwoman of
the Congressional Caucus for Women's Issues, she worked
for gender equity here at home and throughout the world.
The loss of Chairwoman Juanita Millender-McDonald is a
personal one for many of us here. She was always
optimistic and determined to make a difference. The
dignity with which she faced her illness was an indication
of the determination with which she always served the
people of our country.
We have all lost an effective leader and spokesperson,
and many of us have lost a dear friend. When we look
around this Chamber, it is almost impossible to imagine it
without Juanita here fighting the fight, and doing so
looking magnificent. The dignity, the grace, the beauty,
the thoughtfulness that she brought to the tasks at hand
were a model for others. Young people would come to the
Capitol and observe her in action and learn from her.
We also learned from her how to have dignity at the end
of life. Many of us knew that she had had bouts with
illness, but we really didn't know how serious it was. As
her daughter Valerie said to me last night, ``She said I
want to make all of these arrangements so that I can go
home.''
I hope it is a comfort to Chairwoman Juanita Millender-
McDonald's family and friends that so many people mourn
their loss and are praying for them at this sad time. Many
of us will travel to California to say goodbye to Juanita,
if I may speak to her in that familiar way. It has been an
honor to call her colleague, I know we all agree on that,
and for many of us it was a privilege also to call her
friend.
Goodbye, my friend.
Mr. DREIER. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I
may consume.
Madam Speaker, let me begin by expressing my
appreciation to both of my California colleagues, Ms.
Watson and Speaker Pelosi, for their very thoughtful
words, and, obviously I would, as all of my colleagues I
know want to do, associate ourselves with the very
thoughtful remarks offered by Speaker Pelosi.
Madam Speaker, this is a very sad time for me
personally, for a number of reasons. Juanita Millender-
McDonald was my friend and my neighbor. And she was my
neighbor not only in California representing an adjoining
congressional district, but my neighbor right here on
Capitol Hill. We were next-door neighbors. So, Madam
Speaker, I have to say that I had the privilege of
spending a great deal of time with Juanita.
As Speaker Pelosi said in her statement that she
released yesterday, Juanita Millender-McDonald truly was a
trailblazer. She was an individual who showed amazing
commitment throughout her entire life to her beliefs, and
I was very happy that she as a Democrat and I as a
Republican were able to work together and find areas of
agreement.
I have to say one of the biggest challenges that we face
in Southern California, and I know my California colleague
Ms. Watson understands this very well, is the area of
transportation. The gridlock challenge, as is the case
with many metropolitan areas around the country, is
particularly bad in the Los Angeles area. Juanita
Millender-McDonald served on the Transportation and
Infrastructure Committee and worked tirelessly to try and
focus on those challenges, the difficulties that we faced.
There was one particular project that I was pleased to
work with Juanita on, and that was something known as the
Alameda Corridor Project.
A huge percentage of all of the goods going to and from
the United States, exports and imports, come through the
ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles. Juanita represented
large parts of Long Beach, and she understood the
importance of international trade. So she was one of those
in the vanguard in the quest to deal with construction of
the Alameda Corridor, which allowed those goods to move
from the ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles to the rest
of the United States and, similarly, goods exported from
America. I am very happy to see the distinguished chair of
the Transportation Committee, Mr. Oberstar, nodding in
agreement. He knows how important this issue is, and he
worked very closely with Juanita Millender-McDonald and
all of us who have been involved on that issue. I know she
championed it with great enthusiasm.
I also would like to say she was a very proud alumna of
the University of Redlands. She went to the University of
Redlands at age 40 and got her degree. One of the reasons
I am proud to point that out is that the distinguished
former chairman, now ranking member of the Committee on
Appropriations, Mr. Lewis, has specifically asked me to
raise this issue.
As I said, we were neighbors. As Speaker Pelosi
correctly pointed out, while a number of us knew that
Juanita had not been well, very few knew of the
seriousness of her illness. I remember standing with my
two California colleagues, Ms. Watson and Mrs. Napolitano,
just last week, and we talked about making a video that we
were going to provide for Juanita because we knew she had
not been well.
So her passing has come as a great shock to every single
one of us. She is the first woman to ever chair the
Committee on House Administration. She was a trailblazer
on so many issues. Her passing is a loss to my State of
California, to this institution, and to the entire
country.
Madam Speaker, at this point I am going to ask unanimous
consent that my California colleague, Mr. Calvert, be able
to manage the time from this point forward, and with that
I reserve the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the
request of the gentleman from California?
There was no objection.
Ms. WATSON. Madam Speaker, I call on the gentlewoman
from Michigan (Ms. Kilpatrick), the chair of the
Congressional Black Caucus, for 3 minutes.
Ms. KILPATRICK. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman
from California for yielding me this time.
Today is the first day of the rest of our lives. I stand
here to pay tribute to my friend, my sister, chairwoman,
Congresswoman Juanita Millender-McDonald. I was asked
earlier by an interviewer: ``How would she like us to
remember her?'' A leader, a fighter, a mother, a
grandmother, excellence bar none, first class, no
shortcuts.
To Jim and Valerie and to the rest of the family, to the
grandchildren, just know you have her blood and you can do
anything. No limits; be the best.
As chairperson of the Congressional Black Caucus, we are
honored to have had her with us to teach us and show us
the way. Juanita has been special in this body, rising
from mayor pro tempore, city councilperson, the first
African American woman to chair the House Women's Caucus,
and over the last 11 years serving in this body, a special
friend to me personally. We many times talked about our
families.
So my sister, Juanita, as you take your rest with the
spirit of God, we know you will watch over us and make
sure that we do our due. We know the family knows you are
with them forever.
To Jim, it's OK, we're here for you and we always will
be.
So let us continue to rejoice. He makes no mistakes. We
now have extra protection in heaven.
On behalf of the entire body of the CBC, we are both
remorseful and reflective on the life and legacy of
Representative Juanita Millender-McDonald.
We are praying with and for her family and dear friends
during this season of grief.
Representative Millender-McDonald should be celebrated
for her abounding commitment to service and advocacy.
During her seven-term tenure as the eloquent voice of the
37th Congressional District, including Long Beach, the
industrial suburbs of Carson and Compton and parts of
South Central Los Angeles.
As a former educator and recipient of a myriad of
distinctions, including:
First African American woman to chair a full committee in the U.S. House
of Representatives;
First African American woman to serve on the Carson City Council;
First African American woman to render the national Democratic response
to President Bush's weekly radio address;
First to be named honorary curator of the Museum of Latin American Art in
Long Beach; and
First Democratic chair of the Congressional Caucus for Women's Issues.
Representative Millender-McDonald made certain to pave
the way for her firsts to not be the last for African
Americans and Americans across the globe.
Therefore, the CBC will continue to carry on the work of
Congresswoman Millender-McDonald as we change course,
confront crises, and continue the legacy.
Mr. CALVERT. Madam Speaker, I am happy to yield 3
minutes to the gentleman from California (Mr. Daniel E.
Lungren).
Mr. LUNGREN. Madam Speaker, I rise to speak on behalf of
our departed colleague, Juanita Millender-McDonald, with
whom I only had the privilege of serving for the last 3
years, but who was an office mate, had the office just
down the hall from me my first 2 years back here this time
around; and then I had the proud honor of serving on the
Committee on House Administration with her.
More than that, she represented a portion of my hometown
of Long Beach, and we would often talk about our mutual
interests in some of the people and institutions there,
particularly my love for Long Beach Memorial Hospital in
my hometown.
In every conversation I had with her, in every dealing I
had with her, she was very gracious, very generous of
spirit, always upbeat. I was surprised to hear of her
illness and surprised to hear of her passing because in
every conversation I had with her, she never gave an
indication that she was in pain or suffering or in any way
challenged by this illness.
She seemed to radiate a fulfillment in being in this
House and the work she did. I know she was very proud of
the people she represented, her constituents, and I know
she was proud of the communities she represented. And I
know she was proud of the firsts she represented, both
here in the Congress and in the California Legislature.
This place is a tough place. We battle oftentimes over
ideas and we battle over ideology, and yet the human
aspect of this place is forgotten by many who look out or
look upon us from the outside, but it is always here. And
I always enjoyed every encounter I had with Juanita. She
was a pleasure to work with. She was someone who took
great pride in our State of California, and I think she
will be someone who will be sorely missed in this House.
It is my pleasure to stand here and say goodbye,
Juanita. I enjoyed working with you. You will be missed.
Ms. WATSON. Madam Speaker, with pleasure I yield 3
minutes to Ms. Barbara Lee from California.
Ms. LEE. Madam Speaker, it is with a heavy heart that I
rise this evening to offer my condolences to the family of
our beloved Juanita Millender-McDonald, to her husband,
Jim, to her children, to her grandchildren, her sisters,
and to her entire family. My thoughts and prayers are with
you during this most difficult time.
I am reminded of the very many moments we shared
together and how precious, fun, and engaging they were. I
met Juanita over the telephone when I called to
congratulate her for, as the underdog, winning the primary
for the California Assembly in 1993 where I was then
serving.
Even in that first phone conversation, she conveyed such
a strong sense of purpose and focus, yet a deep message of
sisterhood and optimism about the future. Of course,
Juanita won the general election and came to the
California Legislature where she demonstrated her keen
intellect and her bipartisan legislative abilities as
chair of the Revenue and Taxation Committee and as chair
of the Assembly Insurance Committee.
Juanita, her husband, Jim, and her sister participated
in a delegation which I organized to five countries in
Africa. Her commitment to the continent and to diplomacy
was recognized by all.
Juanita, though, recognized the challenges which I
personally faced as the organizer and leader of a
delegation, most of whose members had never been to
Africa. In the most sensitive and loving manner, she
presented me with a beautiful Namibian wallet and passport
carrier to shore me up and to help me out, and I carry it
to this day. You know it was beautiful and well-made.
Juanita had a keen sense of style, if you remember how
beautiful and elegant Juanita was always dressed.
She was a woman of distinction and class which brought
her many compliments, but she was also a woman of
substance, with a keen intellect, big heart, and a
passionate sense of justice.
She worked on many issues relating to the empowerment of
women, HIV/AIDS, orphans, a host of issues which history
will record as improving the lives of millions. Her annual
AIDS walk was a source of pride and joy as she shared with
us the dos and the don'ts on how to put our own together
so we could replicate her success in our own communities.
Juanita was a giving person who shared her wisdom with
her friends and colleagues, and I will always remember her
actions during the Bill Clinton impeachment era where she
organized a group of women to go to the White House and
meet with Mrs. Clinton in a show of support. It was
moments like these when you knew you were in the presence
of a risk-taker and a giant of a woman.
Juanita was a loving wife and mother and grandmother and
sister. Oftentimes she brought her beautiful grandchildren
to the House floor to give them a sense of her work and a
sense of Congress, and to show them off. I am deeply
grateful to Juanita and to her family.
As the Scriptures say, ``Well done, thy good and
faithful servant.''
Mr. CALVERT. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as
I may consume.
Last week, as for many of us, I first heard about
Juanita's illness. That is surprising because there is a
group of us on both sides of the aisle who fly back and
forth to California every week. I know there is a lot of
talk about partisanship nowadays, but we have a pretty
close group. Many times we sit next to each other on the
airplane, and we talk about parents and children and golf
or whatever. And Juanita was always a delight to be with,
always had a positive attitude, always someone you looked
forward to seeing.
I was deeply saddened to hear of Juanita's sudden
passing. I was sitting at home writing a note to her this
weekend; and, unfortunately, that note can't be delivered.
But I hope she is listening right now as we state our
condolences to her family and to her friends.
It has certainly been an honor for me to have worked
with her for the last 11 years that she served in
Congress. She was a faithful representative of her
district.
I worked with her specifically on the C-17 factory in
Long Beach, CA, where they make the great C-17 aircraft,
and she was a champion for that. She worked for the
employees that worked at that plant to make sure that the
aircraft which is doing a wonderful job for our country
continues to be manufactured in Long Beach, CA. As a
matter of fact, the last conversation I had with her was
about what we can do to keep that going.
There are no words I can use to convey the sense of loss
when a colleague passes. She was a champion, and a
champion for California. Our delegation will miss her very
much. We will miss her smile.
I join all of my colleagues in supporting this
bereavement resolution and extend my sympathies to her
families and friends. Juanita Millender-McDonald was a
patriot who faithfully served her country. Her
contributions and commitment will not be forgotten.
Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Ms. WATSON. Madam Speaker, I am very pleased to give 3
minutes to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Zoe
Lofgren).
Ms. LOFGREN. Madam Speaker, Juanita Millender-McDonald
touched our lives in different ways. I chair the
California Democratic delegation, and I can tell you that
our delegation is literally heartbroken over the loss of
Juanita.
We meet every Wednesday as a delegation to sort through
the issues that face us not just as a Congress but as a
State. And although we know Juanita for her leadership in
the Nation, those of us in California are very proud of
the special things she did for our State.
There will be an empty spot at our meeting every
Wednesday.
She was a trailblazer, as has been mentioned, a first so
often: the first California African American woman to
chair two committees in the California Assembly; the
chairperson of the House Administration Committee. But
when I think of Juanita, I think of someone who had
tremendous dignity, tremendous style, tremendous poise.
She knew that she was a first, and it was important to her
that she accomplish these firsts with an eye to being a
role model for young people around the country and,
indeed, around the world.
As chair of the Committee on House Administration, where
I also serve, she worked so diligently to make sure that
every vote would be counted, that all Americans would be
treated fairly and without discrimination, and she was so
happy to provide that leadership as chairwoman of the
committee. It is so unfair that we have lost her from that
position so prematurely.
Today, we mourn the passing of a great American, but we
also celebrate the legacy of public service that she
leaves behind. Juanita Millender-McDonald left this
Chamber as she entered it, with poise and spirit, fighting
for those who could not fight for themselves.
Our thoughts and prayers go out to her husband, her five
children, her grandchildren, and we mourn her passing, not
just today but every day.
Mr. CALVERT. Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to my
colleague from California (Mr. Doolittle).
Mr. DOOLITTLE. Madam Speaker, I was, like many of my
colleagues, shocked and deeply saddened to hear the news
about Juanita. Grace Napolitano had just brought by a nice
card for Members to sign on Friday, I think it was, and
here I realize that she has passed away. I just had no
idea.
It was my privilege to serve with her on the House
Administration Committee when she was the ranking member,
and Juanita was a passionate advocate for her ideas and
her beliefs. Sometimes she and I would argue with each
other, but it was never with any personal disagreement. I
liked her, I thought highly of her, and would just like to
join with my colleagues in acknowledging her fine service
here in the House of Representatives, her dedication to
California, and her desire to make a difference.
I always admired her love and devotion to family, and I
join with my colleagues in saying that I will miss her,
and I am very sorry that this has happened.
Ms. WATSON. Madam Speaker, I am pleased to yield 5
minutes to the gentlewoman from California (Mrs. Capps).
Mrs. CAPPS. Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague Diane
Watson for her leadership in gathering us together, and I
rise with my colleagues to extend my condolences,
heartfelt, from this body to the family, to the friends,
to the constituents of Congresswoman Juanita Millender-
McDonald.
This is a somber hour because we are, as my colleague,
the dean of our California delegation, mentioned, we are
heartsick over this loss, and maybe it is because Juanita
was such a striking presence, so dynamic, so poised and
articulate. When she entered a room, you knew she was
there; and now, today, as we gather so soon after we heard
of her death, just yesterday, walking through the doors of
the Capitol, I thought it is not the same place now
because she is not going to be there, wearing something
striking, something beautiful, and with her elegance and
grace.
We will miss her. We will always miss her. She served in
this place, as she served her community and her family and
her city council and the State legislature, with such
distinction, with passion and with dedication for the
benefit of her community and with enormous patriotism.
This talented public servant was a champion for several
years, including fighting HIV/AIDS, improving women's
health, encouraging women in business, protecting voting
rights, stopping the genocide in Darfur. As I mention
these issues, I think to myself her charge to us this
evening would be to stop the sweet talk about her and get
busy and solve these problems. That is the best thing we
can do in her memory, in her name.
She knew where the challenges lay in our country, in the
way we go to the polls and the fairness of our elections,
the availability of the opportunity to vote for every
single American. She was not content. It is not solved yet
and we have to do this in her honor.
The genocide in Darfur, until that is a thing of the
past, we cannot rest. We have got to do this now for
Juanita.
HIV and AIDS and all of the other things she cared
about, now we have an increased motivation, and that is
how we can turn our sorrow into something positive, the
way she did with her life.
We have heard from our colleagues this evening, and we
will hear many things, but in particular, I want to speak
today as I follow in her footsteps as cochair of the
Congressional Caucus for Women's Issues. During the 107th
Congress, she was cochair of the Caucus for Women's
Issues, serving ably with Congresswoman Judy Biggert.
Under their leadership, the Women's Caucus initiated the
first annual Memorial Day tribute to women in the military
at the Women's Memorial at Arlington National Cemetery.
Now this event, thanks to Juanita, has become an annual
tradition and highlights the caucus' strong commitment to
supporting our brave women in uniform. I know Juanita will
be proud of us as we continue in this tradition.
As cochair of that caucus, Congresswoman Millender-
McDonald also convened the first meeting between women
Members of Congress and the Supreme Court Justices Sandra
Day O'Connor and Ruth Bader Ginsberg in order to discuss
issues of national importance to women, especially in the
judicial area.
On a personal moment, I will never forget the first time
I met with my colleague, Congresswoman Millender-McDonald.
It was during a very difficult moment in my life after the
passing of my husband Walter. The first thing I knew she
was there in my district with every single one of her
staff members to help me to succeed him in office. It was
a very rainy time, and there they all were, walking
precincts in my district, and that was how I met Juanita
Millender-McDonald.
She made a special effort to reach out to me and to my
family in ways that were very meaningful to me. She shared
with me that her father was a preacher like mine was, so
we had that kind of bond as well. And I know it has been
mentioned how ferociously she worked on issues like the C-
17 and the Alameda Corridor, but if you ever flew with her
in her service on the Transportation Committee, you knew
very well that she wanted that airline to work for, not
her, but for all of us Members and all of the passengers,
and she made sure whatever flight we were on was going to
be on time to the best of her ability.
These are stories that I am not going to ever forget and
I want to be grateful for her kindness to me, and pledge
during that very challenging time in my life, she was
there for me, and now we reach out to her family members.
All of us are going to miss our colleague and our thoughts
and prayers are with the family during this difficult
time.
It just appeared, such a wonderful picture of Juanita
Millender-McDonald in her local paper, the Los Angeles
Sentinel, and ironically, it is dated Thursday, April 22,
and that was when she took leave. And who would have known
at the paper in her community that just a few days later
she would be gone. But I think it would be befitting her
to have this entered in the Congressional Record in memory
of Juanita.
[From the Los Angeles Sentinel, April 19, 2007]
Congresswoman Juanita Millender-McDonald Will Take Four to
Six Weeks Off To Seek Treatment for Cancer
(By Yussuf J. Simmonds)
Congresswoman Juanita Millender-McDonald is taking a
leave of absence until May 25 in order to seek proper care
and spend quality time with her family after being
diagnosed with cancer.
It had been rumored for some time that her health was
troubling especially since she had been placed on the
``prayer list'' at her local church, Second Baptist Church
in Los Angeles. However, she has always been a fighter for
the community and now the community stands ready to return
her hard work and efforts on its behalf with prayer and
best wishes.
McDonald is currently serving her seventh term in
Congress representing the 37th Congressional District,
which includes parts of Carson, Compton, Long Beach, Los
Angeles and Signal Hill. Presently, she is the chairwoman
of the House Administration Committee, the first Black
woman to hold that position. As chairwoman, she has
investigated the voting irregularities and
disenfranchisement in Ohio, which was the first election
reform field hearing in Congressional history.
Glamour Magazine recently dubbed her as ``one of the
eleven women who will change the world'' and a recent news
report cited her as one of the five most effective members
of Congress because of her ability to reach across party
lines to effectively move bipartisan legislation.
Congresswoman Barbara Lee, the vice chair of the
Congressional Black Caucus and the representative of the
9th Congressional District of California, extended warm
greetings to her colleague and offered these words of
comfort.
``Our prayers are with Congresswoman McDonald and her
family. We wish her a speedy recovery and hope that her
leadership and courage will soon be back with us in the
nation's capital,'' Lee said.
Councilman Isadore Hall of Compton's Fourth District was
touched when he received word of her health concerns.
``Right now we are holding her up in deep prayer and
hoping for a speedy recovery,'' said Hall. ``Certainly her
presence will be missed, but we know she has competent
staff who will be able to move swiftly with the agenda she
has set for the community.''
This is not the first time that McDonald has faced
health issues. In 2005, she underwent major surgery for an
unknown illness. Last year, her son, R. Keith McDonald,
requested a furlough from his 41-month prison sentence for
political corruption charges in order to see to her
condition at the time.
The judge granted him a six-month release but again,
there was no official comment from McDonald on her
condition then and there is no comment now if either
incident is related to her current situation.
Dr. William Epps, pastor of Second Baptist Church where
McDonald is a parishioner, relayed his thoughtfulness by
saying that he stays ``in touch with her weekly'' and that
``I'm keeping her in prayer for strength as she faces her
health.''
She reportedly will maintain a limited schedule
particularly in her district and this apparently will be
to expedite her recovery process. She has requested
respect for her privacy at present and all of her
constituents have offered their prayers and best wishes
for a speedy recovery.
Mr. CALVERT. Madam Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the
gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Ehlers).
Mr. EHLERS. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman for
yielding.
I first met Juanita Millender-McDonald in the Committee
on Transportation and Infrastructure, which is a wonderful
committee, and I am sure the current Chair would agree
with that. There is a great diversity of tasks there, and
I came to know her at that committee.
I was amazed at Ms. Millender-McDonald in a number of
ways. You just heard the previous speaker talk about her
grace and elegance. That was apparent from the moment you
saw her and talked to her.
She and I became rather good friends because it happened
that her father was a pastor, and my father was also a
pastor. There is a special bond between preachers' kids or
PKs as they are called, and we used to jokingly discuss
the need to develop a PK caucus in the Congress so that we
could address major issues of the times, particularly
those with a moral or human content to them.
Our friendship continued over the years, and I have to
confess, I was continually amazed at new things I
discovered in Juanita Millender-McDonald.
First of all, just imagine being born African American
in 1938 in Alabama and becoming the first African American
woman to chair a committee in the Congress. That is a long
and difficult road, and she traversed that road, once
again, with elegance and grace.
After having five children, she went back to school,
received a bachelor's degree and then became a teacher.
She later went back to school again and obtained a
master's degree, showing amazing persistence and drive to
do that. She then entered the political arena, became the
mayor pro tempore of the city in her district, and then
later the State Assembly, and then the Congress.
So she had considerable drive and interests in serving
others, and that stood out from the moment you first met
her.
But I found it interesting, too, on a personal
relationship, she was a good friend of mine but a very
private person, and I was dismayed recently to find out
that she had cancer because she had never discussed this
with me and never alluded to it in our discussions. I knew
something was wrong, but I did not know what. I wish I had
known so I could have offered her more comfort and help.
We have had our amusing moments as well. One time she
insisted in talking far past her limit in our committee
when I was chairman, and I gaveled her out of order, which
she refused to admit and kept talking. So I gaveled louder
and she kept talking, and I gaveled louder yet, until she
could no longer speak. She was not pleased with that. But
when she became the chairwoman, I called her to
congratulate her and I said, ``Now, I fully expect you to
gavel me out of order every opportunity you get,'' and
that was the type of relationship we had.
In spite of our differences of party, in spite of
occasional differences in perspective and differences in
how we should accomplish things in this Congress, we
remained good friends throughout. And I think because of
that, together, we were able to accomplish a great deal in
that committee this past year, and we were continuing to
do that this year under her leadership.
We have lost a good friend. We have lost a good
compatriot. We have lost a good Member of Congress. It is
not easy to deal with that type of loss, and our comfort
is that she is in a better place, that she has served our
country well. She has served her people well. I am sure as
a teacher she served her students well. I think she has
left the Congress a better place because of her having
been here and with the example that she set for us.
Ms. WATSON. Madam Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to Mr.
Oberstar of Minnesota.
Mr. OBERSTAR. Madam Speaker, it was shortly after the
election in which Juanita Millender-McDonald was elected
to the Congress, that she called on my office. I was the
ranking member on the Transportation and Infrastructure
Committee.
She came to see me about service on our committee. I had
learned a little about her background, and I was
surprised. I thought she would be more interested in
Judiciary or International Relations, but when I asked why
she wanted to serve on this nuts and bolts committee, she
said, ``Well, I have the Alameda Corridor in my
district.'' And if I heard Alameda Corridor from her once,
I heard it 50 times. It was incessant; it was a refrain;
it was a passionate advocacy. I, of course, did support
her candidacy for the committee.
Then, when the assignments were given out, she came
calling again, and said, ``I want to know more about what
this committee does. What are all these responsibilities?
What does this subcommittee's work mean on public
buildings and grounds and economic development?''
When I laid out the picture that this committee has
jurisdiction over 367 million square feet of Federal
civilian office space, she was excited. Well, there are
things we can do here.
It was just such a delight to see a new Member enthused
about the work of the committee and wanting to understand
it.
Over the years, I have watched, as many of our
colleagues have, as have the gentleman from Michigan and
the gentleman from California (Mr. Dreier) who spoke so
warmly and touching earlier, Members come in, and they
scratch and claw to get a committee assignment. Then they
get on a committee, and they scratch and claw to get their
subcommittee assignments. Then when you are there
presiding or working, for so many years as the ranking
member, you turn around, and where are they? You don't see
them again. Juanita Millender-McDonald showed up for work,
every time.
What was also touching was when another committee
assignment conflicted, she would come in, sit down, be
checked in, look at the committee agenda and the
information, then she would come over and say would you
please hold me excused, I have to go to another committee
because something else is happening. You don't see that
happening very often, the conscientiousness that she
displayed about her service in the Congress. She took it
seriously, learned it well.
When we were crafting the TEA-LU legislation, she wanted
to be a part of shaping the minority business enterprise
provisions. She was on the floor to advocate for them. Her
whole career was one of dedication to service, but she was
a person, a mother, a wife, a human being, warm and
caring. When she walked into a room and offered that
smile, clouds parted, lights went on and Juanita
Millender-McDonald was there for us.
She will always be in my heart, in our hearts.
Mr. CALVERT. Madam Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to my
colleague from American Samoa (Mr. Faleomavaega).
Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA. I thank the distinguished gentleman
from California, my colleague, for extending me time from
his part and recognizing the fact that we have so many on
this side of the aisle to offer their remarks, especially
in honoring Ms. Juanita Millender-McDonald.
Madam Speaker, like all my colleagues in attendance this
evening in this Chamber, we were all surprised and shocked
to learn of the untimely death of our distinguished
gentlelady from the great State of California,
Congresswoman Juanita Millender-McDonald.
Some of you may be surprised to know that when I was
serving as Lieutenant Governor some 24 years ago, I knew
Juanita. She was a dear friend, but she was serving at
that time as a member of the city council in the city of
Carson, CA. We collaborated often in addressing the
economic and social needs of the members of my Samoan
community living in the cities of Carson, Compton and even
Long Beach. Next thing I learned, Juanita was elected as a
member of the California State Assembly, and then finally
she was elected as a Member of Congress.
Juanita was passionate about the needs of the poor and
the destitute. I know our Samoan community throughout the
Los Angeles area all mourn the loss of this great and
gentle lady. She truly was a dear friend to me, and
members of the Samoan community are going to feel the loss
of her presence. She lived life to the fullest. I know we
are here to celebrate her life, although we also mourn her
absence from the halls of this great institution.
On behalf of our Samoan community throughout the Los
Angeles area, we convey our deepest sympathies and
condolences to Juanita, her husband, and all the members
of her family. I recall the Good Book, and it is my
sincere hope that they may all be comforted with our
Savior's promise, ``Blessed are they who mourn, for they
shall be comforted.''
I may also say in our Samoan culture, when someone
passes away, we don't say that the person has died. We
just simply say, ``Be well in your voyage.'' And I would
like to say this in my language, Juanita, Ia manuia lau
faigamalaga. God bless.
Ms. WATSON. Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the
gentlelady from Texas (Ms. Jackson-Lee).
Mr. CALVERT. Madam Speaker, I yield 1 additional minute
to the gentlelady from Texas (Ms. Jackson-Lee).
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentlewoman from Texas is
recognized for 3 minutes.
Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. I thank the distinguished
gentlelady from California (Ms. Watson) for her dedicated
commitment and Mr. Calvert, two Californians who have come
together on this sad but really commemorative time.
Madam Speaker, I want to lift my voice a little bit,
because there are some things that we say in the church
about home-going services or memorials. They are, in fact,
a celebration of life. I clearly believe that as I have
listened to my colleagues, and as I will continue to
listen to my colleagues, we really are celebrating Juanita
Millender-McDonald's life. We are celebrating our
friendship and how we care for her, how she cared for us.
My first remarks are that our mayor has fallen, the
mayor of our city, the city of Congress, the comings and
goings of Members and staff, traffic and various
personnel, law enforcement. This was her love, as she
first started as a ranking member of the House
Administration Committee and then had the honor of being
appointed by the new Speaker of the House, a woman, to be
the chairwoman of the House Administration Committee.
But I do want to say, before I comment further, that
Juanita had a bigger smile when she was around her
husband, Jim, her five children and her grandchildren. She
sparkled when she brought her grandchildren to the floor
of the House and made sure that everybody knew those
beautiful and lovely children who, in fact, seemed to have
a very strong and proud bond with their grandmother. They
were proud of this regal woman who came to the floor of
the House as a Member of the U.S. Congress.
Juanita was a doer, and she used to often speak of her
beginnings with a Baptist father, preacher, a close-knit
family, and her deep roots in Birmingham, AL, knowing what
a segregated South was all about, a segregated America.
Though she fought against it, she didn't let it bring her
down, discourage her. Off she went to California, and she
became a true daughter of California, with all of the
attributes that great State allows you to have.
She did things to make life better. She had a great
sense of hope and spirit about her women's march against
AIDS, and each year the numbers kept growing up and up and
up. She would tell me, coming back, thousands of women
marched against HIV/AIDS to find a cure, to stop the
devastation in women. We were so proud when, for the first
time, she was able to bring us together around women in
the military.
The last time I was there, the curator of that museum
said, you know, Juanita started this. We now have become
so important because of Juanita.
Then, of course, she worked with the library and those
workers over there. Juanita was someone who believed in
getting things done, not for herself, but for others.
Juanita Millender-McDonald had as her final work, the
true integrity and transparency of elections all over
America. Truly, we want to thank her, we love her. We love
you, Juanita. This is a celebration of your life.
Mr. CALVERT. Madam Speaker, may I inquire how much time
is remaining on both sides.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman from California
has 12 minutes remaining. The gentlewoman from California
has 12\1/2\ minutes remaining.
Mr. CALVERT. Madam Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the
gentleman from California (Mr. Baca).
Mr. BACA. Madam Speaker, yesterday the House of
Representatives, the State of California, and the Nation,
lost a leader and a good friend of ours, Congresswoman
Juanita Millender-McDonald. We certainly will miss her. My
wife Barbara and I extend a heartfelt condolence to her
family, friends, staff, children, her five grandchildren
and to Jim.
Today we pay tribute to a real trailblazer, a pioneer,
the first African American woman to chair a committee, a
positive role model, a person who created hope for many
individuals, a person who was a well-liked and well-
respected individual.
In her role as a public servant, she touched the lives
of many individuals. Here in the House, I have heard many
individuals talk about how she was a nice person and how
she was well liked.
As chair of House Administration she worked closely with
the Congressional TriCaucus, the Congressional Hispanic
Caucus, and the Congressional Asian Pacific American
Caucus in trying to obtain fairness and equality for all
of us. She was pleasant to work with. I have had the
opportunity to work with Juanita and served with her in
the California State Assembly prior to coming to
Washington, DC.
She has always been a strong advocate for the poor, the
disadvantaged, and those that were underrepresented. I
know that she spent much time going into my district and
speaking to a lot of the poor and disadvantaged in San
Bernardino, in the Inland Empire, because she cared about
the poor, not only in that area, but she cared about equal
representation. She wanted to ensure that we had the
numbers or bodies of people who represent us here in
Congress. She worked for me on my campaign when I first
ran out there.
She worked with me also in a variety of areas, but one
of those that has been mentioned tonight has been the
Alameda Corridor. She really took it to heart because she
knew the Alameda Corridor and what it meant was a lifeline
to California, to Southern California, in the area of
transportation, not only to the L.A. International
Airport, but Ontario International Airport that is also
affiliated with that area.
Juanita knew the infrastructure and the growth and the
population in the area, and she put a high priority on
transportation. She was a friend and a loyal supporter,
and I am grateful.
As a friend, she will be deeply missed, but she will not
be forgotten. She fought for justice, she fought for
equality so that people will not experience the prejudice
and racism that most of us have experienced throughout our
life. She wanted life to be better for others. She is a
strong voice for many. Juanita Millender-McDonald will be
remembered for her dedication to public service, tireless
work on behalf of her constituents, standing for the
rights of women and minorities, and, overall, her desire
to make our country a better place.
We love you, Juanita Millender-McDonald.
Ms. WATSON. Madam Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the
gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Butterfield).
Mr. BUTTERFIELD. Madam Speaker, I too rise this evening
to honor the life and work of my colleague and friend,
Congresswoman Juanita Millender-McDonald, who has passed
from labor to reward.
Juanita was a warm and caring individual. She worked
very hard in this body to improve the quality of life for
all Americans. As a faithful member of the Congressional
Black Caucus she also spoke of the urgency of eradicating
poverty and eliminating disparities in education, health
care, and wealth. She spoke for those who could not speak
for themselves. My constituents, the 660,000 people of the
First District of North Carolina, are grateful for the
service of Congresswoman Millender-McDonald.
I join my colleagues this evening in saying to the
family of this great woman, you had a wonderful wife,
mother, grandmother. Her love of humanity and work on
behalf of disadvantaged people everywhere ensures that she
is in heaven and free of the suffering she had to endure.
May God bless the soul of this great American.
Mr. CALVERT. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of our
time.
Ms. WATSON. Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the
gentlewoman from California, Linda Sanchez.
Ms. LINDA T. SANCHEZ of California. Madam Speaker, it is
with sadness that I join my colleagues here on the floor
this evening to pay tribute to a colleague who we lost far
too soon.
I was saddened to hear the news yesterday of
Congresswoman Juanita Millender-McDonald's passing.
Juanita was really a woman of many firsts, who broke down
countless barriers for women and for African Americans.
While the history books no doubt will list the numerous
accomplishments of her long career, I will remember her
best as a champion for economic opportunity and
empowerment for the people of Long Beach and Los Angeles.
I was pleased to have had the opportunity to work with her
on many issues important to the communities shared by our
adjacent districts. When workers, for example, in our
communities who assembled the C-17 aircraft, faced the
prospect of their assembly plant shutting down and losing
their jobs, Juanita led the fight to make sure that those
jobs were not lost. And she succeeded, and hundreds of
people's lives are better off today thanks to her hard
work.
When I first joined Congress, Juanita took the time and
made a special effort to introduce me to many of the local
leaders in the African American communities that straddle
our districts. This was very thoughtful of her and I will
always be in her debt for it.
We here in Congress will certainly miss her insight, her
experience, and her energy. And I will most certainly miss
her beautiful smile and her unforgettable style because
she truly is an unforgettable woman.
I am sure that her constituents will miss her tireless
advocacy on their behalf. They and we have lost a fine
public servant, and we have lost a tremendously fine
colleague. But most of all, my thoughts tonight are with
her husband, their children and grandchildren, and their
extended family. I wish them all the strength during this
difficult time, and I want them to know that Juanita is
truly an incredible woman who shall not be forgotten.
Mr. CALVERT. Madam Speaker, I am pleased to yield 2
minutes to the gentlelady from Santa Ana, CA (Ms. Loretta
Sanchez).
Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of California. Madam Speaker, I
thank my colleague from California.
Juanita Millender-McDonald was my friend. I used to love
coming into the Chamber and sitting down next to her and
asking, ``What's up, what's going on?'' because Juanita
knew. She knew what was going on in the Congress. She was
the mayor of Congress, if you will, being the chairwoman
of the House Administration Committee. And Juanita knew
what was going on back in California.
When I first decided to run for Congress and nobody
knew, Juanita called me up and said, ``I'm stuck on the
freeway, but I'm coming down to walk precincts with you.
So let's hope the sun stays up and we get to go and walk
together.'' And we did, and that is how I met Juanita
Millender-McDonald.
When I first came to the Congress, as a young woman--
quite frankly, 12 years ago there weren't a lot of us, and
it was always very difficult and hard to be accepted. It
is always hard to find your way in the Congress. But
Juanita was right there. She was like a touchstone. She
was somebody that I could talk to and tell her my
frustrations or the happy points here. She really is what
I would call a friend, and to many of us here she was a
friend. She is a friend back in her district.
I wish the people of the United States really understood
the work that Juanita did. The Alameda Corridor was her
dream. It was her project. This was the project to move
goods that come to this country from the port across and
through Los Angeles and out into the rest of the United
States. When you think of the fact that 50 percent of
everything that comes into the United States comes through
the ports that were right there at Juanita's side, you
would understand how important it was to each and every
American. You see, if that cargo didn't leave L.A., if you
were an auto worker in Tennessee, building a car, and you
were waiting for inventory just in time, it wouldn't get
there in time if it hadn't been for Juanita. And last year
on the very last day of the 109th Congress, we passed the
Safe Port Act. That really was Juanita's legislation.
She will be remembered for a long time in this country
and in this Congress. Juanita, and to her family, I love
her.
Ms. WATSON. Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the
gentlelady from Texas, Eddie Bernice Johnson.
Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of Texas. Madam Speaker, I
thank my colleague for the time.
I rise with great sadness to remember my friend, my
sorority sister in the Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority and my
colleague, Juanita Millender-McDonald. And I want to
extend my deep condolences to her husband James, her
children, friends, and loved ones.
I was privileged to serve with her on the Transportation
and Infrastructure Committee, and her diligent service is
evident in many of California's roads, bridges, and
highways. I worked with her when she was cochair of the
Congressional Women's Caucus. She did it with such charm,
grace, poise, and dignity. This body is diminished and
dismayed by her sudden absence, but we were inspired and
enriched by her presence.
Her spirit will live on. Her work will be felt by those
who don't even know she helped. We celebrate her life. It
was a wonderful, wonderful life. And we love her and her
family.
[The prepared remarks of Ms. Johnson follow:]
Madam Speaker, I rise with great sadness to remember my
friend, my sorority sister and my colleague, Juanita
Millender-McDonald. I want to extend my deep condolences
to her husband, James, her children, friends and loved
ones.
As chairwoman of the Committee on House Administration,
Congresswoman Millender-McDonald will be recorded in
history as the first African American woman to chair a
full committee of the House.
Those of us privileged to know and work with her will
remember her tireless advocacy for justice and her example
of meaningful public service.
Throughout her career, Congresswoman Millender-McDonald
was a friend to women's causes and to young people. Her
work to end human trafficking and slow the transmission of
AIDS has improved countless lives.
The results of her work--improved lives for women and
girls worldwide, expanded voting rights for the
disenfranchised, greater assistance for the sick and the
poor--are a testament to her character.
From the beginning, Congresswoman Millender-McDonald was
a trailblazer:
She was the first African American woman to serve on the
Carson, CA, City Council.
In her first term in the California State Assembly, she
became the first woman to chair two powerful committees.
She was the first African American woman to give the
national Democratic response to President Bush's weekly
radio address as well.
But for all her firsts, Congresswoman Millender-McDonald
was also a champion for the least and the last. She fought
injustice wherever she found it: Whether in the voting
booth, the classroom, the research lab, or the workplace.
Congresswoman Millender-McDonald rigorously investigated
widespread voting irregularities and disenfranchisement.
She was a vocal opponent of genocide around the world
and a tireless fighter for human rights.
Her Mother-to-Child HIV/AIDS Transmission Act became the
President's $15 billion African AIDS initiative.
Congresswoman Millender-McDonald also worked to increase
diabetes research in minority and female populations; she
pushed the Department of Education to improve the dismal
dropout rates among minority high school students and
secured millions to reduce the backlog of equal employment
opportunity complaints.
The first-time voters in Ohio can feel more confident
their votes will count because of Congresswoman Millender-
McDonald. The elderly diabetics in her home State of
Alabama have a better chance of avoiding amputation
because of her. She had a hand in granting diplomas to
thousands of Native American students growing up on
reservations; and countless girls in Cambodia and Sudan
have her to thank for a childhood free from kidnapping and
assault. They may never know where to direct their
gratitude, but the alleviation of their suffering stands
as her lasting legacy.
Her influence is also inscribed on the physical
landscape of California's 37th District. I was privileged
to serve with her on the Transportation and Infrastructure
Committee and her diligent service is evident in many of
California's roads, bridges and highways.
Congresswoman Millender-McDonald's record of exemplary
public service includes life memberships in the NAACP and
Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority.
She served on the Southern Christian Leadership
Conference Board of Directors, and founded the League of
African American Women.
Congresswoman Millender-McDonald also founded the Young
Advocates to train young people for political leadership.
This body is diminished and dismayed by her sudden
absence, but we were inspired and enriched by her
presence.
Her commitment to equal opportunity, civil and human
rights will be greatly missed.
Mr. CALVERT. Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the
gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Scott).
Mr. SCOTT of Georgia. Madam Speaker, this is indeed a
solemn occasion, but it is also an occasion to celebrate.
On each of our obituaries there are three things that
are mentioned: the year you were born, the year you died,
and then there is the dash. It is what you do with the
dash, what you do with your life. And the life that we are
here to celebrate, Juanita Millender-McDonald's life, was
one of greatness and sacrifice and commitment, serving on
the city council, serving in the State legislature of
California, and then in the Congress of the United States,
traveling around the world wherever the need was, whether
it was in Africa, the Middle East, or in the Caribbean.
Juanita Millender-McDonald fought the good fight, she
kept the faith, and there is indeed put up for her an
outstanding crown of righteousness, and we all thank God
for having Ms. Juanita Millender-McDonald pass our way.
Ms. WATSON. Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the
gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Bishop).
Mr. BISHOP of Georgia. Madam Speaker, my wife Vivian,
all of our colleagues here in the Congress, and all of the
hundreds of workers here on Capitol Hill were deeply
saddened to learn of the death of our friend and
colleague, Juanita Millender-McDonald.
Words are never adequate at a time of loss. Only one who
has worn the garment of bereavement can truly understand
the pain that comes when a family must confront the
inevitable that one has been taken from its midst. Yet,
upon prayerful reflection we must all allow our tears to
melt into joy, because truly we have been blessed to have
known, to love, and to have been a part of the life of
this very, very exceptional woman.
Juanita was a lady of achievement, of service, of public
distinction, of beauty, of grace, of dignity. She was
elegant and she was eloquent. She was the epitome of
refinement, but she was committed. She was intellectual,
she was a lady of principle, and she was an advocate for
justice.
Juanita was a person of great courage. She took on the
toughest fight, but she fought it with dignity. Even in
her illness, she took on that tough fight. I was happy to
call her my friend, but I was happier for her to call me
friend and confidante.
A poet wrote, ``Full many a gem of purest ray serene,
the dark unfathomed caves of oceans bear; full many a
flower is born to blush unseen, and waste its sweetness on
the desert air.'' We are blessed and so happy that
Juanita's sweetness was not wasted, but that we and the
world are better because she was here.
We wish Godspeed and the consolation of the Holy Spirit
for her husband, her children, and her grandchildren as we
share in your loss and bid our good friend and colleague
farewell.
Mr. CALVERT. Madam Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the
gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Watt).
Mr. WATT. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman for
yielding time. I join with my colleagues in expressing
sympathy and paying tribute to our friend and colleague,
Juanita Millender-McDonald.
When you serve in a body of 435 people, you get to know
some of the Members by face, some by name, and then you
get to know some close up and personal. When you serve as
chair of the Congressional Black Caucus, as I did for the
last 2 years, you get to know your members on a close
personal basis, and you get to know who will stand with
you and fight, who will support you, who will cover your
back for you. And that is how I got to know Juanita
Millender-McDonald, because I knew she would stand and
fight for what she believed in and she would be a friend.
So I remember her first and foremost as a friend and
colleague, and pay tribute to her family and express my
sincere condolences.
Ms. WATSON. Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the
gentlewoman from Ohio, Stephanie Tubbs Jones.
Mrs. JONES of Ohio. Madam Speaker, I want to thank my
colleague, Diane Watson, for organizing this event.
You know, when I think of Juanita Millender-McDonald, I
think of this piece of poetry called ``A Phenomenal
Woman.'' In one of the lines in that piece of poetry, it
says, ``Does my sexiness upset you? Do you find it awful
hard that I dance like I have oil wells growing in my back
yard?'' And Juanita was like that. She danced and she
walked and she showed off, and that is what I loved most
about her.
When I came to Congress, I learned that we had Alabama
roots. I learned that she was an AKA and I was a Delta.
And on the floor of the House I would wear pink, and she
would say, ``Oh, you look good in that pink.'' And I would
say, ``Oh it is only faded red that I have on,'' because
Deltas wore red.
We talked about issues affecting women. It was as a
result of her work and that of Bob Ney that I had an
opportunity to bring the Secretary of State of Ohio before
a hearing and get him to answer questions. I thank Juanita
for that.
But I think the thing that Juanita and I talked about
most, and my words are to you, Keith, that she loved you.
We talked about our sons. And African American sons are so
important in the lives of mothers. And we used to talk
about you. And I used to talk about Mervyn. And she loved
her daughters, but we talked about our boys.
And I just want to say to the family, Jim and all, that
we here in the Congress will miss Juanita Millender-
McDonald. But the thing that we will always remember is
she was right there on that aisle, right there, just
sitting there talking, smiling, walking, being involved.
And we thank God for Juanita Millender-McDonald.
And, God, you know, AKAs came first, but the Deltas were
second. So I will always think of her as my sister. We are
from the same roots.
Mr. CALVERT. Madam Speaker, as my final speaker, I yield
3 minutes to the gentleman from California (Mr.
Rohrabacher), who has also had a difficult week. He lost
his brother this week, and our condolences are with him,
also.
Mr. ROHRABACHER. Madam Speaker, I lost two people who
were very dear to me this last week, and one was my
brother, who passed away Thursday morning, and Juanita,
who just passed away on Sunday.
It is really an amazing thing as I have thought about
this, just about how similar these two people were,
because my brother was very, very active in politics, but
he was really non-ideological. He was someone who had a
very good heart and was a very generous person, was always
looking forward trying to help people get something done.
Does that remind of you anybody else?
That was Juanita. I mean, there wasn't an ornery bone in
her body. And in politics, you know, we get kicked around
and beat up a lot and people lie to us, and people say bad
things about us, and I never saw Juanita ever get mean or
vengeful at all toward anybody.
And we used to travel back and forth in the airplane. I
see some of my friends here who traveled on that same
flight. And it was always such a joy to be with her and to
spend 4 and 5 hours at a time going across the country.
And you can't say that about everybody. Who else do you
want to spend 4 or 5 hours with?
She was a wonderful person. She had a wonderful heart.
And my brother wasn't as successful as Juanita. When he
passed away, he really didn't have a lot of professional
success.
Juanita, as we have heard today, had enormous
professional and personal success in her life, being a
woman who reached up to the height of power and authority
and influence here in Washington, DC, and our Nation's
Capital.
But you know what? Whether it was that or whether it was
my poor brother who passed away, both of them died of
liver cancer, I might add. Both of them died of liver
cancer, just so close to each other.
But, you know, when they lay us down in our casket, no
matter what we have accomplished in the material world, it
is what we have done to try to help others, how good a
heart we have, how generous we have been to other people,
not just financially, but with our time and with our love
and with our caring. Those are the things that we carry
with us.
I believe my brother was a very accomplished and
successful person in that way. And we certainly know that
today, Juanita was a wonderful success in her life. She
cared about people. She never was captured by the meanness
and orneriness that comes with politics sometimes.
She always wanted to get things done. She worked with
me. Our districts came together in Long Beach and we
worked together on so many programs for the people of Long
Beach, especially in the areas of transportation and water
and health care, and she was always there trying to talk
to me, saying what can we get done.
I am a conservative Republican and she was a Democrat,
but she always wanted to work together to try to do things
to help other people. So I am very proud tonight to stand
up and say that I will miss Juanita. I am going to miss my
brother, obviously. But this world has lost two wonderful
souls, two wonderful human beings. And I am pleased to add
my voice tonight to say goodbye, Juanita, and we are going
to miss you. You had lots of love in your heart, and we
love you. Bye-bye.
Ms. WATSON. Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the
gentlewoman from California, Hilda Solis.
Ms. SOLIS. Madam Speaker, I would like to thank the
gentlewoman from Los Angeles, Congresswoman Watson, for
holding this special event here for us to talk about one
of our colleagues.
You know, I haven't been here very long in the Congress;
but when I came in 2001, I knew that I had a friend here.
Juanita Millender-McDonald at that time served as caucus
chair for the Women's Caucus and led the fight in so many
ways for justice for women. And particularly, as a woman
of color, she knew how deeply important it was to set
herself up as a role model for all of us.
I remember her coming back and talking to me about
events she did in her district. Every year she would raise
funds and give grants out to domestic violence shelters
and programs. She would have a big event with her
community, and she kept inviting me. Hilda, you have got
to see what we are doing out in our area; and it is
something that you should take a look at.
She was there. She fought so hard for us during the
Women's Caucus as she served her tenure, helping to
promote women in the military. And she was strongly
supportive of women in the military.
And I know that her family, right now, needs our prayers
and thoughts, and we send those from our community and
from my family, from my husband and myself, and want to
thank her for all that she did to fight for us, for our
transportation funding in Southern California, for the ACE
Project, which affects so many of the L.A. delegation
members, and for her strong work and advocacy for people
of color affected by HIV and AIDS.
So I want to thank her. And it is fitting to say that
this evening, because this evening after we finish our
discussions here, we are going to talk about the
uninsured. And Lord knows that our communities of color
share a heavy burden, disparate treatment, disparities
that exist with chronic illnesses, and one of those being
cancer, particularly African American women who many times
go undiagnosed. We need to do more in this area. And so we
think of her today. We honor her, and we thank her family
for the time that she served with us here on Earth.
Mr. CALVERT. Madam Speaker, may I inquire how much time
is remaining on both sides.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. You have 1 minute, and the
gentlewoman has 1\1/2\ minutes.
Mr. CALVERT. I would close, Madam Speaker, by saying
that we heard many great stories about Juanita and
remembrances of her life, and we have lost a great friend,
a great champion for our home State of California, and a
great champion for our country. And as we mourn her loss,
our condolences are shared with her family. Godspeed,
Juanita.
Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
Ms. WATSON. Madam Speaker, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to Ms.
Marcy Kaptur from Ohio.
Ms. KAPTUR. Madam Speaker, I can say that Congresswoman
Millender-McDonald would be so happy to see Congresswoman
Yvette Clarke in the Chair tonight. And I thank
Congresswoman Diane Watson for her compassionate service
and certainly for this memorial service tonight. And I
extend deepest condolences on behalf of the people of Ohio
to the family of our beloved Congresswoman, Juanita
Millender-McDonald, her husband, Jim, her children, and
her grandchildren.
Having had the great pleasure of serving with her during
her entire tenure, let me say, when I think of Juanita, I
think of a woman who was resilient, who was strong,
determined, refined, accomplished, persevering and,
indeed, courageous, a pioneer with a great sense of humor
and, as a minister's daughter, a boundless sense of hope.
Even today, for a woman to chair a full committee of
this House is a rarity. And for an African American woman,
she created the mold, the first African American woman in
the history of this country to chair a full committee in
this House.
Just a few weeks ago, a new volume of ``Women of
Congress'' was published, and hers is the first name in
that volume, commissioned by order of the chair of the
House Administration Committee, Juanita Millender-
McDonald.
There are some people who teach us how to live and
indeed, she did. And many people can teach us how to die,
and she has done that with her great dignity and her
courage.
Just a few weeks ago, when Nancy Pelosi of California
was sworn in as our first Speaker, I had the great honor
of being one of the two Democratic tellers. Juanita, as
chair of the House Administration Committee, sat to my
right. I shall never forget that moment, and I think she
lived partly for that moment.
May her strength comfort her family in these trying
moments of bereavement. I believe God holds close those
who journey toward the light in this Easter and Passover
season. And may the angels of mercy lift her and lift the
spirits of those who love her and bring comfort and bring
peace.
Ms. WATERS. Madam Speaker, Congresswoman Juanita
Millender-McDonald was a remarkably committed legislator.
As the first African American woman to chair a full
committee in Congress, she was deeply dedicated to the
work of the House Administration Committee. Through her
chair, she was working on landmark legislation to ensure
the integrity of our voting system.
At home, Representative Millender-McDonald worked every
day for her constituents on the issues of health care,
economic development and housing. Representative
Millender-McDonald was engaged in a serious effort to
revitalize the public housing in her district and was
involved in a series of tours and meetings with the
Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Alphonso
Jackson, at both Imperial Courts and Nickerson Gardens
aimed at providing better housing options for her
constituents.
Recently, we joined together to lend our voices to the
chorus of community leaders and residents in a successful
effort to extend funding for Martin Luther King Hospital.
Representative Millender-McDonald will be missed not
only by her constituents in the 37th District, but by all
of the people who were touched by her service.
Ms. HARMAN. Madam Speaker, in my office is a wonderful
photograph of Juanita and I, arms raised in victory, It
was taken as I announced my intention to run for Governor
of California in 1998. She was right there, and I was
clearly buoyed by her presence. Our friendship was forged
in that tough campaign, and it remained strong.
Juanita was a popular and highly regarded Member of this
House. Those are not easy things to achieve in a very
competitive workplace, so it is worth asking how she did
it.
First, she was a loyal friend. Once she decided to
endorse or support you, she never flinched--no matter how
hot the heat. And second, she was a pro. She had a clear
idea of what legislators can do, and she worked hard.
The results are obvious. Juanita Millender-McDonald
served California's 37th Congressional District well.
When she came to Congress, she decided to add
``Millender'' to her name in order to honor her father.
Surely she honored her mother. But she also honored her
constituents--and this Congress.
A good friend, superb colleague and class act, Juanita,
you will be missed.
Mrs. MALONEY of New York. Madam Speaker, I rise today
with a heavy heart as I remember my dear friend and
colleague, Congresswoman Juanita Millender-McDonald.
Juanita passed away April 22 in her home State of
California. She will be remembered as a strong woman and
formidable legislator who broke down many barriers by
becoming the first African American woman in history to
chair a committee in Congress, the House Administration
Committee, and the first African American woman to serve
on the Carson City Council and the first to chair two
committees in the California State Assembly.
I really got to know Juanita when I cochaired the
Congressional Caucus on Women's Issues and subsequently
when she became the cochair. She was a strong advocate for
women's and minority rights and was a strong ally in the
effort to combat human trafficking. Juanita came to work
with a passion and determination that is rarely found. She
represented the 37th Congressional District with dignity
and pride, proving to be an effective leader and caring
Representative.
I especially want to extend my condolences to
Congresswoman Millender-McDonald's husband, James, and to
her five children and grandchildren. You are in my
thoughts and prayers.
Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Madam Speaker, I wish to offer my
sincerest condolences to the family of Congresswoman
Juanita Millender-McDonald. My thoughts and prayers go out
to them in their time of mourning.
Congresswoman Millender-McDonald amassed many firsts and
accomplishments during her life as a public servant by
breaking racial and gender barriers. She was the first
African American woman to serve as ranking member and
chair of the powerful House Committee on Administration.
She was also the first woman to serve on the Carson City
Council; the first to chair two powerful California State
Assembly committees--the Insurance Committee; and the
Revenue and Taxation Committee in her first term as a
State legislator. She was also the first African American
Democratic chair of the Congressional Caucus for Women's
Issues and in that capacity she led the women on two
groundbreaking meetings: One with U.N. Secretary General
Kofi Annan to talk about the plight of women globally and
another with the chairman of the New York Stock Exchange
to develop strategies for increasing women's investments
and net worth.
In recognition of women who served in our military,
Congresswoman Millender-McDonald initiated the first
annual Memorial Day Tribute to Women in the Military at
the Women's Memorial at Arlington National Cemetery and
she led the fight to secure $15 million for the
maintenance of the memorial. She most recently secured $50
million for counseling services for our returning men and
women serving in Iraq and Afghanistan.
During her 6 terms in the U.S. House of Representatives,
her ability to reach across the aisle and effectively move
bipartisan legislation was evident during her work on a
range of issues, including ensuring equal rights for women
and minorities, improving our education system, combating
poverty, protecting voting rights, and stopping the
genocide in Darfur.
Congresswoman Millender-McDonald devoted her life to her
family and to service on behalf of her constituents in the
37th District of California and to the Nation.
Congresswoman Juanita Millender-McDonald was truly a
phenomenal woman. She is a friend and colleague who will
be sorely missed.
Mrs. DAVIS of California. Madam Speaker, I rise today to
express my deep sadness at the passing of my friend and
colleague, Congresswoman Juanita Millender-McDonald, a
dedicated public servant, who worked tirelessly on behalf
of her constituents and her country.
I had the privilege to serve with Congresswoman
Millender-McDonald on the House Administration Committee
and also previously in the California State Assembly, and
can attest to the passion, dignity, and grace she brought
to her work.
Juanita Millender-McDonald devoted much of her life to
public service. In her career she was an educator and an
advisor, a member of Carson's City Council, a California
State Assemblywoman and finally a Member of Congress.
Congresswoman Millender-McDonald's passion and drive
were unmatched. She was an unwavering advocate for
minority rights. She was a champion of women's health
issues. She was an adamant opponent of the genocide in
Darfur. And she was committed to securing election reform
and security for our Nation's ports.
I admired Congresswoman Millender-McDonald's leadership
and fervor in her many roles: as community leader, Member
of Congress, and chairwoman. All those who knew her and
worked with her know the void she leaves with her passing.
I extend my heartfelt condolences to her husband, James,
her children and her grandchildren. She will be missed.
Mrs. MYRICK. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the
late Juanita Millender-McDonald, who bravely fought a
battle with cancer up until this past weekend. After a
painful struggle, she's now at peace.
Juanita and I both came to Congress in 1995. While we
were on different sides of the aisle, I always respected
her passion for a host of issues, and her willingness to
work with the other side to find solutions. At only 68
years of age, it seemed she had many more years of public
service ahead of her, and I'm sorry for the loss of a
friend and colleague.
Juanita became a good friend of mine back in 1999, when
I was diagnosed with cancer. She made a point of reaching
out to me to show her support, and I've always been
grateful to her for going out of her way to lend a kind
word and a compassionate smile.
Her passing is yet another reminder of how much more
work is needed to continue our Nation's war on cancer, in
spite of the progress that's been made so far.
Today we mourn the loss of a friend, and our thoughts
and prayers go out to her husband James, and her children
and grandchildren.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. All time for debate has
expired.
Without objection, the previous question is ordered on
the resolution.
There was no objection.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the
resolution.
The resolution was agreed to.
A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the
House, the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Watson) is
recognized for 5 minutes.
Ms. WATSON. Madam Speaker, it is with a heavy heart that
I rise this evening to celebrate the life of my very good
friend and colleague, Congresswoman Juanita Millender-
McDonald.
I personally have known Congresswoman Juanita Millender-
McDonald for over 30 years. Our time together spans back
before her days as a Member of this distinguished body
when I was member of the Los Angeles Unified School Board
and she was there as an administrator and then as a
California State legislator. And then on that road she was
elected to the Carson City Council.
Juanita's distinguished life is a life of ``firsts.''
She is the first African American woman in history to
chair the Committee on House Administration, which
oversees the operation of the House, the Library of
Congress, the Smithsonian Institute, and the National Zoo.
The Committee on House Administration also oversees all
Federal elections. Juanita worked tirelessly to
investigate all reports of voter irregularities and voter
disenfranchisement. She was one of the first Members of
Congress to call for a congressional hearing on reported
voting irregularities in the State of Ohio. She played an
important role in congressional election reform.
Juanita Millender-McDonald was also the first African
American woman to serve on the Carson City Council and the
first to hold the position of chairwoman for two powerful
California State Assembly committees in her first term.
Like myself, Juanita Millender-McDonald at heart was an
educator. After raising five children, Juanita, at the age
of 40, returned to school and earned a bachelor's degree
from the University of Redlands and a master's degree in
educational administration from Cal State L.A.
She spent her early career in the classroom, teaching
high school and working at a career center. It is here
that Juanita first demonstrated her ongoing interest in
the lives of young people and issues that impact the lives
of women and their children. But above all, Juanita worked
tirelessly for all the people in her community. And I want
to say, all the people. She was a people person who had an
uncanny skill to build and sustain networks.
As a member of the Transportation and Infrastructure
Committee, Juanita worked, again tirelessly, to secure
much-needed Federal assistance for Southern California's
transportation needs, including funding for her passion:
for the Alameda Corridor.
Juanita's passing is a great loss to this institution,
her constituents, and this Nation. She was a great citizen
as well as a great person and would have made a lasting
and important contribution to this body in her position as
House Administration chair. She was making that
contribution every single day.
And I would say to her, ``Juanita, you missed the
caucus.'' ``You missed the California caucus.'' ``You
missed the Black Caucus.''
She said, ``I am so busy working, I don't have time for
the caucuses.'' She was committed.
And on a personal note, Madam Speaker, when she was
sworn in as a Congresswoman in her district, I went there.
She had been sworn in here, and when she got up to speak,
she said, ``You know, I was raised on a farm and I married
early.'' And she said, ``I was so naive, when I had five
children one after another, I just knew it was that orange
juice, being raised on a farm.'' So I would tease her. I
said, ``Juanita, watch out for the orange juice.''
She was one of my closest friends and colleagues. She
will be missed. And I want you to know she was raised by a
father and her older sisters. She was the youngest. So she
said, ``You know, on a farm we were wealthy.'' And she
said, ``But it was my father who played the role of both
parents. He set down the principles and values by which I
run my life. So in honor of my father, I am adding as my
middle name, my maiden name, his last name.'' So,
therefore, she became Juanita Millender-McDonald. And if
you ever saw her signature, it was one of the most
beautiful, graceful signatures. And she always took time
to write ``Juanita Millender-McDonald.'' And I would go on
correcting people when they said ``Juanita McDonald.'' I
said, ``No. Juanita Millender-McDonald.''
So, Juanita, we celebrate you and we know that you are
here in these Chambers today. And to end my piece and
allow the others, we did a taping with our voices on it,
and at the end we sang to her ``Dreamgirls.'' We will
always be dreaming of our Juanita Millender-McDonald.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the
House, the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Davis) is
recognized for 5 minutes.
Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Madam Speaker, I join with my
colleagues from all across America who have spent much of
the evening extolling the virtues of our colleague Juanita
Millender-McDonald. Much has been said, and yet there is
much that can, in fact, be added.
As a matter of fact, when I first came to Congress,
Juanita was one of the first persons that my wife and I
met. So my wife immediately became a Juanita Millender-
McDonald fan. And I said to her, ``Vera, it is all right
for you to be a Juanita Millender-McDonald fan, but don't
try to dress like her. We can't afford it.''
Juanita was, in fact, a charming, delightful, snazzy
lady, the essence of femininity, but as tough as a nail.
As a matter of fact, I don't know if a week went by that I
didn't receive some communique from her talking about some
issue or explaining something that she had done or
something that she had worked on. And as I listened to all
of my colleagues talk about her many ``firsts,'' the first
African American woman to serve on the Carson City
Council, the first African American woman to render the
national Democratic response to President Bush's weekly
radio address, the first to be named honorary curator of
the Museum of Latin American Art in Long Beach, and the
first Democratic chair of the Congressional Caucus on
Women's Issues. Obviously, she was many firsts. And I
guess maybe the poet Homer had her in mind when he said
that there are pioneer souls that go where highways never
ran, but let me live in my House by the side of the road
and be a friend to man.
And I guess he had Juanita in mind as he talked about
why would I live in my House by the side of the road as
the race of men go by. Men who are good, men who are bad,
men who are wise, foolish, but then so am I. So why would
I not simply be, as Juanita has been, one who understood
the relationship between people, moving across aisles,
moving across boundaries to accomplish and get things
done.
So on behalf of my family and me and all of the
residents of the Seventh Congressional District of
Illinois, we extend our greatest condolences to her family
and say that we too would hope to live in the House by the
side of the road like Juanita Millender-McDonald and be a
friend to mankind.
Mr. ELLISON. Madam Speaker, I am so honored to see all
of our colleagues rise and extol all of the great virtues
of Juanita Millender-McDonald, talking about her historic
firsts, her role as mayor pro tempore, city councilperson,
the first African American woman to chair a committee in
the House, and all of the great things that she did,
things that commanded the attention of the whole world.
But I just want to say, as a member of the freshman
class, that coming to Congress, trying to figure out what
is going on around here, things going by so quickly,
Juanita Millender-McDonald had time for people in our
situation, just trying to figure out what was happening.
She had a moment to say, How is it going? Did you know
where this was or where that was, and what can I do to
help you?
So in life, Madam Speaker, people will often remember
the great things that we did that command headlines and
find things that we do that command public attention. But
greatness is measured by the small things in life, and in
those small things she was great also.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the
House, the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Payne) is
recognized for 5 minutes.
Mr. PAYNE. Madam Speaker, yesterday we lost a devoted
colleague and friend, Congresswoman Juanita Millender-
McDonald.
Congresswoman Millender-McDonald was a dedicated public
servant who worked tirelessly on behalf of her
constituents in the 37th Congressional District of
California. As we know, prior to her coming to Congress,
she made a name for herself as the first African American
woman to serve on the City Council in Carson City and the
chairwoman of two powerful committees, Insurance and
Revenue.
But many people don't know that in recognition of women
who served our country in uniform during wartime,
Congresswoman Millender-McDonald initiated the first
annual Memorial Day Tribute to Women in the Military at
the Women's Memorial at Arlington National Cemetery. And
she led the fight to secure $15 million for the
maintenance of the memorial. She also secured $50 million
for counseling services for our returning men and women
serving in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Bold initiatives have been her trademark. In 2005,
Congresswoman Millender-McDonald, along with other CBC
members, unveiled a portrait of Joseph Rainey, the first
African American to be seated in Congress. She was very
proud of that because she contacted members of his family
who are alive today, and there was a tremendous
celebration.
Internationally, she spoke out against genocide in
Cambodia and Darfur and other regions of the world where
human rights are in danger. She worked with former
Secretary of State Madeleine Albright and Ambassador John
Miller on human trafficking and women's rights issues
globally.
She reminds me of a poem I learned as a youngster in
elementary school, actually; but it is appropriate because
her memory will live on. The poem is called, ``The Arrow
and a Song.'' It said:
I shot an arrow into the air, it fell to Earth I know
not where. For so swiftly it flew, my sight could not
follow it in its flight.
I sang a song into the air, it fell to Earth I know not
where. For who has sight so keen and strong that can
follow the flight of a song? But long, long afterwards in
an oak I found the arrow still unbroke. And the song, from
beginning to end, I found again in the heart of a friend.
And so I say that to say that what Juanita did will live
on. Her work for the persons who worked in the Library of
Congress who were minorities and women who were being
terminated, and we felt unfairly, she took on that
responsibility to fight to see that those women,
primarily, would be placed in other positions.
She worked hard, and her dignity and her beauty and her
perfection were certainly noticed. And I can tell you, the
women talk about the grace that she had. Well, let me make
it clear that the men also noticed that grace and that
beauty and that charm. And so we will remember her as she
moves on up that highway.
The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Ellison). Under a previous
order of the House, the gentleman from California (Mr.
Sherman) is recognized for 5 minutes.
Mr. SHERMAN. You know, it is heartwarming to sit here
for a while and to listen to these personal tales of our
good friend, Juanita Millender-McDonald.
I first got to know Juanita in our days as activists
during the 1980s on the Los Angeles County Democratic
Central Committee. Both of us entered State government in
the early 1990s; both of us came here to Congress in the
mid-1990s.
Juanita broke barriers. Juanita led the charge. She was
the first African American woman on the Carson City
Council, the first African American woman to chair the
Revenue and Taxation Committee of the California Assembly,
where I enjoyed working with her on State tax issues.
Juanita was the first African American woman to give the
Democratic Radio Address response. And finally, she was
the first African American woman to serve as chair of the
House Administration Committee.
Now, her fine work on that committee has been detailed
by so many of the prior speakers who have come to this
floor. And the prior speakers have also spoken of her work
on the Transportation Committee, where we in Southern
California are so grateful to her for her efforts on
behalf of the Alameda Corridor.
Juanita will be missed, of course, by her husband James,
by her five children and by her five grandchildren. She
will be remembered here for her record of legislative
accomplishment, and she will be remembered here for the
spunk she showed every day. And finally, she will be
remembered for the courage she showed in these final days,
because Juanita barely mentioned to her closest friends
that she was a bit under the weather. Right up to the end
she was fighting the good fight. Juanita's courage and
strength will be remembered.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the
House, the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Woolsey) is
recognized for 5 minutes.
Ms. WOOLSEY. Juanita Millender-McDonald. We already miss
you, your beautiful face, your elegance and grace, your
tenacity and spirit. Your absence will leave a void that
will never, ever be filled. And that is what we know about
you here without question in the House of Representatives,
so we can only guess how much you are going to be missed
by your beloved family. They, in their grief, however, can
always take solace in their pride and in their love and
their appreciation of such an amazing woman.
Beloved wife, mother of five, grandmother of five,
member of the California Assembly, Member of the U.S.
House of Representatives, and in the end, the very first
African American woman to become chairwoman of a full
committee.
Because of this position, this elegant persuasive
woman's portrait will hang in the Halls of Congress for
the rest of time. And over the years she will watch over
the activities of her House Administration Committee. And
believe me, she will be expecting excellence. So while
Juanita rests, she expects each and every one of us to
keep on going until we can go no more; and because of her
example, we will do our very best.
We already miss you, Juanita, and we will remember you
always.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the
House, the gentlewoman from Guam (Ms. Bordallo) is
recognized for 5 minutes.
Ms. BORDALLO. Mr. Speaker, I also wish to thank my good
friend from California (Ms. Watson).
I, too, Mr. Speaker, want to take this opportunity to
associate myself with the remarks made by our colleagues
this evening in tribute to Congresswoman Juanita
Millender-McDonald.
On behalf of the people of Guam, I extend to her family
our condolences. She was a strong and effective leader for
the people of the 37th Congressional District of
California, and we are going to miss her here in Congress.
Juanita took a special interest in the people of Guam.
When I first met her, I was a freshman. She stopped me in
the hall and she said, ``Are you the new Representative
from Guam?'' I said, ``Yes.'' And she introduced herself
and she said, ``I want you to know that I have many people
from Guam in my district.''
She attended our liberation wreath-laying ceremony at
Arlington. I will never forget it. And each time we met,
whether it was here on the floor or in the hall, she would
always ask me about the people of Guam.
She was a strong leader. She made her mark here in
Congress. And I extend to her family, her husband, her
children, and her grandchildren, our deepest sympathies.
God bless you, Juanita, for everything that you did for
the American people.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the
House, the gentleman from California (Mr. Schiff) is
recognized for 5 minutes.
Mr. SCHIFF. Mr. Speaker, tonight I plan to speak on the
anniversary of the Armenian genocide; but before I do, I
want to join my colleagues in expressing my sincere
condolence at the passing of Juanita Millender-McDonald,
someone who in my very first days of Congress impressed me
as a courageous, intelligent, dedicated public servant
who, every time I went to her for help on an issue in her
committee or outside her committee, was generous with her
time and her energy, always ready to help, always of good
cheer, and someone who I think enjoyed the unanimous and
bipartisan respect of everyone in this body. Her memory
will be cherished; her presence will be deeply missed. . .
Mrs. CHRISTENSEN. . . . Mr. Speaker, I want to pay
tribute to a woman who was a champion of health for
minorities and other people of color. The extremely sad
news of Congresswoman Millender-McDonald's death came as a
shock to all of us, and it is with a deep sense of loss
that I join my colleagues who were here earlier in
mourning her passing. Not only have I lost a colleague,
but also a mentor, a sister, and a friend.
I was honored to work alongside Congresswoman Millender-
McDonald as members of the Congressional Black Caucus
together, and the Small Business Community. Juanita was a
true champion for minority and women-owned small
businesses, and played a pivotal role in proposing and
passing legislation to expand financing and contracting
opportunities for our Nation's small businesses. Her
dedication to helping women-owned businesses was evident
in her dedication to increasing funding to expand women's
business centers throughout our Nation.
Her commitment to improving the lives of minorities is
reflected in her lifelong work in affiliations with
organizations such as the NAACP, Alpha Kappa Alpha, and a
number of other organizations devoted to the advancement
of minorities. She will also be remembered for her
outstanding stewardship in the areas of transportation,
education, health, and FEMA legislation.
We are grateful for the leadership and the innovation
that she brought to the Committee on House Administration,
which led to her historic achievement as the first African
American woman to chair a committee in Congress.
I know that the House staff and all of the Members
appreciate her role in establishing the House Fitness
Center and creating an outlet for mental and physical
activity. She has truly left a legacy for all of us
through her distinguished service on this important
committee.
Juanita will also be remembered for her passion for
education, which was evident in her many eloquent speeches
on the floor. She was truly a gifted and skilled orator.
Juanita had the distinct ability to captivate and engage
her audiences. Although she possessed strong and
determined qualities, she personified grace, compassion,
and beauty both inside and out.
On a more personal note, it was through Juanita, a
minister's daughter, that I began attending Thursday
morning prayer breakfasts when I first came to Congress.
Her godliness was seen in all that she did.
Juanita championed the cause of AIDS long before it was
fashionable to do so. Every year she held a race in her
district. And while I could never get away to attend, she
always had all of our support, and we never missed a t-
shirt or any of the other paraphernalia that she gave out
each year.
Juanita always spoke of her district with great
affection and dedication. She frequently remarked that she
had the most diverse district in the country, and that she
was able to bring them together. And to be reelected over
and over is a testament to her leadership and her abiding
belief that we are all children of God, equal in His sight
and made in His image. Her mission was one of justice,
fairness, and opportunity for all.
One cannot speak of Juanita Millender-McDonald without
remarking on her exquisite taste and her unequaled sense
of style. She was always dressed to the nines and was
always the epitome of elegance and grace.
Mr. Speaker, although her passing leaves a void in the
halls of Congress, her spirit and legacy will forever be
with us. Words are not enough to express our profound
sorrow. On behalf of my family, staff, and the people of
the U.S. Virgin Islands, my deepest sympathy goes out to
her husband, James McDonald, their children,
grandchildren, extended family, and dedicated staff. May
God bless and comfort them at this time in grief as we
know He is welcoming our sister home.
Mrs. CAPITO. Mr. Speaker . . . I would like to join with
my colleagues in expressing my deep sorrow at the passing
of our colleague, Juanita Millender-McDonald. Just
briefly, she was a kind and gentle person. She was a great
advocate for many things that she believed in. She was a
pioneer. But, for me, she was just a very helpful and warm
and friendly person.
When I came to Congress, she had already been here for
several years. She was the chairwoman of the Caucus on
Women's Issues, and I was the vice chair for the
Republican side. Juanita was always very helpful, always
very concerned that I was making my way in my first
several months in Congress, and I think the way she
crossed the aisle, the way that she treated me with kid
gloves, so-to-speak, in the beginning of my term, is
something that I will never forget. So my thoughts and
prayers are with her. Bless her family during this very
tough time, and know that she will be missed. . . .
Mr. CLEAVER. Mr. Speaker, I would like to associate
myself with the comments of the gentlewoman from West
Virginia (Mrs. Capito). I too would like to express
sympathy to Ms. Millender-McDonald's family and to the
families of those young people whose lives were
senselessly taken at Virginia Tech. . . .
Mr. LANTOS. Madam Speaker, I come to the floor today
with a heavy heart. The passing of the Honorable Juanita
Millender-McDonald is being felt by all who knew her, and
all who were touched by her career in public service. I
want to extend my condolences to her family, friends, and
constituents in California's 37th District for their great
loss.
In fact, we all have lost something in the chairwoman's
passing. For me, I lost a colleague, but my wife Annette
and I also have lost a neighbor and friend.
Much has been said in these past days about what she
meant to California and to the Congress as a whole. When
she won her first election to the City Council of Carson,
CA, she committed herself to more than two decades of
public service. As the first African American woman to
chair a committee here in the House, she was a
trailblazer. And as the so-called ``mayor of Capitol
Hill'' she was charged with ensuring the smooth operation
of the People's House, while overseeing the biggest
expansion of the Capitol complex as the Capitol Visitors
Center nears completion.
Madam Speaker, many of us are so busy that we don't have
time to really get to know one another. Seeing Juanita
every morning on my way to the office was an extraordinary
way to start off my day, and in the evening we would
compare notes on our way home. I will truly miss seeing
her and am heartbroken by her untimely passing.
Congress has lost a singularly able and warm person
whose contributions to the greater good for her district,
the people of California, the country as a whole, and
African American women will live on. Our prayers are with
her family as we all mourn the passing of Chairwoman
Juanita Millender-McDonald.
Mrs. MILLER of Michigan. Madam Speaker, I wish to join
my colleagues in expressing my sorrow over the passing of
Juanita Millender-McDonald, the Representative of
California's 37th Congressional District. My thoughts and
prayers go out to her constituents, her friends, and her
family.
Madam Speaker, I had the opportunity to get to know
Juanita during the 109th Congress when we both served as
members of the Committee on House Administration. While
some might view oversight of election law and the day-to-
day functions of the House as relatively uninteresting, I
know that I do not, and I know that Juanita, who served as
ranking member at the time, did not think them trivial
either.
Whatever topic was before the committee, Juanita was
dedicated to assuring that things were done fairly,
properly, and effectively. She was vigorous in
guaranteeing the integrity of the Federal elections
process and was committed to ensuring that every eligible
voter had free and unfettered access to the voting booth.
Likewise, in her oversight of managing the House, she
wanted to ensure that everyone on Capitol Hill had a safe
and secure place to work or visit, while preserving the
grandeur of the Capitol and the surrounding buildings.
This tenacity was something she demonstrated throughout
her life, not just during the decade she spent in
Congress. After raising her five children, she continued
her own education, earning a bachelor's degree at the age
of 40. She followed that up with a master's degree in
educational administration. She was no stranger to hard
work, and she was not afraid to take on a challenge.
One of Juanita's most notable accomplishments occurred
earlier this year. In January, she became the first
African American woman to chair a committee in the House
of Representatives. It was something that made many
Members of the House very proud, and it was a tremendous
accomplishment for a woman whose life was full of
monumental achievements.
I think it speaks volumes of Juanita's dedication that
she was here voting in this House, representing her
constituents, until less than a month before cancer took
her life. In fact, almost none of her colleagues were
aware of her illness and how serious it had become until
the week before she passed away. And through it all, she
held a warm spirit and a kind smile.
Madam Speaker, I join my colleagues in sorrow for
Juanita's passing, and I again express my condolences to
Juanita's family, friends, and constituents.
Ms. MATSUI. Madam Speaker, it is with a heavy heart that
I rise today to remember a pioneering woman, a fearless
advocate for justice and equality, and a remarkable
trailblazer who was dedicated to improving the lives of
others. Congresswoman Juanita Millender-McDonald embodied
all that Members of Congress strive to be: she was a
masterful navigator of Washington politics; she was a
tireless champion for her constituents in Southern
California; she was a focused and determined activist for
the less fortunate all over the world. She was also a dear
friend and valued colleague to those of us in Congress,
and to so many others who were fortunate enough to know
her on both a personal and professional level.
As the first African American woman ever to wield the
gavel of a full congressional committee, Juanita was proof
of the milestones that can be achieved through dedication,
intelligence, and political acumen. Her steady rise
through the hierarchy of California politics--from a seat
on the Carson City Council to a position in the California
State Assembly, and finally to the Halls of Congress--
instilled in her an unshakeable allegiance to the people
who repeatedly elected her.
Juanita's intense loyalty to her constituents was
reflected in their own well-placed faith that she would
represent them in a principled and thoughtful manner. She
never let them down; indeed, her record as a public figure
was characterized by an attention to the needs of her
constituents, by a single-minded focus on achieving
equality, and by adherence to the principle that
democratic government should help those most in need.
Everything Juanita did was colored by her passionate
quest for equality. She used this intensity to her
advantage, emerging as an effective and authoritative
advocate for women's rights at home and abroad. Never
afraid to tackle controversial issues or to use her
position as a bullhorn for reform, Juanita's energy and
enthusiasm for advancing the cause of women's rights
propelled her into a leadership role from her earliest
days in Washington.
Innovative ideas on this score seemed to emanate from
Juanita. She convened a first-of-its-kind meeting between
women Members of Congress and female Supreme Court
Justices to discuss women's issues. She carried the
Families First Agenda to more than 30 States for the first
time. She served as the first Democratic chair of the
Congressional Caucus for Women's Issues. Through it all,
Juanita was masterful at marshaling well-known and
influential individuals to her cause without ever losing
sight of her goal, which was to help create a society
committed to justice, fairness, and equality.
It is fitting that Juanita was such an outspoken and
effective advocate for women's rights, for perhaps her
greatest strength lay in her identity as a woman. She
demonstrated for all of us--men and women alike--that
being a Member of Congress, a mother, and a grandmother at
the same time was not merely a challenge. For Juanita, it
was a blessing to be embraced and cherished. As a
grandmother myself, I looked to her as a role model for
how to integrate the unique challenges of having a family
with the equally exciting responsibilities that come from
serving in Congress. Two of the most rewarding pleasures
in life are raising a family and working for the public,
and Juanita's life is solid proof that a dedicated and
forthright individual can accomplish both with poise,
grace, and dignity.
I extend my deepest condolences to Congresswoman
Millender-McDonald's family. While this week my fellow
Members and I lost a trusted colleague, confidante, and
friend, their loss resonates more deeply than we can know.
Nonetheless, I know that I speak for all of Congress when
I say that Juanita Millender-McDonald was someone we
admired on a personal and professional level, someone
whose absence will leave a void within us, and someone
whose legacy of principled and determined leadership will
not be forgotten.
Mr. CONYERS. Madam Speaker, I rise today in honor of my
close and dear friend Juanita Millender-McDonald, whom I
have worked with and known for many, many years. I am
deeply saddened by the news of her untimely passing, and I
would like to extend my sincere condolences to the family,
friends, and constituents of this distinguished Member of
Congress.
She came to Congress in 1996 and quickly moved up the
ranks among her peers. Her commitment to excellence led
her to achieve a series of political firsts, including
becoming the first African American woman to chair the
Committee on House Administration, the first African
American woman to serve on the Carson City Council; the
first to hold the position of chairwoman for two powerful
California State Assembly committees in her first term,
and the first African American woman to give the national
Democratic response to President Bush's weekly radio
address. She spoke her mind and was not easily intimidated
by political pressure, regardless of from where it came.
Furthermore, in the 110th Congress, in addition to her
chairwomanship, she served on eight full and sub-
committees. One issue that the Congresswoman and I worked
on closely together was the protection of one's
fundamental and constitutional right to vote. Our combined
efforts on voting irregularities in Ohio ultimately led to
the introduction of H.R. 4141 in 2005, which would amend
the Help America Vote Act of 2002.
She believed that there are no more important
responsibilities in the People's House of Representatives
than ensuring that the ability to vote in free and fair
elections is not compromised in any manner, which has not
always been the case. She was a visionary, an advocate for
justice for all Americans, and the embodiment of
determination.
Juanita Millender-McDonald was a role model and
incredibly dedicated to the empowerment of women and youth
as the founder and executive director of the League of
African American Women, and the founder of the Young
Advocates, a political leadership-training program for
African Americans between the ages of 18 and 35.
It has been an honor and a pleasure to serve with a
distinguished woman of strength, integrity, and dynamism.
Not only will I miss her dearly, but she will also be
missed by the many people that she has touched throughout
her service in Congress.
Mr. RANGEL. Madam Speaker, I rise to enter into the
Congressional Record remarks on the life and work of the
Honorable Congresswoman Juanita Millender-McDonald.
Congresswoman Millender-McDonald served over six terms for
the 37th Congressional District as a Democrat in the U.S.
House of Representatives. She died of cancer on April 22,
2007 at age 68.
Mrs. Millender-McDonald was born in Birmingham, AL, on
September 7, 1938. She always placed education and women's
rights in the forefront of her issues and values. After
graduating from the University of Redlands with an
undergraduate degree, she became a teacher for the Los
Angeles Unified School District. When she attained her
master's degree from California State University at Los
Angeles, she gave up her job as a teacher to be an editor
and writer for the school district. Her lifelong fight for
women's rights emerged when she became the manuscript
editor for ``Images,'' a textbook designed to enhance the
self-esteem of young women.
Before running for local office, she was named the
director of gender equity programs for the Los Angeles
school district. In 1990, she was elected the first
African American woman to serve on the Carson City
Council, and in 1992 the first woman to represent the 55th
Assembly District in the California State Legislature. In
both roles she attacked the congestion and transportation
problems of California's infrastructure. As an
Assemblywoman, she helped push the Alameda Corridor, a
$1.8 billion public works project to lay new tracks and
build trenches and bridges. Her concern with
transportation continued in her national office.
As a Member of the House, she was appointed to the
Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure and its
Subcommittees on Aviation and Surface Transportation. She
also served on the Committee on Small Business and as one
of the ranking members on the Subcommittee on Tax,
Finance, and Exports. After 2 years in the House, she was
named the Region One Democratic Whip, and was honored with
the Watts Walk of Fame for her work on behalf of the 37th
District. In 2006, the Congresswoman became the first
African American chair of the House Administration
Committee.
For her entire life, Congresswoman Juanita Millender-
McDonald has fought for social justice. She was a leader
in election reform, women's rights, and transportation
solutions; she was a credit to her district and to all the
people she served as a Representative of the United
States. Her husband, five adult children, and five
grandchildren survive her. I commend her and her life's
work, and ask my colleagues to recognize her memory.
Mr. SHULER. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the
extraordinary life of Congresswoman Juanita Millender-
McDonald. I was saddened to learn of her passing after her
courageous battle with cancer, and my thoughts and prayers
are with her husband, James McDonald, Jr., their five
children, and five grandchildren--as well as the people of
the 37th District of California.
Congresswoman Millender-McDonald served this Congress
honorably for over six terms, during which time she was a
tireless advocate for underserved communities in the
United States and around the globe. Among her many
accomplishments, Congresswoman Millender-McDonald secured
critical funding for counseling services for our
servicemen and women returning from Iraq and Afghanistan,
and was instrumental in the passage of important AIDS-
prevention programs in Africa. The Congresswoman was also
a staunch advocate for the rights of women, minorities,
children, and the elderly.
Congresswoman Millender-McDonald will also be remembered
as a preeminent leader and trailblazer. She was the first-
ever African American or woman to chair the Committee on
House Administration where she worked hard to ensure that
all Americans would be guaranteed their rights at the
voting booth. As the Democratic chair of the Congressional
Caucus for Women's Issues, Congresswoman Millender-
McDonald convened groundbreaking meetings with then-U.N.
Secretary General Kofi Annan to discuss global poverty
programs, as well as the New York Stock Exchange to find
ways to empower women in the workplace.
Madam Speaker, Congresswoman Millender-McDonald led an
exemplary life of public service that included her most
recent position as the ``mayor of Capitol Hill.'' The
House community lost a true friend. May God rest her soul.
Mr. LANGEVIN. Madam Speaker, I rise today to express my
profound sorrow over the sudden loss of my colleague
Juanita Millender-McDonald, who died of cancer on April
22, 2007. Juanita was a trailblazer throughout her life
and in the House of Representatives, and it was an honor
for me to serve alongside her.
Born in Birmingham, AL, Juanita was a former teacher in
the Los Angeles public school system and served on the
Carson City Council and in the California State Assembly
before running for Congress in December 1995. Since then,
she had been elected to Congress with an overwhelming
amount of support from her constituents. The 37th District
of California should be proud that they had such a strong
and determined Representative in Juanita Millender-
McDonald.
Juanita spoke out against injustices both in our
country, especially on voting rights and election reform,
and abroad, including genocide in Cambodia and Darfur,
women's rights and human trafficking. Her hard work and
ability to lead earned Juanita the chairmanship of the
Committee on House Administration for the 110th Congress.
This appointment also represented another barrier she
broke through: Juanita Millender-McDonald was the first
African American woman to chair a House committee.
Having faced many obstacles in my own life, I can truly
appreciate the barriers that Juanita knocked down in her
lifetime. I know her memory will live on forever, as will
the opportunities she helped create for those who follow
in her footsteps.
Juanita is survived by her husband, James McDonald, Jr.,
five children, and five grandchildren. May we keep her
loved ones in our thoughts and prayers as they endure this
difficult period.
Ms. ROYBAL-ALLARD. Madam Speaker, the loss this week of
our dear friend and colleague Juanita Millender-McDonald
was a great blow to this institution and to the people of
California's 37th Congressional District.
I extend my sincere condolences to her family during
this time of sorrow, and I hope that they find some
comfort in knowing how deeply loved and respected Juanita
was by her constituents and by her colleagues here in the
House of Representatives.
We honor her life and her accomplishments this week.
Motivated by love of country, community and family, and
inspired by her struggles as an African American leader
and as a woman, she advocated for the rights of minorities
and women in this country and throughout the world.
Juanita was no less dedicated to the more parochial
needs of her constituents and Southern California in
general. As the tributes from her committee colleagues
highlight, she was a respected and effective member of the
House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee,
securing billions of dollars for her region and her State
of California.
She worked tirelessly to secure transportation
infrastructure investments, enhancing the economic
security of the region and improving the quality of life
for Los Angeles County residents. She will long be
remembered by Angelenos for her leading role in making
possible the construction of the historic Alameda
Corridor.
She was also a woman of many firsts. In the California
State Assembly, Juanita became the first woman, in her
first term, to chair the powerful Insurance and Revenue
and Taxation Committees.
I know how proud she was to be the first African
American woman to be named honorary curator of the Museum
of Latin American Art in Long Beach.
Most recently, Juanita became the first African American
woman to hold the distinguished position of chair of the
powerful House Administration Committee in this 110th
Congress, overseeing the operations of the House of
Representatives.
During her short term as chair, her hiring and
contracting practices within the House of Representatives
reflected her deep commitment to diversity. She was a
dedicated proponent of minority rights, and was the
founder and executive director of the League of African
American Women, comprised of 40 African American women's
groups.
Juanita was also the founder of the Young Advocates, a
political leadership-training program for African
Americans between the ages of 18 and 35. She believed in
embracing our youth and fought to give young people hope
and opportunity for a better life. Juanita introduced
legislation directing the Secretary of Education to study
and report to Congress on the troubling dropout rate among
Latino, Native American, American Samoan and African
American high school students.
Juanita will also be remembered as a strong advocate for
human rights around the globe, speaking out against
genocide in Cambodia, Darfur and other regions of the
world where she fought against injustice and inhumanity.
She worked with former Secretary of State Madeleine
Albright and Ambassador John Miller to address human
trafficking and in support of women's rights around the
world.
Juanita Millender-McDonald was a dynamic Member of this
House, who sought to maximize her influence to better the
lives of her constituents, the residents of her county and
State, and all the people around the world in desperate
need of assistance.
Juanita was a loving wife, mother, and grandmother. And
she was a beloved colleague and friend who will truly be
missed.
My husband Ed and I send our deep and sincere
condolences to her husband, James, her five children, and
five grandchildren.
We will miss you Juanita.
Ms. McCOLLUM of Minnesota. Madam Speaker, I rise today
in support of H. Res. 328, expressing the condolences of
the House of Representatives on the death of the Honorable
Juanita Millender-McDonald.
Congresswoman Millender-McDonald was a strong advocate
for women and human rights, speaking out against injustice
in our country and around the world. She was the first
African American woman to chair a committee in Congress,
and will be remembered for her commitment and dedication
to ensuring that every American's vote counts.
As cochair of the Congressional Caucus for Women's
Issues in the 107th Congress, Congresswoman Millender-
McDonald worked tirelessly to ensure that women from both
sides of the aisle participated in the activities of the
caucus. She was a warm and open person, and was a true
mentor to me during my first term in Congress.
On behalf of the families of Minnesota's Fourth
Congressional District, we extend our prayers and
sincerest condolences to her husband, Mr. James McDonald,
Jr., her children, and all of her family and friends.
Representative Juanita Millender-McDonald will be
remembered and honored in the highest regard.
Madam Speaker, please join me in paying tribute to the
life of Congresswoman Juanita Millender-McDonald.
Mr. GARY G. MILLER of California. Madam Speaker, I rise
today to honor Juanita Millender-McDonald. She was my
colleague and, more important, she was my friend.
Juanita and I served together in the California State
Assembly and later in Congress. Each week we shared a
flight back and forth from Southern California and we grew
to be very good friends.
In Congress, we partnered on the House Transportation
and Infrastructure Committee to address the unique and
pressing transportation needs of Southern California. We
joined together to bring a national focus to the
importance of Southern California's goods movement,
highway financing, and transit needs. As conferees for the
TEA-LU Act, together we worked hard to bring historic
levels of Federal transportation funding back to the
Southern California region.
I am saddened by the loss of a great public servant and
colleague that fought for the needs of her constituents
and the Southern California region with grace, dedication,
and honor.
I am also saddened by the loss of a dear personal
friend.
Juanita was a kind and gentle soul who was called home
far too soon. Her wisdom and leadership in Congress will
be sorely missed. I join my colleagues in praying that she
is in a better place and that her family is able to find
peace in knowing the tremendous contributions she made to
her State and Nation during her years of public service.
Mr. RUSH. Madam Speaker, on Sunday April 22, 2007, my
dear friend and colleague Congresswoman Juanita Millender-
McDonald was called home.
Juanita was a great woman who worked passionately for
justice and cared deeply for mankind. She was a phenomenal
Congresswoman, a loving wife, mother and grandmother and a
dutiful friend.
She made time for her constituents--and didn't just
listen, but heard them, and spoke for them.
Madam Speaker, Juanita began her tenure in Congress in
1996. She represented California's 37th Congressional
District and was a proud leader in the Congressional Black
Caucus where she championed the caucus' disparities agenda
to advance economic development, expand access and
affordability for health care, truly ``leave no child
behind'' in our education policy and the list goes on.
She was a true legislator. For example, she authored
several pieces of legislation focusing on health care,
specifically woman's heart health. Legislation such as
H.R. 51, a bill to support National Wear Red Day, and H.R.
52 the American Heart Month which called on women to take
action and prevent heart disease were just a few examples
of her legislative priorities.
Juanita was a trailblazer, becoming the first African
American woman to chair the House Administration Committee
for the 110th Congress. She was known as the mayor of
Capitol Hill; overseeing the operational and safety needs
of the Capitol compound.
She was truly a jewel and a joy to have known. In
closing, I'm reminded of a passage from Proverbs 31:10
KJV, which reads: ``Who can find a virtuous woman? . . .
for her price is far above rubies.''
Congresswoman Millender-McDonald was a great woman,
epitomizing humanity, humility, and virtue. She will truly
be missed.
Mr. HASTINGS of Florida. Madam Speaker, my presence on
this floor today is marked by a melancholy over the loss
of a friend and dear colleague. We have lost a good
friend, indeed a great friend, in Congresswoman Juanita
Millender-McDonald. I wish to extend with deepest
sincerity my sympathy and condolences to her family and to
her constituents of Long Beach, Compton, and Los Angeles.
It is a common tradition in our society to look past the
loss of the physical being in order to best preserve and
cherish the personal being. However, the difficulty in
this emerges when we constantly find ourselves reveling in
the presence of that person as an everyday part of our
lives. Congresswoman Millender-McDonald will be so sorely
missed. She was and is still a part of our everyday lives.
It is hard to fathom the idea that we will never hear her
voice again--for her eloquence and passion in speaking,
and her unforgettable laughter, will ring in our ears. The
strength and tenacity that propelled her through her
life's work will continue to inspire us. As we continue
our work in her memory, I encourage all of us to remember
her as we walk through the hallowed Halls of Congress. If
we stop and listen, we will hear her footsteps echo in
these great marble corridors.
Juanita's accomplishments and achievements in life were
many. But as we mourn the loss of her physical self, we
would do well to remember her compassionate self, her
temperate self, which encompassed an unfailing dedication
to public service. I most humbly thank Congresswoman
Millender-McDonald for her being an exemplary public
servant. I praise her for her stalwart fight against
cancer. At last, I am comforted by the fact that her truly
unconquerable soul is yet unvanquished.
Mrs. LOWEY. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the
legacy and accomplishments of our recently passed
colleague and dear friend Juanita Millender-McDonald.
Juanita Millender-McDonald's life epitomized one of a
true leader. Her deep commitment to those she served led
her to be the first African American woman to chair a
committee in Congress.
Juanita Millender-McDonald's vision and leadership since
1996 will have a lasting impact on the House of
Representatives. Her fight for full voting participation
for all Americans and her tireless efforts for fair
elections in the United States have helped millions of
Americans and made our democracy stronger.
Madam Speaker, I urge all of my colleagues to join me in
paying respect to the family of Juanita Millender-McDonald
and in honoring her career in service to our country.
ADJOURNMENT
Mr. CLEAVER. Mr. Speaker, pursuant to House Resolution
328, I move that the House do now adjourn in memory of the
late Honorable Juanita Millender-McDonald.
The motion was agreed to; accordingly (at 11 o'clock and
40 minutes p.m.), under its previous order, the House
adjourned until tomorrow, Tuesday, April 24, 2007, at
10:30 a.m., for morning hour debate, as a further mark of
respect to the memory of the late Honorable Juanita
Millender-McDonald of California.
Tuesday, April 24, 2007
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the order of the
House of January 4, 2007, the Chair recognizes the
gentleman from Maryland, the distinguished majority
leader, Mr. Hoyer.
Mr. HOYER. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
It is with deep sadness that I rise today to note the
passing of our colleague and friend, Congresswoman Juanita
Millender-McDonald, a dedicated public servant who worked
tirelessly on behalf of her constituents in California's
37th Congressional District and a devoted Representative
who cared deeply for those she served.
Congresswoman Millender-McDonald was someone who never
allowed the conventions of her surroundings to define the
role she would play. Because she understood that education
would unlock her budding potential as a community leader,
Juanita achieved something extraordinary by earning a
bachelor's degree from Redlands University at the age of
40, and a master's degree from California State University
at the age of 47.
Because she recognized her duty to give back just a
little of what she had learned, Juanita made our
children's future her life's work by teaching math and
English in the Los Angeles Unified School District.
Because she could not sit idly by when she had much to
offer, Juanita turned to public service in 1990, becoming
the first African American woman to serve on the Carson
City Council, the first African American woman to chair
two committees in the California State Assembly, and the
first African American woman to chair a full committee in
the U.S. Congress.
And because she never let go of her abiding faith in the
fact that our tomorrows can be better than our todays,
Juanita will be remembered as a leader who inspired
action, drove progress, and labored diligently to improve
the lives of people throughout our Nation.
Mr. Speaker, the advocates of equal rights for women and
minorities have lost a powerful voice in the U.S.
Congress, one that always sought to bring people together
by elevating the bonds that unite us as Americans and as
human beings. Children and the working poor have lost a
compassionate ally. Men and women seeking to participate
in their own governance have lost a steadfast guardian of
voting rights who fought to expand the reach of democracy,
not only in spirit but in practice as well. And defenders
of human rights have lost a champion of their cause who
never missed an opportunity to remind the free world of
its obligation to help alleviate suffering and restore
fundamental human dignity to those who have gone without
it for far too long, such as those suffering in Darfur.
Juanita Millender-McDonald personified what it means to
serve others before serving self.
Mr. Speaker, I want Juanita's husband, James, and her
children and grandchildren to know that the thoughts and
prayers of a grateful Nation are with them as they mourn
their loss. We join them in their mourning but we also
join them in their joy of a life well lived.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the order of the
House of January 4, 2007, the gentlewoman from New York
(Ms. Clarke) is recognized during morning hour debates for
2 minutes.
Ms. CLARKE. Mr. Speaker, I just wanted to take a moment
today to express my heartfelt condolences to the family,
friends, and constituents of Congresswoman Juanita
Millender-McDonald and pay tribute to her legacy of
leadership and her profound impact on this institution,
the people she served and indeed our Nation.
Chairwoman Millender-McDonald was a trailblazer who
paved the way for me and many others to be elected and to
serve in the Congress. I am ever mindful of the legacy of
integrity and excellence that she has imparted to each and
every one of us. I embrace it and can truly say that she
has touched my life. Though we were colleagues in this
body for a short while, we had many moments of
interactions that were truly empowering. She never missed
a moment to be encouraging and complimentary.
Just a week ago or so before the chairwoman took her
leave from the Congress, we encountered one another in
this very Chamber. She inquired of me about how I was
doing. My response to her was, ``I'm just trying to keep
up with you, Madam Chair.'' She smiled her beautiful and
elegant smile and said to me, ``You're doing it, girl.''
It has truly been a blessing for me as a freshman to
have been acknowledged and encouraged by this truly
remarkable, elegant, and extraordinary role model. The
legacy of Congresswoman Juanita Millender-McDonald will
never be forgotten. It has been imparted to all of us and
it will certainly always reside with me.
God bless you, sister. Thank you for all you have given
to each and every one of us. Well done.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the order of the
House of January 4, 2007, the gentlewoman from California
(Ms. Waters) is recognized during morning hour debates for
5 minutes.
Ms. WATERS. Mr. Speaker and Members, I come to the floor
today to join with my colleagues in recognition of a
public servant who served in this august body, who served
in the California State Legislature, who served the city
of Compton as a city councilwoman, who served as head of
the NAACP in the city of Carson, who was a community
activist, a legislator and not only a committed servant
but a woman who was determined to make sure that she did
everything possible to bring about justice and equality,
not only for our people but for all people.
I have known Juanita Millender-McDonald for over 35
years. I knew her before she was the president of the
Carson chapter of the NAACP. She contacted me when she
became the president and we worked on some projects
together. We went on to work on many projects together.
When my son ran for the California State Legislature, she
was involved with his campaign. We have interacted in so
many ways for such a long period of time.
We have been involved in some of the same kind of issues
over the years. I can recall, it was not so many years ago
when it was revealed that perhaps our Government had known
about drugs that were being transported from Nicaragua
into South Central Los Angeles, and, of course, that
revelation kicked off a firestorm in this country. Juanita
Millender-McDonald invited the head of the CIA to come to
South Central Los Angeles to speak to the people and tell
them what he knew about the Contras and about the
Sandinistas and our involvement with the drug trade. Did
this Government turn a blind eye while drugs were being
transported across our borders?
It was an unusual event. Never had the head of the CIA
been to a community to speak with the people, and people
were everywhere. The FBI, the CIA, everybody was standing
on roofs all over the place. It was a spectacular event.
But that was her style.
Juanita Millender-McDonald and I not only worked on that
issue in different ways. We have been involved in trying
to save Martin Luther King Hospital for a number of years
now. This has been a tough battle. This hospital was born
out of the ashes of the insurrection of 1965 in South Los
Angeles. This is an institution that is so very much
needed but is so at risk at this point. This institution
has been threatened by the Federal Government to withdraw
all of its Federal funds and we have fought day in and day
out, month in and month out, year in and year out to
maintain the funding from the Federal Government so that
the hospital could stay there for people who need it so
desperately.
Juanita Millender-McDonald had organized many meetings.
She had interacted not only with CMS and the Federal
Government but all of the county officials. Time after
time we sat before the board of supervisors, imploring
them to do everything that they could to straighten out
the problems at Martin Luther King Hospital, to work
harder, to make sure there was the management and the
supervision.
Juanita Millender-McDonald cared about health issues.
Not only was she involved with trying to save Martin
Luther King Hospital, she organized an AIDS walk that took
place every year. She and her women's group organized and
each year they went to one of the stadiums in the South
Los Angeles area and they held their walk. It got a lot of
attention, but this was her way of saying to the
community, not only do I care about AIDS, I'm willing to
put some quality time and attention on this issue. I want
you to get tested. I want you to get involved in learning
how you can protect yourself from being infected with HIV/
AIDS. And so it is just a small example of the care and
commitment that she has demonstrated over the years,
whether we talk about health care or education or voting
rights that she was so very much involved in before she
took her leave of absence.
She cared about justice. She cared that this democracy
would truly act in ways that supported the proposition
that everybody has the right to a decent quality of life.
Everybody must be protected by the Constitution of the
United States of America. Everybody must enjoy the
benefits of living in this great country. And she reached
beyond with care for the mother continent of Africa. She
was involved in those issues, also.
And so I stand here today to say Juanita Millender-
McDonald has taken her place in history and she did it her
way. Sometimes we did it different ways, but she knew what
she was doing and why she was doing it the way that she
did. Her husband can be proud. Her children can be proud.
And we can all be proud that we had the blessing and the
opportunity to live and work with a woman of substance, a
woman who cared, a woman who gave of herself and a woman
who left us with dignity, a woman who never complained, a
woman who never said, I feel bad, I have pain, I can't do
it today. She worked right up until she took a leave of
absence just a few days ago.
I am proud to stand here and say that I knew her, that I
worked with her, that I have appreciated everything that
she has contributed to our great society.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the order of the
House of January 4, 2007, the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Al
Green) is recognized during morning hour debates for 1
minute.
Mr. AL GREEN of Texas. Mr. Speaker, first allow me to
please say amen to the words of the Honorable Maxine
Waters.
Mr. Speaker, I rise to celebrate the superlative life of
a superb woman, the Honorable Juanita Millender-McDonald.
Indeed, she was a devoted wife, a loving mother, a
superior scholar, a preeminent educator, and a powerful
legislator.
Notwithstanding all of this, Mr. Speaker, she had a
positive air and a special flair. She was a pillar of
probity. Her integrity was beyond reproach. She was a
repository of respect. Her mere presence commanded
respect. She was the queen of self-esteem. She was comely,
courtly, and stately with a positive personality.
We were truly blessed to have her among us, she will
surely be missed by us, and I thank God for her.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the order of the
House of January 4, 2007, the gentleman from Alabama (Mr.
Davis) is recognized during morning hour debates for 3
minutes.
Mr. DAVIS of Alabama. I thank the Chair for recognizing
me.
Members of the House, we tend to use the term ``friend''
very liberally in this institution. We often apply it to
anyone with whom we have had more than a casual or passing
conversation. Juanita Millender-McDonald was someone that
I genuinely viewed as a friend, not in the way the Members
of the House use that term but in the way that ordinary
people who are watching this on television use it.
There were a lot of days when we sat on this floor and
we talked together. There were a lot of days when we sat
on this floor and we exchanged confidences. There were a
lot of days when we sat on this floor and I spoke to her
of my aspirations and my goals and she spoke to me of
hers. There were times when I spoke of my family and she
spoke of her abiding, continuing faith in her family.
Many people do not realize because she did not speak of
it a great deal, but Juanita was from Birmingham, AL, and
it is a tragedy that a black woman born in 1937 or 1938
felt that she had to leave the State of Alabama to reach
her full promise. Juanita did. And it was my State's loss.
She went to the State of California, and so many of my
colleagues have told the story of her wonderful ascension
and her wonderful career there. But she always retained
memories of growing up in the South. She always retained
memories of growing up in a segregated environment. And
much of her family remains there.
Another thing that was not widely known, Juanita's
brother, Shelly Millender, was a long-time radio talk show
host in the city of Birmingham and I have had a long-time
attachment to him. When I ran for this job for the first
time, there were very few people who would welcome me onto
their programs or into their forums. The very first one to
do so was Shelly Millender. He did it constantly and I
have always appreciated that.
Juanita's nephew, Shelly, Jr., has become a friend of
mine and I always enjoyed telling her how proud she should
be of him and how well he conducts himself in the city of
Birmingham.
So, Mr. Speaker, what I want to say today, Juanita
Millender-McDonald was a phenomenally elegant, restrained
and dignified woman. She richly deserved the title Madam
Chairwoman that she was just beginning to wear so well,
and I will remember my last conversation with her sitting
just off this floor. It was not uncommon for us to gather
and talk about what was going on as we left the floor. I
remember her telling me during that conversation how much
she looked forward to her work on the House Administration
Committee. I remember her telling me how much she looked
forward to several hearings that were upcoming. She never
had the chance to do that which she talked about that day.
But I will always remember her confidence, her courage,
and her decency. And as she and her family watch and as
they prepare for God to take her back to her home in
heaven, know that the time she spent here was well served
and the legacy that she left honors her native State of
Alabama, my State, and the State she adopted and served so
ably, California.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the order of the
House of January 4, 2007, the gentleman from Illinois (Mr.
Jackson) is recognized during morning hour debates for 3
minutes.
Mr. JACKSON of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I want to send
condolences to the family of my colleague, Chairwoman
Juanita Millender-McDonald, and let them know that they
are in my heart and in my prayers. I also want to send
condolences to the people of the 37th Congressional
District of California who placed their faith and trust in
the strong, dedicated, and elegant Juanita Millender-
McDonald.
You have heard from some of my colleagues about the many
firsts that Juanita achieved here in the Congress of the
United States, including serving as the first African
American woman to chair a full committee in the U.S. House
of Representatives. But I just want to take a moment to
reflect upon an aspect of her strength that was not
readily apparent but clearly on display long before she
came to Congress. While some of us have focused on the
life that she lived, I want to talk about the Juanita
Millender-McDonald who did not believe in self-pity but
believed in using what she had to make a difference.
While many of my colleagues will come to this mike and
talk about the life that she lived and her service to a
grateful Nation, Juanita Millender-McDonald taught us
something about character in her transition. No self-pity.
Not a single Member of Congress knew that Juanita was
ailing and that her ailment was terminal. Juanita did not
want to walk around the House of Representatives and have
Members of Congress feeling pity for her or feeling sad
for her or making special speeches or concessions to her.
She wanted all of us to recognize that we live our lives
as if life is certain and death is uncertain, when in
reality it is death that is certain and life that is
uncertain. And, therefore, each of us is under an
obligation to do the very best that we can with the time
that God has given us on this Earth and in this world.
The Bible talks about serving this present age. ``O may
all my powers be engaged to do my Master's will.'' Clearly
the type of ailment that ailed our colleague and our close
and dear friend, Juanita Millender-McDonald, was not the
kind of ailment that strikes one suddenly. She knew about
it for quite some time and chose not to share it with
Members of Congress. That is a statement about her
dignity. It is a statement about her commitment to public
service. It is a statement about character. And it is a
statement about her strength under extraordinarily life-
threatening odds.
Juanita Millender-McDonald was married, she raised five
children, and then went to college to launch an impressive
and inspiring career at an age when many people start
slowing down. She combined higher education with her
native Alabama wisdom and she set out to show women and
men in life and in death that no matter where you came
from, you can go where you want to go. She was a living
example of the power of not only keeping your eyes on the
prize but putting in the old-fashioned elbow grease to
earn it.
No self-pity. She didn't want people looking down on her
or feeling bad about her or seeing her physical ailments.
No self-pity. She possessed the necessary tough-mindedness
combined with the tenderheartedness that Dr. Martin Luther
King, Jr., talked about. She understood, and Dr. King
wrote:
There is little hope for us until we become tough-minded
enough to break loose from the shackles of prejudice,
half-truths and downright ignorance. The shape of the
world today does not permit us the luxury of soft-
mindedness. A nation or civilization that continues to
produce soft-minded men and women purchases its own
spiritual death on an installment plan.
I am proud to have had the opportunity to serve with
Juanita Millender-McDonald, and once again I send my
condolences to those who loved her. The House and the
Nation have lost a dedicated public servant and someone
who in life and death has taught us the meaning of
character.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the order of the
House of January 4, 2007, the gentleman from Georgia (Mr.
Lewis) is recognized during morning hour debates for 5
minutes.
Mr. LEWIS of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, we are here today to
honor one of our colleagues, Representative Juanita
Millender-McDonald of the 37th District of California.
Representative McDonald was an extraordinary woman. She
was born in Birmingham, AL, at a time of racial violence
and overt displays of the most open and systematic forms
of racism. But she did not let that hold her down or hold
her back. She went to college in California, she became a
teacher in the Los Angeles school system, and throughout
her career she used education as an instrument for change.
She was a great teacher, and she used the power of
knowledge and her commitment to human understanding to
break down institutional barriers and to reach across the
aisle.
I think that is why she made so many strides as a Member
of Congress. She knew gaining mutual understanding was the
only way to build coalitions and lay all differences
aside.
That's why her creativity and skillful leadership became
legendary. She was the first Democrat to chair the
Congressional Caucus for Women's Issues and she used that
power to build a coalition between the women of the
Supreme Court and the women of Congress. She knew the
differences in their roles as public servants didn't
matter. She believed all women in government shared a
common bond.
She took concerned women of Congress to meet delegates
to the United Nations to unify the global struggle against
the exploitation of women and girls.
She developed the first National Teen Dating Violence
Week as a platform for all women to speak out against a
common problem--violence against teen girls. And she was
the first Member to bring the head of the CIA to the city
of Watts to address long-standing, widespread allegations
of drug dumping in that community.
And, of course, she was the first African American to
chair a full committee, the Committee on House
Administration. This committee oversees some of the great
educational institutions of our Nation--the Library of
Congress, the Smithsonian Institution, the Government
Printing Office, and the Capitol Fine Arts Board.
We can only dream about what this great teacher would
have done in this capacity. I know she would have used the
power of knowledge and education as an instrument of
change.
But beyond that, Juanita Millender-McDonald was an
elegant lady. She may have moved to California, but she
never lost her southern charm. She was always a lady--as
tough as steel but as sweet as honey. She was more than a
colleague. She was our sister, our friend. Juanita was a
sharp dresser, and sometimes she would dress to kill. She
was beautiful on the outside and on the inside. She had a
sweet, sweet spirit, and she will be deeply missed.
Sometimes when she would see me, she would call me Mr.
Civil Rights. And sometimes when she would see Sanford
Bishop, David Scott and me together, she would say, ``What
are you Georgia boys doing? What are you up to?''
And when she was planning programs in her district, she
would stop by to see members of the Georgia delegation and
tell us she needed a box of peanuts. And we would all ante
up and make those peanuts available to her.
It is so unreal. It is so unbelievable that we will not
see her on the floor of this Chamber again. Life is short,
too short. We are here today, and we're gone tomorrow, but
her spirit and her memory will live on for all of us.
With the passing of Congresswoman McDonald, it seems the
world is a little darker. It seems that a light has gone
out. Maybe here in this Chamber and on this Earth a light
has gone out. But in another part of the universe Juanita
is shining brighter than ever before.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the order of the
House of January 4, 2007, the gentleman from New York (Mr.
Meeks) is recognized during morning hour debates for 2
minutes.
Mr. MEEKS of New York. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I had to come to the floor today in remembrance of a
phenomenal woman, Juanita Millender-McDonald. My heart is
pained and it is unbelievable that we will not see this
great woman, at least not on this planet, again. She was a
woman that anytime that you saw her, she stood with such
dignity and grace. She was a woman who was honest. I can
recall when I would go to her and ask her opinion on
various issues. She wouldn't tell me what I wanted to
hear. She would tell me what I needed to hear. She would
tell me what was indeed right. Being the father of three
daughters, I can't help but say, Thank you, Juanita. Thank
you for being the pioneer that you were. Thank you for
blazing a trail, a trail that's so wide for women, all
women, like my three young daughters, so that they can
walk now on that path, so that they now can have
opportunities that were denied others because you have
fought the fight.
In the church that I come from, the question is, have
you helped someone, and the song says, ``If you've helped
someone, then your living shall not be in vain.''
In the life story of Juanita Millender-McDonald, she has
indeed helped a whole lot of somebodies and she has made
life better for a lot of children yet unborn. She has made
history. And in the camera of history and in the camera of
life of Juanita Millender-McDonald, it will be recorded
that she was a soldier in this thing we call life, and she
was a leader for all human beings but in particular to
make sure that for women, their tomorrow is better than
their yesterday or today.
Juanita, we will miss you, and we know that as you see
the good Lord, He's saying, ``Well done, Juanita. Job well
done.''
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the order of the
House of January 4, 2007, the gentleman from West Virginia
(Mr. Rahall) is recognized during morning hour debates for
4 minutes.
Mr. RAHALL. Mr. Speaker, I join with my colleagues in
the words of mourning and celebration of the life of our
late colleague, Juanita Millender-McDonald. She was a
leader on many issues as we have heard stated already. And
foremost among those in my opinion was her leadership and
her vision as the first African American female chairman
of a major committee here on Capitol Hill. She had a plan
for how this City on a Hill would operate in a smoother
and more efficient manner. And while she may not be with
us to see that vision carried out, it is my hope that we
will carry it out in memory of her. So to her husband and
to her children and to her grandchildren, I hope that her
memories will serve as a source of inner strength,
inspiration, courage, and love for the rest of their
lives. . . .
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the order of the
House of January 4, 2007, the gentleman from Louisiana
(Mr. Jefferson) is recognized during morning hour debates
for 2\1/2\ minutes.
Mr. JEFFERSON. I thank the Chair.
The 17th century poet John Donne speaks to death thusly:
``Death be not proud,'' he says, ``though some have called
you mighty and dreadful, for thou art not so. And those
thou thinkest thy doth overthrow die not, poor death. A
short sleep past, we wake eternally and death shall be no
more.''
This is the confidence in her Christian faith with which
our sister, Juanita Millender-McDonald, lived and with
which she passed from this earth. This is what she meant
when she told her family that she was going home. This is
what we saw and at which we marveled as we observed her
peace on display in the final hours that she worked
amongst us, giving not a hint of distress or
brokenheartedness or loss of confidence. Her grace and
elegance in her final months and years when she knew well
her earthly fate is a lesson in how to live and how to
leave this life for those of us who still live on this
side.
Chairwoman Juanita Millender-McDonald was serious about
her work. I had the pleasure of finding this out firsthand
when I was chair of the Congressional Black Caucus
Foundation and Juanita was chair of the CBCF's annual
legislative weekend. She helped to organize this event,
which drew over 40,000 African American leaders to
Washington, with great attention to detail, taxing all of
us--sometimes we thought then too much--to meet our
responsibilities and on time. But the result was a
magnificent event heralded by all of us as one of our very
best. This House got only a glimpse of her profound
organizational skills as she had the chance to serve us
only a short time in her post as chair of the Committee on
House Administration. It would have been wonderful for we
who work here and for our Nation if we had been privileged
to see more.
As it is now, we welcome our sister to her rest in the
bosom of her Lord and we pray for comfort and peace for
James, her husband, and their five children and
grandchildren, and we thank her for her friendship and
commitment to the House, to her constituents, and to her
country. She served us proudly and well, and she will be
well remembered.
PRAYER
The Chaplain, the Reverend Daniel P. Coughlin, offered
the following prayer:
In the end it is faith that proves victorious. Days come
and go. Wars and famine cry out for justice, charity and
peace. It is faith which helps us all respond to every
call. It is faith that strengthens Your people for the
struggle and, in the end, brings promise beyond the
sacrifice.
Lord God, as faith inspired the apostles and martyrs and
all who have gone before us, let living faith now find
expression in us through acts of love that will excite
hope, especially in the hearts of the poor and the
fragile.
Help the Members of Congress and all Americans make
decisions today that will build a justice that will not
fail tomorrow. With faith, enable them to set aside goods
of the present moment in the hope of attaining eternal
good. With faith, it is possible to hope to change the
present for the future.
We pray for the Honorable Juanita Millender-McDonald and
all Your servants who have served You and Your people in
public service. With faith, they can leave this place and
find in You eternal reward. The free children of God are
always on the move, both now and forever.
Amen.
MESSAGE FROM THE SENATE
A message from the Senate by Ms. Curtis, one of its
clerks, announced that the Senate agreed to the following
resolution:
S. Res. 165
Resolved, That the Senate has heard with profound sorrow
and deep regret the announcement of the death of the
Honorable Juanita Millender-McDonald, late a
Representative from the State of California.
Resolved, That the Secretary communicate these
resolutions to the House of Representatives and transmit
an enrolled copy thereof to the family of the deceased.
Resolved, That when the Senate adjourns or recesses
today, it stand adjourned or recessed as a further mark of
respect to the memory of the late Representative.
Thursday, April 26, 2007
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the
House, the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Cummings) is
recognized for 5 minutes.
Mr. CUMMINGS. Mr. Speaker, on Monday we will lay to rest
a truly gifted friend, colleague, and public servant, the
Representative from California's 37th Congressional
District, Juanita Millender-McDonald. So today I would
like to pay tribute to her legacy.
In 1997 Glamour magazine wisely named Congresswoman
Millender-McDonald as ``one of 11 women who will change
the world.'' And even though she has left us before her
time, her very significant and meaningful impact on the
world is known.
Although Congresswoman Millender-McDonald has crossed
over, her actions will continue to reverberate for us and
for generations yet unborn.
We both came to the Congress as a result of special
elections in 1996. She came on March 25 and I was sworn in
on April 26. As a close colleague, I was proud to see her
take the helm of the House Administration Committee, which
deemed her the ``mayor of Capitol Hill.'' And, indeed, she
was. In fact, she was the first African American woman to
chair a House Committee.
Further, within this committee, she was a leader in
addressing issues of voting irregularities and voter
disenfranchisement.
I also worked closely with her on the House
Transportation and Infrastructure Committee for 11 years.
And most recently, as Congress worked with the passage of
the SAFETEA-LU bill, a major piece of legislation
addressing highways, transit, and other public
legislation, she was indeed a strong advocate for her
district and for her State.
When I served as chairman of the Congressional Black
Caucus, I asked her to serve as the chairperson of the
Annual Legislative Weekend, and she did so with class.
The year 2003, when she served as head of the Annual
Legislative Weekend, was a very difficult year for all of
us. The caucus had several issues to confront: Widespread
unemployment, the war in Iraq, and coping with the
negative effects of the Bush administration policies.
Still, amidst these tough times, she led a 4-day
conference entitled, ``Collective Leadership--Challenging
a Bold New World.''
That conference reenergized our constituencies to fight
for that better world that she fought for every day.
Congresswoman Millender-McDonald changed the world by
being a pioneer, and she paved a path for many to follow.
She was the first African American woman to serve on the
Carson City Council. She was the first to hold the
position of chairperson of two very powerful California
State Assembly committees, Insurance and Revenue and
Taxation, in her first term.
Here in Washington she gave a voice to the voiceless by
speaking out against genocide in Cambodia, Darfur, and
other regions of the world. She also addressed global HIV/
AIDS, which was a major issue for her, and she organized
an annual 5K AIDS walk in her district.
During the 108th Congress, she drafted language that was
incorporated into the U.S. Leadership Against HIV/AIDS,
Tuberculosis and Malaria Act, which authorized funding to
reduce mother-to-child transmissions of HIV/AIDS and gave
priority in awarding of funds to organizations focused on
family survival.
In the 109th Congress, she introduced legislation to
amend the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 that would
establish a network of pediatric centers in certain
developing countries to provide treatment and care for
children with HIV/AIDS. She fought tirelessly for women's
rights and empowering women to be all that they can be.
As the first Democratic chair of the Congressional
Democratic Caucus for Women's Issues, she led the caucus
on two groundbreaking meetings, the first with U.N.
Secretary General Kofi Annan to talk about the plight of
women globally, and another with the chairman of the New
York Stock Exchange to develop strategies for increasing
women's investments and net worth.
She also worked to give women who served our country in
uniform during wartime the recognition which they richly
deserved. In this regard, she initiated the first annual
Memorial Day tribute to women in the military at the
Women's Memorial in Arlington National Cemetery, and led
the fight to secure $15 million for the maintenance of
that memorial.
Congresswoman Juanita Millender-McDonald did indeed
change the world, and she will not be forgotten. My
prayers go out to her husband and her family.
Tuesday, May 1, 2007
APPOINTMENT OF MEMBERS TO THE COMMITTEE TO ATTEND FUNERAL
OF THE LATE HONORABLE JUANITA MILLENDER-Mc DONALD
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to House Resolution
328, and the order of the House of January 4, 2007, the
Chair announces the Speaker's appointment of the following
Members of the House to the committee to attend the
funeral of the late Honorable Juanita Millender-McDonald:
The gentleman from California, Mr. Stark
The gentlewoman from California, Ms. Pelosi, and the
members of the California delegation:
Mr. George Miller
Mr. Waxman
Mr. Lewis
Mr. Dreier
Mr. Hunter
Mr. Lantos
Mr. Berman
Mr. Gallegly
Mr. Herger
Mr. Rohrabacher
Mr. Doolittle
Ms. Waters
Mr. Becerra
Mr. Calvert
Ms. Eshoo
Mr. Filner
Mr. McKeon
Ms. Roybal-Allard
Mr. Royce
Ms. Woolsey
Mr. Farr
Ms. Zoe Lofgren
Mr. Radanovich
Mr. Sherman
Ms. Loretta Sanchez
Mrs. Tauscher
Mrs. Capps
Mrs. Bono
Ms. Lee
Mr. Gary G. Miller
Mrs. Napolitano
Mr. Thompson
Mr. Baca
Ms. Harman
Mrs. Davis
Mr. Honda
Mr. Issa
Mr. Schiff
Ms. Solis
Ms. Watson
Mr. Cardoza
Mr. Nunes
Ms. Linda T. Sanchez
Mr. Daniel E. Lungren
Mr. Costa
Ms. Matsui
Mr. Campbell
Mr. Bilbray
Mr. McCarthy
Mr. McNerney, and
Mr. Conyers, Michigan
Mr. Lewis, Georgia
Mr. Faleomavaega, American Samoa
Mr. McDermott, Washington
Ms. Norton, District of Columbia
Mr. Jefferson, Louisiana
Mr. Bishop, Georgia
Ms. Corrine Brown, Florida
Ms. Eddie Bernice Johnson, Texas
Mr. Scott, Virginia
Mr. Watt, North Carolina
Mr. Thompson, Mississippi
Ms. Jackson-Lee, Texas
Mr. Cummings, Maryland
Mr. Hinojosa, Texas
Ms. Kilpatrick, Michigan
Mr. Kucinich, Ohio
Mr. Meeks, New York
Ms. Berkley, Nevada
Mr. Gonzalez, Texas
Mr. Holt, New Jersey
Mrs. Jones, Ohio
Mr. Davis, Alabama
Mr. Meek, Florida
Mr. Scott, Georgia
Mr. Butterfield, North Carolina
Mr. Cleaver, Missouri
Mr. Al Green, Texas
Ms. Moore, Wisconsin
Ms. Clarke, New York
Mr. Ellison, Minnesota
Mr. Johnson, Georgia
Mr. CONYERS. . . . We celebrated the life yesterday of
our dearest colleague Juanita Millender-McDonald as she
was memorialized in Los Angeles. What a dynamic, unusual,
amazing circumstance of a young girl from Alabama
transporting herself to the first elected chairwoman of
color of the House Administration Committee. . . .
Wednesday, May 16, 2007
Mr. BONNER. Madam Speaker, it is with great sadness that
I rise today to honor the memory of former California
Congresswoman Juanita Millender-McDonald and her lifetime
of dedication to the people of California and the United
States. I was deeply saddened to learn our colleague
passed away so suddenly. We have not only lost a wonderful
friend but an individual who during her lifetime made
countless contributions toward the betterment of our
Nation.
A native of Alabama--there is some dispute as to whether
she was born in Gee's Bend or Birmingham--Juanita's ties
to her home State remained strong throughout her life. In
fact, just a few short years ago, she was extremely
involved with her family reunion which was held in
Monroeville, in Alabama's First District. She was always
so very proud of her family and naturally, they are so
very proud of her.
Juanita began her career as a teacher in Los Angeles.
She was also the editor-writer for the Los Angeles Unified
School District and worked as a manuscript editor for
``Images,'' a textbook designed to enhance the self-esteem
of young women. She began her political career in 1990,
when she was elected to the Carson City Council. Just 2
years later, she was elected to the California State
Assembly.
In 1996, Juanita was elected to represent the 37th
District of California in the U.S. House of
Representatives. Throughout her six* terms, she was a
champion of election reform and women's health issues. She
made history in the 110th Congress when she was named
chairwoman of the House Administration Committee becoming
the first African American woman to chair a House
committee.
*Congresswoman Millender-McDonald had just started her
seventh term.
We are privileged to have known and worked with such a
passionate and loyal individual. Juanita will be greatly
missed and always remembered. Madam Speaker, I ask my
colleagues to join me in remembering a dedicated public
servant.
Juanita Millender-McDonald will be deeply missed by her
family--her husband, James McDonald Jr., her five
children, and five grandchildren--as well as the countless
friends she leaves behind. Our thoughts and prayers are
with them all at this difficult time.
Proceedings in the Senate
Monday, April 23, 2007
SUBMITTED RESOLUTIONS
SENATE RESOLUTION 165--RELATIVE TO THE DEATH OF
REPRESENTATIVE JUANITA MILLENDER-Mc DONALD, OF CALIFORNIA
Mr. REID (for himself, Mr. McConnell, Mrs. Feinstein,
Mrs. Boxer, Mr. Akaka, Mr. Alexander, Mr. Allard, Mr.
Baucus, Mr. Bayh, Mr. Bennett, Mr. Biden, Mr. Bingaman,
Mr. Bond, Mr. Brown, Mr. Brownback, Mr. Bunning, Mr. Burr,
Mr. Byrd, Ms. Cantwell, Mr. Cardin, Mr. Carper, Mr. Casey,
Mr. Chambliss, Mrs. Clinton, Mr. Coburn, Mr. Cochran, Mr.
Coleman, Ms. Collins, Mr. Conrad, Mr. Corker, Mr. Cornyn,
Mr. Craig, Mr. Crapo, Mr. DeMint, Mr. Dodd, Mrs. Dole, Mr.
Domenici, Mr. Dorgan, Mr. Durbin, Mr. Ensign, Mr. Enzi,
Mr. Feingold, Mr. Graham, Mr. Grassley, Mr. Gregg, Mr.
Hagel, Mr. Harkin, Mr. Hatch, Mrs. Hutchison, Mr. Inhofe,
Mr. Inouye, Mr. Isakson, Mr. Johnson, Mr. Kennedy, Mr.
Kerry, Ms. Klobuchar, Mr. Kohl, Mr. Kyl, Ms. Landrieu, Mr.
Lautenberg, Mr. Leahy, Mr. Levin, Mr. Lieberman, Mrs.
Lincoln, Mr. Lott, Mr. Lugar, Mr. Martinez, Mr. McCain,
Mrs. McCaskill, Mr. Menendez, Ms. Mikulski, Ms. Murkowski,
Mrs. Murray, Mr. Nelson of Florida, Mr. Nelson of
Nebraska, Mr. Obama, Mr. Pryor, Mr. Reed, Mr. Roberts, Mr.
Rockefeller, Mr. Salazar, Mr. Sanders, Mr. Schumer, Mr.
Sessions, Mr. Shelby, Mr. Smith, Ms. Snowe, Mr. Specter,
Ms. Stabenow, Mr. Stevens, Mr. Sununu, Mr. Tester, Mr.
Thomas, Mr. Thune, Mr. Vitter, Mr. Voinovich, Mr. Warner,
Mr. Webb, Mr. Whitehouse, and Mr. Wyden) submitted the
following resolution; which was considered and agreed to:
S. Res. 165
Resolved, That the Senate has heard with profound sorrow
and deep regret the announcement of the death of the
Honorable Juanita Millender-McDonald, late a
Representative from the State of California.
Resolved, That the Secretary communicate these
resolutions to the House of Representatives and transmit
an enrolled copy thereof to the family of the deceased.
Resolved, That when the Senate adjourns or recesses
today, it stand adjourned or recessed as a further mark of
respect to the memory of the late Representative.
Mr. BINGAMAN. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent
that the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of
S. Res. 165, submitted earlier today.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report the
resolution by title.
The legislative clerk read as follows:
A resolution (S. Res. 165) relative to the death of
Representative Juanita Millender-McDonald, of California.
There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to
consider the resolution.
Mr. BINGAMAN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent
that the resolution be agreed to; that the motion to
reconsider be laid upon the table; and that any statements
relating to the resolution be printed in the Record.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so
ordered.
The resolution (S. Res. 165) was agreed to.
ADJOURNMENT UNTIL 10 A.M. TOMORROW
Mr. BINGAMAN. Madam President, if there is no further
business today, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate
stand adjourned under the provisions of S. Res. 165 as a
further mark of respect to the memory of the late
Representative Juanita Millender-McDonald.
There being no objection, the Senate, at 5:26 p.m.,
adjourned until Tuesday, April 24, 2007, at 10 a.m.
Tuesday, April 24, 2007
Mrs. BOXER. Mr. President, today I honor the memory of
Representative Juanita Millender-McDonald, a kind-hearted
woman whose remarkable life touched so many of us.
Juanita was a loving mother, and a dedicated public
servant who approached her work with an upbeat attitude
and can-do spirit that was an inspiration to us all.
Her passing is a tragic loss for California, the 37th
Congressional District she so ably represented, and the
many Members of Congress with whom she has worked over the
years.
Juanita's career broke through so many barriers for
women and African Americans. Her rise as the first African
American woman to chair a congressional committee was only
the latest of many firsts in her career.
In her over six terms of service in the House of
Representatives, she fought valiantly for the rights of
women, for the security of our Nation, and for the
protection of human rights across our Nation and the
world.
Juanita's efforts to reach across the aisle made her one
of the most effective Members of Congress, but it was her
bold initiatives that embodied the courage with which she
followed her convictions.
In her first year in Congress, Juanita immediately
demanded the attention of the Nation when she brought
then-CIA director John Deutsch to Watts to address a
newspaper report that the CIA was using profits from
domestic crack-cocaine sales to fund CIA-backed Contras in
Nicaragua.
Juanita's commitment to the health of our communities
has been profound, and her efforts addressed the needs not
only of her constituents, but to the victims of disease
around the world.
She led the charge to enact the Mother-to-Child HIV/AIDS
Transmission Act that has become the foundation of
President Bush's $15 billion African AIDS initiative. For
nearly a decade, Juanita coordinated the annual AIDS Walk
in her district to help continue to inform the community
and raise awareness of this deadly disease.
During her tenure as the ranking member of the Committee
on House Administration, Juanita fought to ensure that
every ballot that is cast is counted, and that all of the
citizens of our country would know their voting rights.
Juanita has been inspiring young women since the
beginning of her career as an educator in California, when
she served the Los Angeles Unified School District as a
career counselor and edited ``Images,'' a State textbook
which encouraged young women to pursue non-traditional
careers.
As the Democratic chair of the Congressional Caucus for
Women's Issues, she sought to address the plight of women
globally, brought together the women of Congress with the
first female Supreme Court Justices to discuss issues
important to women across the Nation, and sought
recognition for the women in uniform who have served our
country in times of war with the first annual Memorial Day
Tribute to Women in the Military at the Arlington National
Cemetery's Women's Memorial.
On so many issues, I have been fortunate enough to
consider Juanita a valuable ally and friend, but I will
especially miss her work as a leading voice on the House
Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. As the
Representative of a district with two of the busiest ports
in the United States, Juanita was a passionate supporter
of the effort to ensure that the movement of goods is
safe, secure, and efficient.
Through these past years, Juanita and I worked together
to keep the C-17 production line from being mothballed by
President Bush and furloughing hundreds of employees.
I know that Juanita's presence will be sorely missed by
communities which she served so tirelessly. Today I send
my sincere condolences to her husband James, her five
children, her staff, and all those who knew and loved her.
Together we will continue her important work.
MESSAGE FROM THE HOUSE
At 2:25 p.m., a message from the House of
Representatives, delivered by Ms. Niland, one of its
reading clerks, announced that the House has passed the
following bills, in which it requests the concurrence of
the Senate: . . .
The message further announced that the House has agreed
to the following resolution:
H. Res. 328. Resolution relative to the death of the
Honorable Juanita Millender-McDonald, a Representative
from the State of California.
?
Congresswoman
Juanita Millender-McDonald
September 7, 1938-April 21, 2007
Proverbs 31:8
Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for
the rights of all who are destitute.
Monday, April 30th, 2007
12:00 p.m.
Second Baptist Church
2412 Griffith Avenue
Los Angeles, California
A Tribute to a Woman of Integrity
Juanita Millender-McDonald was the youngest of five
children born to the Reverend Shelly and Everlina Dortch
Millender on September 7, 1938, in Birmingham, Alabama. As
the great-granddaughter and granddaughter of A.M.E.
ministers and the daughter of a Baptist minister, her
life's work would be deeply rooted in faith and guided by
high moral values. Her accomplishments, iron clad
commitment and generosity were simply a manifestation of
the teachings and qualities reflective of her father's
training.
At the age of three when her mother died, her father
assumed the rare role of matriarch. Gently, quietly, and
sternly, he raised five children alone and instilled in
them a strong work ethic. Juanita's drive for perfection,
hard work and leadership qualities were shaped by this
philosophy. From an early age, what she did and how she
did it was always kept to herself, yet her results spoke
for themselves. She could very well be labeled a ``quiet
warrior.''
She attended Carrie A. Tuggle Elementary School and
graduated from Holy Family Catholic High School with
honors. She married James McDonald, Jr., and the couple
moved to Southern California soon after. They raised five
very active children even as she pursued a successful
career within the Los Angeles Unified School District. In
1981, she earned her Bachelor of Science degree in
Business Administration from the University of Redlands
and Master of Arts in Educational Administration from
California State University at Los Angeles.
Juanita's political career began in 1990 when she was
elected and served as a Carson City Council member and
Mayor Pro Tempore within her first term. In 1992, she
catapulted into the State Assembly where she served as
chairwoman of two powerful California State Assembly
committees (Insurance and Revenue and Taxation) during her
two terms.
Juanita continued her legacy of achievement parlaying
her political successes into winning a seat in Congress in
1996. When U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy
Pelosi named her Chairwoman of the House Committee on
Administration, she became the first African American
woman in history to chair a full House committee. As
Chairwoman of this committee, she oversaw the operation of
the House of Representatives; the Library of Congress; the
Smithsonian Institute; the National Zoo and all federal
elections. She was the first African American woman to
give the national Democratic response to President Bush's
weekly radio address, and the first to be named Honorary
Curator of the Museum of Latin American Art in Long Beach.
Juanita was nationally known as an unwavering advocate
for women, families, people of color and small business.
As co-chair of the Congressional Women's Caucus, she
supported initiatives that promoted women's wellness and
celebrated their achievements.
Her legislative proposals included, but were not limited
to ``Preventing Mother-to-Child HIV/AIDS Transmission
Act,'' the ``Women and Heart Disease Resolution,'' and the
``Empowering Women Business Owners Act.'' Among her many
sponsored initiatives, two bills stand out as an example
of her commitment to underrepresented populations: ``The
Second Chance Voting Rights Act of 2000'' which aimed to
restore the voting rights to former inmates and ``The
Healthy People, Healthy Choices Act'' to address the
devastating impact of obesity in minority communities. She
was a firm believer in diversity, access and equal
opportunity. Gaining international headlines and drawing
national attention to the inner city substance abuse
problem, Juanita was instrumental in bringing CIA Director
John Deutch to Watts to address allegations of Agency
involvement in the international drug trade. Covered by
ABC's Nightline, the meeting sparked national debate over
the role of the federal government in addressing the
issue.
Juanita served on several community, professional and
civic boards, including the National Association of Female
Executives, the National Women's Political Caucus, the
Southern Christian Leadership Conference of Southern
California and the National Association for the
Advancement of Colored People. She was on the Board of
Trustees for Second Baptist Church and an active member of
Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. She was founder and
executive director of the League of African American
Women, an organization of 40 African American Women groups
responsible for the annual ``AIDS Walk for Minority Women
and Children.'' The African American Women's Health and
Education Foundation will be the ongoing legacy for
continued support of and research on AIDS prevention.
Considering all these firsts and tremendous
accomplishments, Juanita's most significant impact was
made on her family. She was a symbol of generations and
generations of proud people who overcame adversity in a
world that did not always understand the circumstances of
women and people of color. Juanita raised her children and
grandchildren to never settle for mediocrity. She
influenced her brothers, sisters, nephews, nieces and
cousins to persevere and be fully engaged in the pursuit
of their passions.
Juanita is survived by her husband James McDonald and
their five children, Valerie, Angela (Juan), Sherryll,
Derrick, Keith (Lori) and five grandchildren, Ayanna,
Ramia, Myles, Blair and Diamond; her sisters Dicksey Marie
(Vernon) and Nora (Herbert), brother Shelly (Brenda); her
nephews and nieces, Wanda (Ted), Yolanda, LaMont (Debra),
James, Galen, Michelle, Mark (LaVeda), Derrick, Vikki
(Christopher), Herbert (Toni), Yuri, Shelly III (Darlene),
Eryka (Randall); grand nephews and nieces, LaMont II,
Dejeana, David, Andrew, William, Jr., Courtney (Gerald),
Angelina, Kendall, Cameron, Austin, Alexandra, Shelby,
Shelly IV, Shelby, Randall, Jr., and Ryan; uncles and
aunt, William Dortch (Vivian), Oliver Webb and Reba
McCants; father-in-law, James McDonald, Sr. (Vera) and
sister-in-law, Quincy Ballard along with a host of cousins
and many friends. She was preceded in death by her father,
mother and brother William.
CONGRESSWOMAN
JUANITA MILLENDER-McDONALD
Order of Service
Organ Prelude
``His Eye is on the Sparrow''
Instrumental and Combined Choirs
The Second Baptist Church Consoling Choir and the Los
Angeles Inner City Mass Choir
Processional
Pastor William S. Epps
Opening Prayer
Reverend Gregory Morris
Musical Selection
``Amazing Grace''
Combined Choirs
Scripture Readings
Ms. Sheryl Lee Ralph
Old Testament
Proverbs 31:8-11
New Testament
1 Corinthians 15:10
2 Timothy 4:7-8
Prayer of Comfort
Reverend Leslie R. White
Greeting
The Honorable Antonio Villaraigosa
Mayor, City of Los Angeles
Musical Selection
``Precious Lord''
Combined Choirs
Acknowledgements
Valerie J. McDonald
Family Reflections
Sherryll McDonald
Michael C. McDonald
Grandchildren with Angela McDonald-Thomas
and Lori McDonald
Wanda Levatter
Musical Selection
``Then My Living Shall Not Be in Vain''
Ms. Marie Marsh
Tributes
The Honorable Nancy Pelosi, House Speaker
The Honorable Jerry Lewis
The Honorable Carolyn Kilpatrick
Mr. Jimmie Lee Solomon
Dr. Helene Gayle
Musical Selection
``I Won't Complain''
Ms. Marie Marsh
Tributes
The Honorable Willie L. Brown, Jr.
The Honorable Grace Napolitano
The Honorable Diane E. Watson
The Honorable Mervyn M. Dymally
Chief Anthony Batts
Mr. David Crippens
Eulogy
Pastor William S. Epps
Musical Selection
``In the Upper Room''
Consoling Choir
Benediction
Pastor William S. Epps
Recessional
Upon conclusion of this service,
please remain seated until the family,
Congressional Delegation and dignitaries have departed.
By request of the family, the interment is private.
Active Pallbearers
Military Service Honor Guard
Honorary Pallbearers
Michael Christopher McDonald
Myles McDonald
Roderick Keith McDonald
Lambert Adouki
Steve Bagby
The Honorable Steve Bradford
Terry Carter
Lamont Chappell
James Chappell
Galen Chappell
Mark Chappell
The Honorable Larry Forester
Derrick Freeman
The Honorable Mike Gipson
Larry Grant
The Honorable Isadore Hall
Vincent Harris
Andrew Hudson
Ted Levatter
Andre Lewis
James D. Lites
Kevin Martin
Marcus Mason
Herbert Mathews Jr.
Bandele McQueen, Esq.
Shelly Millender III
Patrick Patterson
Paul Patterson
Ian Patton
Terry Stinson
E. Dotson Wilson
Gary Winuk
Henry Dixon
Rodney Emery
Hasan Christian
Acknowledgments
The family wishes to acknowledge the many expressions of
sympathy
and condolence they have received. The outpouring of
support
has been overwhelming. We ask that you continue to pray
for us. May God's continuous blessings be yours.
Praise her for the many fine things she does. These good
deeds of hers shall bring her honor and recognition from
people of importance.
Proverbs 31:31
When I must leave you for a little while, please do not
grieve and shed wild tears, and hug your sorrow to you
through the years but start out bravely with a gallant
smile and for my sake and in my name live on and do all
things the same. Seek not your loneliness on empty days
but fill each waking hour in useful ways. Reach out your
hand in comfort and cheer. And I in turn will comfort you
and hold you near and never be afraid to die for I am
waiting for you in the sky.
Valerie J. McDonald. On behalf of my family (immediate and
extended), I want to acknowledge the many expressions of
sympathy and condolence we have received during these very
difficult times. The outpouring of support has been
overwhelming and it truly warms my heart to know that my
mother had such an impact on so many people. I cannot
thank everyone by name at this time, but would like to
thank the following persons for their ongoing
communications and concerns:
Pastor Epps and my Second Baptist Church family
Sybil Brown
The cities of Carson, Compton, Long Beach, Signal Hill
and Los Angeles
Councilman Mike Gipson
Councilwoman Jan Perry
The county of Los Angeles and the offices of
Supervisors Yvonne Braithwaite Burke and Gloria
Molina
Time Warner
The office of Senator Mark Ridley-Thomas
The University of Southern California
The office of Assembly Member Laura Richardson
I would also like to acknowledge the work and support of
those whose efforts have assisted us immensely:
My mother's staff, specifically Mary Gaddis and
Josephine Martin who have worked tirelessly since
joining her office over 15 years ago.
Marcus Mason, Bandele McQueen, Terry Carter and Carmen
Taylor all of whom made sure the people in the 37th
Congressional District continued to receive the
service my mother always demonstrated and demanded.
Top Sergeants Vincent Harris and Terry Stinson who
assisted in making sure my family was insulated from
any unwarranted activity, helping us to focus on the
matters of importance to my mother and her
constituents.
They collectively assisted the DC and district offices
in making the transition from the Office of Congresswoman
Millender-McDonald to the Offices of the 37th
Congressional District. Your friendship and love cannot be
measured and we thank you.
You know, my mother lived in an era of great change.
During her lifetime, she witnessed Jackie Robinson break
the color barrier in major league baseball, the collapse
of Jim Crow segregation, and the emergence of
opportunities unavailable to previous generations.
She took stock of ``firsts'' by trumpeting the
achievements of others and chronicling her own
accomplishments. That's why the presence of the first
female Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, the
Honorable Nancy Pelosi means so much to us. Likewise, she
would want me to acknowledge the first female and African
American Chief Clerk of the U.S. House of Representatives,
Lorraine Miller. And finally, she would ask me not to
forget to mention former California Assembly Speaker
Willie Brown, Jr., who was her first Speaker and whose
mentorship she respected.
I personally want to thank Representatives Grace
Napolitano, Carolyn Cheeks Kilpatrick, Barbara Lee, Diane
E. Watson, and Sanford Bishop. Their phone calls almost
every day reached out to my entire family, especially my
dad, to inquire about his emotional, physical and
spiritual well-being.
I want to acknowledge Sergeant at Arms, Wilson Livingood
and Ted Daniel and the Capitol Police for their assistance
in providing the continuity of this service.
To my aunts Nora and Dicksey, thank you for supporting
my mother her entire life. When mom needed an ear to
listen, precinct walkers, telephone callers or donors to
her campaign, you were there. Yesterday, Representative
Diane Watson, the California Teacher's Association, the
AKAs, the Carson Women's Club, the Fannie Lou Hammer Queen
Mothers Society, and the League of African American Women
presented resolutions to my mother at a memorial organized
by Aunt Dicksey, allowing several members of mom's
constituency to express their feelings. Thank you.
I'm sure I have forgotten to mention many names so
please forgive me and accept my thanks on behalf of my
family for your love, kindness and compassion.
Wanda Levatter. Good afternoon, my name is Wanda Chappell-
Levatter. I am D. Marie Chappell-Battle's eldest child,
and I am also the eldest child of the family's baby boomer
generation. Upon being informed of my aunt's death, I was
also told that she wanted me to speak. My Aunt Juanita
honors me here today. It is both a privilege and an honor
for me to represent all of her nieces and nephews.
The core family name is Millender, but we along with our
cousins carry many different last names such as McDonald,
Chappell, Mathews, Levatter, Brown, Thomas, Dortch,
Freeman, etc. So many last names that I can't list them
all.
Our names are from all over the world--Dutch, French,
Russian, English, etc. Names that point to our slave
heritage as well as our ancestors' legacies. I am saying
this all to acknowledge the fact that Juanita Millender-
McDonald's name was unusual from the start. When she was
born she was a star! She was given a Spanish first name--
Juanita. Millender is a name of Dutch descent. And
McDonald, her married name, is a Scottish surname.
How apropos is it that Juanita, born a black Southern
female, had names from everywhere. But be assured that she
summed her name up by being an American. A great, all-
American woman. A leader in her neighborhood, her
community, the State of California, and our great country.
Yes, a leader, but first a leader in our American family.
Aunt Juanita loved her family--Uncle James, Val, Angie,
Sherrie, Chris, Keith, her son-in-law, Juan, and her
beloved daughter-in-law Lori. When the grandchildren,
Ayanna, Myles, Ramia and Blair came along, she was
ecstatic and the quintessential, doting grandmother.
She loved her older siblings, D. Marie, Nora, Shelly Jr.
(Buddy), and Harvey. Being only 3 years old when her
mother passed away, Juanita was raised by her older
siblings and their dad who remained a widower until his
death in the 1980s.
In the same loving manner, she instinctively loved each
and every one of her nieces and nephews, along with a
multitude of cousins, many of whom are here today from all
over the Nation. Speaking for 14 nieces and nephews, 11
grandnieces and nephews, and 1 great-grandnephew, Baby
Charles, is virtually an impossible task.
I did gather some information from a few of my
relations, but decided otherwise. Since I have known my
aunt the longest--she was a pre-teenager when I was born--
I decided to keep it simple. I give you my impressions and
the memories she has left me.
Maya Angelou wrote, ``Love life, engage in it, give it
all you got! Love it with a passion, because life truly
does give back, many times over what you put into it!''
Juanita was all of that and more. She was ferocious if
someone was unfair to an individual. She spoke up, and let
you know what was on her mind. She did not let people get
away with anything. She championed children, women, men,
minorities, the handicapped, the disenfranchised, etc. Her
voice rang out in the State legislature and in the House
of Congress for fairness, decency, and compassion for
those less fortunate.
Juanita was eloquent, dignified, witty, clever, and very
strong-willed. Even the illness that she eventually
succumbed to had a formidable battle on its hands. She was
determined to fight it until the end. And she did. She
literally worked until just days before her death.
My impressions? They are simple compared to her great
accomplishments, but nevertheless, they are mine.
I loved the way when she heard something funny how she
would chuckle at first and would eventually laugh out
loud, clap her hands and reply with either, ``that's a
good one'' or ``child, please!''
I loved how when she was a teenager she loved to drink
RC Cola--Royal Crown Cola--a habit that must have
disappeared in her twenties, but something I remember
about her with endearment. I thought it was so cool!
I loved the way she would wave at me when we both went
to Holy Family in Birmingham. I was in kindergarten, and
she was in high school. I'd only see her on rainy days
when the whole school was in the big gymnasium. I loved
getting her attention.
I loved watching ``American Bandstand'' with her when it
originated from Philadelphia and learning how to do the
stroll, the cha-cha-cha, the mashed potato, and the twist
from her.
I loved the way she said, ``Daddy'' when referring to my
grandfather. I loved that she married in this church and
remained a member throughout her life.
I loved how she engaged my brother, James, a special
needs child and/or others who were challenged. She never
forgot their limitations, but recognized the goodness and
strengths of each of them.
I loved how she calmed me down at my wedding when the
florist arrived late. She was loving, patient, and very
sensible.
I loved the way she embraced my husband and other in-
laws as they married into the family. I loved the more
than 50 Thanksgiving meals in which everyone partook in
both family games and passionate and very heated political
debates. When we left those events, we were all stirred
up, shook up, and overly stimulated.
I loved being a witness to her and her two sisters, D.
Marie and Nora. They were the mighty three, the formidable
trio, the matriarchs of the family--the Millender sisters.
When they were involved in anything--step back, keep your
mouth shut, and get out of the way! They took no
prisoners. They were on a mission to change the world.
Even I, the first born, never encroached upon that holy
order. I knew my place. And I stood back in awe.
I loved how my aunt took me out on my 21st birthday to
the ``space'' restaurant at LAX. I enjoyed my first adult
fine dining experience there with Juanita. Despite my
natural inclination to just order a hamburger and to be a
kid, she told me that I was older now and needed to know
the ways of the world.
Upon her insistence, I had my first drink, a daiquiri. I
also enjoyed the first and the only time I ever tasted
filet mignon. I remember it because it tasted like butter.
Juanita laughed about it years later because within a few
weeks of that meal, I became a lifelong vegetarian. But
boy do I remember that meal! It was special! One of the
few times I was with her by myself.
It was obvious that she was preparing me for adulthood.
She never said what I should or should not do, but I knew
what was expected of me. I was expected to work hard, to
be self-sufficient, intelligent, informed, witty,
charming, and above all, polite.
Last, I loved how she died on her own terms, at her
home, in her own bed. Juanita, Maya Angelou's words really
do sum up the life you lived. You loved life, engaged in
it with a passion and in every way you gave it all you had
to give. Life in turn, gave back to you many times over
what you put into it. I love you, we love you, and I will
now take the liberty to call you by the name that only
your brothers and sisters, Yolanda, LaMont and myself were
allowed to call you. Our words of endearment, Baby Sister.
Hon. Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the House. On behalf of all
Members of Congress, I rise to pay tribute to Chairwoman
Juanita Millender-McDonald, who passed away Saturday
night. I offer the deepest sympathies to her family who
loved her so dearly--her husband, James McDonald, Jr., her
five children, and her five grandchildren.
As the first African American woman to chair a committee
in Congress, Juanita Millender-McDonald was a trailblazer,
always advocating for the full participation of all
Americans in the success and prosperity of our country.
She was a strong defender of the right of every eligible
voter to have full access to the polls, and a tireless
proponent of fair elections that ensured that every vote
would be counted.
As chair of the House Administration Committee,
Chairwoman Millender-McDonald's deep commitment to
diversity was manifested in her actions on hiring and
contracting within the House of Representatives. She
enjoyed her role as the ``mayor'' of Capitol Hill, and was
known for asking tourists in elevators ``are you finding
everything OK?'' and listening closely to their response.
After her family, the people of California's 37th
District were always first and foremost in Chairwoman
Millender-McDonald's mind and her work here in Congress.
She saw it as a priority to make sure they had every
opportunity. She worked to strengthen the economy and
create jobs there, and she saw it as a priority to secure
the two ports adjacent to her district.
Chairwoman Millender-McDonald was an advocate for
justice around the world. She spoke out forcefully against
the genocide in Darfur, and was a powerful advocate for
the rights of women everywhere. As a former co-chairwoman
of the Congressional Caucus for Women's Issues, she worked
for gender equity here at home and throughout the world.
The loss of Chairwoman Juanita Millender-McDonald is a
personal one for many of us here. She was always
optimistic and determined to make a difference. The
dignity with which she faced her illness was an indication
of the determination with which she always served the
people of our country. We have all lost an effective
leader and spokeswoman, and many of us have lost a dear
friend.
When we look around this Chamber, it's almost impossible
to imagine it without Juanita here fighting the fight, and
doing so looking magnificent. The dignity, the grace, the
beauty, the thoughtfulness that she brought to the tasks
at hand were a model for others. Young people would come
to the Capitol and observe her in action and learn from
her.
We also learned from her how to have dignity at the end
of life. Many of us knew that she had had bouts of
illness, but we really didn't know how serious it was and
how close she was to what she said, her daughter told me,
``going home.'' Valerie said to me last night, she said,
``I want to make all these arrangements so that I can go
home.''
I hope it is a comfort to Chairwoman Juanita Millender-
McDonald's family and friends that so many people mourn
their loss and are praying for them at this sad time. Many
of us will travel to California to say goodbye to Juanita,
to speak to her in that familiar way.
It's been an honor to call her colleague--I know we all
agree on that. And for many of us it was a privilege also
to call her friend.
Goodbye, my friend.
Hon. Carolyn Kilpatrick, Congresswoman. On behalf of the
entire body of the Congressional Black Caucus, we wish to
extend our sincerest condolences to the family of
Congresswoman Juanita Millender-McDonald. Juanita was not
only our colleague, but she was also a woman of supreme
character, a devoted leader, and a dear friend.
History will record her as the first African American
woman to chair a full committee in the U.S. House of
Representatives; our hearts will revere her as a fearless
leader who vowed to enhance our local and global
communities through tireless service and timely advocacy.
Most were unaware of Congresswoman McDonald's stellar
background. A portrait of her life includes a gallery of
groundbreaking distinctions, including being the first
African American woman to serve on the Carson City
Council; the first African American woman to render the
national Democratic response to President Bush's weekly
radio address; the first to be named honorary curator of
the Museum of Latin American Art in Long Beach; and the
first Democratic chair of the Congressional Caucus for
Women's Issues. Undoubtedly, serving in the U.S. House of
Representatives was the right stage for this shining star.
Congresswoman Juanita Millender-McDonald will be sorely
missed. Her lasting commitment to making America honor its
promise will remain unbridled. The CBC will continue to
carry on the work of Congresswoman McDonald as we change
course, confront crises, and continue the legacy.
Jimmie Lee Solomon, MLB Executive Vice President, Baseball
Operations. To the family, colleagues, and friends of
Congresswoman Juanita Millender-McDonald, I am deeply
honored to be here today to add my voice to those mourning
her loss, celebrating her memory, and recognizing her
outstanding legacy of service.
When I was asked to speak, I must admit that I wondered
initially if I was qualified to do so, especially in the
company of so many who had known her so much better. And
so much longer.
However, as I reflected on the impact of my experience
with Congresswoman Millender-McDonald, I knew that I had
to be here.
It was important to share with you personally yet
another dimension of her passionate commitment, and
tireless dedication to making a difference for her
district and its young people--all qualities that I came
to know firsthand.
In late February 2006, it was my privilege to introduce
the Congresswoman at the opening of major league
baseball's first urban youth academy on the campus of
Compton Community College. From the outset of my career in
major league baseball, it had been my dream to bring to
America's inner-city communities a state-of-the-art
facility where disadvantaged minority youth could not only
learn to play baseball, but receive exposure and training
for career opportunities both on and off the field.
And no one outside the major league baseball family was
a more effective ally in transforming this ambitious dream
into a bricks-and-mortar reality than Juanita Millender-
McDonald.
When the Congresswoman first heard that we were looking
at the Los Angeles area as a site for the academy, she
approached me about considering Compton. Well, we came, we
saw. And we were conquered by an extraordinary ambassador
for California's 37th District.
The Congresswoman's enthusiasm and optimism about the
area's potential redefined ``straight outta Compton'' into
a badge of district pride. And now it has become a
tremendous source of pride for major league baseball as
well.
I don't know whether she fully embraced our vision of
what the academy could mean to Compton's at-risk youth
because of her years as a teacher, her work as a community
activist, or simply her personal sensitivities as a mother
and grandmother. But what we do know is that she ``got
it'' and consistently lent her unwavering support and
political savvy to facilitate the project, even as
obstacles emerged along the way.
It was during those times that we saw the full measure
of a woman who parted the waters for us without getting a
drop on her elegant attire, a lioness who never lost any
of her Southern-bred charm and graciousness in the heat of
the fray. And we will never forget her efforts on our
behalf.
To that end, I am pleased to announce that on August
9th of this year, major league baseball will dedicate the
entire plaza concourse at the Compton Academy to
Congresswoman Juanita Millender-McDonald, with the
installation of a bronze plaque inscribed to a woman who
may well be considered ``the Godmother of the Academy.''
The plaque will be positioned at a vista where it can
easily be seen and read by each person who enters so that
all may know that this facility would not have been
possible without her strategic assistance.
As I contemplate the passing of this remarkable woman, I
am reminded of a father who had two sons--one named Life
and the other named Death. Life was an active child full
of energy and abundance. He would put the mementos of
everything he did in a box he kept under his bed. In that
box were pictures, stories, souvenirs--anything that
served as a reminder of what he had done that day. Life
was a wonderful child who brought his father great joy.
Now Death was just the opposite. Death was mischievous
and always up to something disruptive that would get
attention. Death would steal, openly cheat, and take
advantage of anyone around him. Death wanted and created
chaos wherever he went.
One day Life returned from his day's activities, went
into his room and looked under his bed, but his box was
gone! Life was hysterical and cried uncontrollably.
When the father heard the commotion, he came into the
room and asked Life what was wrong. Life sobbed, ``My box
and all the things I collected are gone!''
The father said, ``Life, I have known you and your
brother all of your lives. And I have been keeping my eye
on that conniving Death. Yesterday, he took your box. But
I had been watching him, so before he did that, I took all
your things and set them aside in my room. So when Death
came, all he got was an empty box.''
Our Father, God, is much like the father in the story.
He has known Juanita Millender-McDonald, and the great
works she did to fulfill his plans for her life and all of
us here today. Each in our own way are indeed testaments
and memoirs of the life she lived.
So when death came to her home in Carson on April 22,
her spirit had already soared to join her Heavenly Father
in a joyous homecoming. And all he got was an empty box.
Thank you.
Hon. Diane E. Watson, Congresswoman. Congresswoman Juanita
Millender-McDonald left a legacy of dedicated service to
her constituents, colleagues, and people of the United
States. As the historic first African American female to
chair a committee of the House of Representatives, Juanita
used her position as chairwoman of the House
Administration Committee to correct oversights from the
past and initiate new programs. She established a lasting
legacy through her many good works. I salute Juanita in
spirit as I did in life.
The Juanita I Knew
By Congresswoman Diane E. Watson
A stylish lady with a soft touch and with might . . .
Who in every instant revealed an intelligent insight;
Raised in a family where character was built
By a father who knew where her future would tilt;
She stayed true to her values with tolerance and grace
And modeled strict principles for all to embrace;
To honor her father she would carry his name
In the middle of her signature to much acclaim;
A lady whose hard work truly reflected a family
Upbringing where much was expected;
Juanita took on her new chairmanship with all great vigor
And made much progress in spite of the rigor;
Few had known that her time would be short;
But she took on the responsibility without even a thought;
She left life on her own terms;
From her stoic behavior we can all learn for God only
knows
When the clock is to be set;
But we now know that Juanita has been sent to her final
rest;
So sleep on Juanita, we'll remember you with love.
David Crippens, Chair, Trustee Board, Second Baptist
Church. Our prayers and love go out to the husband, James;
to the children, Angela, James Jr., Keith, Chris,
Sherryll, and Valerie; to the grandchildren; to her
sisters, Dr. D. Marie Millender-Battle, and Ms. Nora
Millender-Matthews; and to the extended family.
Congresswoman McDonald, or if you will permit me,
Juanita, was a true sister of the members of this
congregation and a true daughter of Second Baptist Church.
She represented to the community what this church has been
about for 122 years!
Second was established to be a spiritual home to the
church members. And throughout its history, Second has
always reached out to be of service to the broader
community.
As a member of our trustee board, Juanita was involved
in one of the most momentous decisions that this church
has ever made: the decision to stay and serve this
neighborhood. The trustee board, with the congregation's
approval, voted to preserve and restore this 81-year-old
historic structure. This work will commence this summer.
In so doing, we honor the legacy of the visionary
people who founded the church, and we look forward to the
bright future of Los Angeles.
Juanita used her vision, her character, and her great
strength as a leader to contribute mightily to the same
bright future.
On a personal note, Juanita was the one who brought my
wife and me to this marvelous congregation some 18 years
ago. She expected me to get involved. She always held me
accountable for that involvement. I can hear her say,
``Now, David.''
The congregation voted to honor her legacy to the
trustee board and to the church by naming her trustee
emeritus. This is no small accolade for a person who lived
life to the fullest. She expected the same of others: not
to see obstacles but to search out the possibilities.
Juanita's life was like a stone thrown into a pond. The
splash makes ripples in the form of circles, radiating out
from the center. All of us here today are part of those
ever-widening circles of her influence.
Congresswoman Juanita Millender-McDonald's time on this
Earth truly personified Pastor Epps' words to those who
join this congregation: ``Service is the price you pay for
the space you occupy.''
William S. Epps, Pastor. Death like a thief in the night
came and took the life of one we have known. Unaware of
the extent of the challenges she was facing with her
health, those who heard the news were in shock. The public
would later come to know what the family already knew;
Juanita was in a fight for her life in which she would
fall as a victim. She bravely accepted what she could not
change and faced the outcome of her inevitable demise
courageously. She eased out of time quietly leaving behind
a trail that traces the steps her life tells.
Juanita Millender was born on September 7, 1938. She
exited this ephemeral reality on April 21, 2007. She lived
to be 68 years, 7 months and 14 days. That translates into
25,063 days, 3,580 weeks and 823 months. The name Juanita
from the Hebrew origin means gift of God or God has been
gracious and from the Spanish origin it means God's gift
or God has been gracious. As we come to commemorate the
life and celebrate the legacy of Juanita Millender-
McDonald I want to use as our focus God has been gracious.
We are thankful for God's gift to us in, through, and with
Juanita Millender-McDonald. I just want to talk to you
about what Juanita was as an expression of God's
graciousness.
Saint Iranaeus, that second century theologian, who
helped to shape the early development of Christian
theology and direct the course of the church's beliefs, is
credited with a statement that has lingered in the hearts
of many about how faith finds expression. His work
continues to inform modern scholarship about the priceless
and timeless contribution of the thinking of his day. He
is credited with the saying ``the glory of God is a human
fully alive.'' God wants people who are fully alive, not
people who cower in fear but people who are not afraid to
live to the fullest and make the most out of life. After
all God made us to live life fully and abundantly.
Juanita was a human being fully alive and therefore the
glory of the Lord was revealed and seen in her as God's
gift--the expression of God's graciousness. She was the
quintessential woman for Juanita epitomized what it meant
to be a human who lived life fully. She embodied the
characteristics of womanhood in all of their fullness. She
did not sacrifice any aspect of what it meant to be a
woman. She started as a daughter, the youngest of five
siblings, became a young lady, a wife, a mother, an aunt,
a grandmother, an educator, a legislator at the municipal,
State and Federal levels, a consummate stateswoman, an
advocate for the poor and disenfranchised, a lady of
exceptional and rare grace, poise, and dignity. You can
truly say of Juanita that she is often imitated but never
duplicated. She was truly one of a kind.
There is a person from the pages of sacred writ who
comes to mind when I consider the gift we have had as an
expression of God's graciousness in Juanita. In Judges,
chapter 4 and verse 4, it says, ``at that time Deborah, a
prophetess, wife of Lappidoth, was judging Israel.'' Let
me paraphrase it to read, at that time Juanita, God's
gift, an expression of God's graciousness, the wife of
James, the mother of Sherryll, Valerie, Angela, Chris, and
Keith was in the legislature.
Juanita was a present-day Deborah. We are simply told a
few things about Deborah that frames the picture I want to
paint for you on this occasion of our friend. We are told
that Deborah was a prophetess, the wife of Lappidoth and a
judge in Israel. Deborah was a prophetess. She is
described by the faith that shapes her life. A prophetess
in that day was a person who was in touch with the reality
of the Spirit of God to the extent that others recognized
that there was something special about her. Her ability,
capacity, honesty, and judgment were trusted. What she
said carried weight and meant something. She was authentic
and real and people believed in her. When she appeared
people recognized her. When she stood her appearance was
commanding. When she spoke people listened. She was a rare
and exceptional breed indeed.
Juanita was a person of faith. Her faith was the driving
and motivating force behind her life. She was the great-
granddaughter and granddaughter of A.M.E. ministers and
the daughter of a Baptist minister. Her life's course was
determined by the faith that shaped her and all that she
did, and became. Her faith informed her identity. Her
faith provided the lens through which she interpreted
information/reality. Her faith assisted her in integrating
her insights. Her faith inspired her involvement. ``She
spoke up for those who could not speak for themselves, for
the rights of all who are destitute'' (Proverbs 31:8). It
was her faith that was the catalyst that propelled her to
reach to do what she did because her faith became a
mandate for her in the words of Jim Wallis, ``to change
the wind.'' Can you do it, I don't know, but I have to
try. Will you make it, I am not sure, but I have to try.
What if it doesn't work, all I know is in the words of the
poet, ``I have to fill the unforgiving minute with sixty
seconds worth of distant run.'' I have to do what I can.
Deborah was the wife of Lappidoth. She is described by
the relationship she had chosen by which she would be
identified. Her relationship with her husband was one of
the defining aspects of her life by which she was
remembered.
Juanita was the wife of James. She was a person for whom
family was important. She did not live in isolation with a
singularity of focus but chose to recognize the
multiplicity of life's emphases. Relationships are a part
of life. Our lives are described by our relationships.
Juanita was the wife of James. She was proud to be James'
wife with all of the benefits that it afforded her. She
had the security of a warm, loving environment where she
could conceive and rear five children in the confines of a
home where she was accepted, admired, and appreciated. As
James' wife she became the mother of Sherryll, Angela,
Valerie, Christopher and Keith in a relationship of trust
of faith that actualizes itself in the symbolic of
becoming no more twain but one flesh. She was the wife of
James. She was her parents' daughter, her siblings'
sister, her students' teacher, her staff's manager, her
constituents' representative, her colleagues' co-worker,
her friends' friend, her children's parent and her
husband's wife. Her life was described by her
relationships and her relationships were defined by her
faith.
Finally, Deborah was a judge in Israel. Deborah was one
of the early charismatic leaders of ancient Israel. She
was among a small group of persons whose contributions are
recorded in the seventh book of the Bible called Judges.
She was the only one of her kind in the list as the others
were men. It has been said that the best man for the job
is a woman. Deborah was an outstanding person, able to
arouse the scattered tribes of Israel to a sense of unity
and loyalty to God in their early struggles against the
Canaanites. This sense of unity was of critical importance
for the establishment and continuing life of the nation of
Israel.
Juanita was a legislator at every level of government.
She served as a member of the Carson City Council and
mayor pro tempore. She served in the State Legislature of
the State of California for two consecutive terms chairing
the California State Assembly Committees on Insurance and
Revenue and Taxation. She served in the U.S. Congress,
being named most recently as the chairwoman of the House
Committee on Administration by Speaker of the House Nancy
Pelosi, becoming the first African American woman to chair
a full House committee.
She is among an elite group. You can count the African
American women in the Congress of the United States (10 in
number, now minus 1). They have emerged against the odds
to shape the policies of a Nation that is still struggling
with equality for all of its citizens. They are the last
hope that we will continue to move forward and not retreat
to the days of yesteryear when discrimination was
acceptable.
Juanita was a heroine of human rights (a feminist).
Unfortunately, in politically conservative circles any
reference to feminist or feminism is taboo. The term with
what it represents let it be told is the reason for the
decline in the family, morals, and values of the
contemporary society. You are aware that the term simply
means that you advocate for the equal rights, political
and social, for women and everybody who is
disenfranchised. A friend of mine, a feminist by the way,
told me that the first feminist she ever met was her dad.
I hope you get the point. A woman does not have to
sacrifice being feminine to be a female. She can be like
Deborah in a man's world, a judge exercising discretion in
delicate matters, prudence in perplexing situations and
wisdom in the most extreme of circumstances.
Well, let me close. I just want to close with what is
part of the faith tradition of which Juanita was a part;
the tradition that shaped her understanding and guided her
life of faith, her family life and her professional life.
She was a Christian. That shaped how she lived her life
and how she faced her death. She faced death courageously
like one who in the words of the poet could ``wrap the
drapery of her couch about her and lie down to pleasant
dreams.'' She could say ``Death, be not proud.'' You have
not won a victory. You have merely opened a door through
which I have passed. You are potent but not omnipotent.
There are some things you cannot do. We have that saying
around here. We know that death is limited. There are some
things that death cannot do. Death cannot cancel the
contribution that a person makes in a lifetime nor limit
the length of the legacy that a loved one leaves behind.
Death cannot erase the experience we hold dear nor mar the
memories that we keep near.
Death and life had a meeting at a place shaped like a
skull-shaped hill called Golgotha, known as Calvary. It
was there that an innocent person was murdered. The state
and people of faith formed what could be nothing less than
an unholy alliance because they were threatened by the
activity and growing popularity of an itinerant preacher
named Jesus. Surreptitiously they planned how they could
prevent the progress they saw being made. They wanted to
retard the influence that Jesus had garnered by virtue of
who he was and what he did. They made up charges and had a
fabricated trial. They convicted an innocent man on
trumped up charges in a kangaroo style court. After
convicting him falsely, they mocked him, scourged him and
put him to death on a cross. Preachers of another time
would say, ``they hung him high and stretched him wide and
out there he died.'' Those who came to that sight could
not do anything but show up and watch. They stood on the
periphery of the place where the awful spectacle occurred
and shook their heads and shed their tears. After he died,
Joseph of Arimathea went to Pilate to ask for the body of
Jesus. Then he took his body and wrapped it in a linen
cloth and laid it in a rock-hewn tomb. That is what you do
when you can't do anything. You accept graciously the
privilege to pay a tribute of respect to a life well
spent. You adhere to the custom of your community, the
ritual of your religion and the tradition of your tribe.
The women who had come with him from Gallilee followed,
and they saw the tomb and how the body was laid. Then they
returned and prepared spices and ointments.
They waited Friday, and Saturday. Early on Sunday
morning while it was yet dark, the women who had prepared
their spices and ointments threaded their way through the
darkened streets of a sleeping city to the tomb where
Jesus had been buried. When they got there they found that
the stone had been rolled away and Jesus was not there. An
angelic announcement informed them about what had
happened. Jesus was raised from the dead with all power in
Heaven and in Earth in his hand. Thus, the composer says,
``Death where is your sting? Sting where is your grave?
Grave where is your victory?'' He got up. God raised him
up. He got up with all power in his hand.
In Christ, God changed death from a period to a comma,
the grave from a terminal point to a thoroughfare that
leads to eternal life. So when we lay down for death's
long sleep we simply move beyond the boundaries of time
and space down the corridors of infinity to be with God in
eternity.
So we say sleep on Juanita, we will see you in the
morning. There is a morning coming unlike any we have seen
before. It will be like the first morning when God brooded
over a wide abyss of nothingness and by the sheer essence
of God's presence called a moratorium on nothing and
declared that something would be the order of the day. In
that morning the clouds will roll back as a scroll, Jesus
will descend in the middle of the air, summoning the earth
and sea to give up their dead. All who sleep in him will
be given bodies like Jesus' own glorious body. Then we are
told that the last enemy to be destroyed is death. Death
will be summoned. Imagine the demise of death. The one who
has caused so many to sorrow will meet with the ultimate
end that has been the bane of our existence. Death will be
no more. Then we will all form a long and lordly train and
proceed down the corridors of infinity to a grand
coronation.
One composer says:
When I get home, how happy I will be.
When I get home my Savior's face I'll see.
When I get home, I never more shall more roam.
You know bells will be ringing and saints will be singing
when I get home.
I'll greet my friends and loved ones and all who have gone
before.
Put on my golden slippers and walk the streets of gold.
I will join the choir of angels praising the Father and
the Son.
You are talking about a glorious meeting loved ones
greeting when I get home.
You are talking about joy; oh what joy, when we all get
home to glory.
We will rest beneath a sun lit sky.
In that land, in that land, we shall sing and never die.
We will sing hallelujah; shout hallelujah, bye and bye.
Sleep on Juanita we will see you in the morning. There
is more to life than we can see and still more existence
that is yet to be.
[GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] TONGRESS.#15
[GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] T4800.002
A Celebration of the Life of
The Honorable
Juanita Millender-McDonald
California's 37th District
September 7, 1938-April 21, 2007
United States Capitol
Statuary Hall
Thursday, May 17, 2007
10:00 a.m.
``It is imperative that we continue to speak out for
positive change. As women our voices and initiatives will
enable us to achieve the lives we want--and deserve.''
--Representative Juanita Millender-McDonald
Program
Prelude
United States Army String Quartet
Master of Ceremonies
The Honorable Diane E. Watson
United States House of Representatives
Opening Prayer
The Honorable Emanuel Cleaver
United States House of Representatives
Reading
Proverbs 31:8-11 and I Corinthians 15:10
The Honorable Sheila Jackson-Lee
United States House of Representatives
Tributes
Ms. Barbara A. McKinzie
International President, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority,
Incorporated
The Honorable Carolyn C. Kilpatrick
United States House of Representatives
Congressional Black Caucus Chairwoman
The Honorable David E. Dreier
United States House of Representatives
Musical Selection
``Precious Lord''
Officer Melissa A. Recchiuti
United States Capitol Police
Family Reflection
Ms. Valerie J. McDonald
Tributes
The Honorable James E. Clyburn
Majority Whip of the United States House of
Representatives
The Honorable Steny Hoyer
Majority Leader of the United States House of
Representatives
The Honorable Nancy Pelosi
Speaker of the United States House of Representatives
Benediction
The Reverend Daniel P. Coughlin
Chaplain of the United States House of Representatives
Barbara A. McKinzie. Good morning to our honored Members
of Congress, family of our beloved soror, and others
assembled:
To the family, we grieve with you in the loss of one so
special. We are gathered here in white as a symbol of our
Ivy Beyond the Wall memorial service. Servant leadership
is the journey of choice of each and every Alpha Kappa
Alpha woman. Some of us are blessed to reach heights that
others only dream of and certainly, our soror, Juanita,
was truly a blessed servant leader. She was a light of
grace, dignity, and hope. Let us honor her memory by being
lights of grace, dignity, and hope and thereby never
forgetting her contributions.
In Alpha Kappa Alpha we have a tradition of saying,
``For if I've been an AKA, life owes me naught, I've lived
my day.'' Our prayers and thoughts will be with the family
in their grief.
Carolyn C. Kilpatrick. To our sister, the queen, the
leader, the dignified, the courageous: we promise to you
we will never let you down. We promise to you we will
continue to build the kingdom that God asked us to build
as we walk the halls of Congress. We say to you our
sister, rest in peace. We shall continue to lift up our
mighty race, and we will, in Godspeed, take you with us
always.
On behalf of the entire body of the Congressional Black
Caucus, we wish to extend our sincerest condolences to the
family of Congresswoman Juanita Millender-McDonald.
Juanita was not only our colleague, but she was also a
woman of supreme character, a devoted leader, and a dear
friend.
History will record her as the first African American
woman to chair a full committee in the U.S. House of
Representatives; our hearts will revere her as a fearless
leader who vowed to enhance our local and global
communities through tireless service and timely advocacy.
Most were unaware of Congresswoman Millender-McDonald's
stellar background. A portrait of her life includes a
gallery of groundbreaking distinctions, including being
the first African American woman to serve on the Carson
City Council; the first African American woman to render
the national Democratic response to President Bush's
weekly radio address; the first to be named honorary
curator of the Museum of Latin American Art in Long Beach;
and the first Democratic chair of the Congressional Caucus
for Women's Issues. Undoubtedly, serving in the U.S. House
of Representatives was the right stage for this shining
star.
Congresswoman Juanita Millender-McDonald will be sorely
missed. Her lasting commitment to making America honor its
promise will remain unbridled. The CBC will continue to
carry on the work of Congresswoman Millender-McDonald as
we change course, confront crises, and continue the
legacy.
David E. Dreier. This is a very sad occasion for me
personally. Juanita Millender-McDonald was both my friend
and my neighbor. We were next-door neighbors here in
Washington, DC, and we had neighboring districts in
Southern California.
In fact, in Juanita's first re-election, there was a mix
up of sample ballots in our two districts. Several of my
precincts got ballots with Juanita's name on them, and
several of her precincts got ballots with my name on them.
I was very concerned Juanita was going to win both
districts.
Juanita, as we all remember, would call everyone
``babe.'' I always thought she just didn't know my name .
. . until she needed an amendment, and then it was
``Dreier, I need a rule.''
As we worked together over the years on a number of
issues of importance to Southern California, I grew to
have a great deal of respect for her as a trailblazer on
so many issues. One issue that I know she was very proud
to champion was the Alameda Corridor Project.
As a senior Democrat on the House Transportation and
Infrastructure Committee, Juanita championed this critical
project with great enthusiasm, and worked tirelessly in a
bipartisan way--always willing to share credit in order to
help accomplish what needed to be done. Becoming the first
woman to ever chair the Committee on House Administration
was the culmination of a career marked by commitment and
leadership.
She was a very proud alumna of the University of
Redlands. She went to the University at age 40 and got her
degree. I have tremendous admiration for the tenacity that
drove her to obtain her degree at mid-life, and pursue a
very distinguished career in public service. Many of us
have commented on what a shock her passing was. We all
knew that Juanita was not well, but very few knew the
seriousness of her illness. Her ability to carry on and
persevere for so long through such adversity is a
testament to her strength and dedication to her
constituents.
Her passing is a tremendous loss to my State of
California and to this institution. I will miss my
neighbor.
James E. Clyburn. Congresswoman Juanita Millender-McDonald
was known for her spirit and commitment to this body
through her work as chairwoman of the House Administration
Committee, the Transportation and Infrastructure
Committee, the Congressional Black Caucus and the
Congressional Caucus for Women's Issues among other
groups. She was highly regarded for her work to correct
voting irregularities and voter disenfranchisement, ending
human trafficking, defending women's rights across the
globe, and stopping genocide in Cambodia, Darfur, and
other countries where human rights are threatened.
She was a dear friend with whom I shared a love of
history and a passion for politics. We often reminisced
about our Southern roots and experiences as PKs
(preachers' kids). She will be sorely missed by our
Members and for me her death is a personal loss as well.
Our thoughts and prayers are with her family and friends
during this difficult time.
Steny Hoyer. Our friend and colleague, Congresswoman
Juanita Millender-McDonald, had a God-given gift for
public service. And in the words of Tennyson, she never
once let it ``rust unburnished, not to shine in use.''
Juanita personified what it means to serve others before
serving yourself.
Early in life, she chose to put the hopes and dreams of
her children before her own--working hard to ensure that
they would enjoy every opportunity she and her husband,
James, could provide.
And when her children were children no more, Juanita
turned her attention to her community--fighting injustice
and inequity, and working tirelessly on behalf of those
who had yet to realize the American dream.
Because Juanita understood that education was the key to
unlocking her budding potential as an agent for change and
social justice, she achieved something extraordinary by
returning to school in her forties and earning a
bachelor's degree from Redlands University and a master's
degree from California State University.
And once she had prepared herself for the challenges
ahead, she touched thousands of lives as a teacher in the
Los Angles Unified School District, the first African
American woman to serve on the Carson City Council, the
first African American woman to chair two committees in
the California State Assembly, and, eventually, the first
African American woman to chair a full committee in the
U.S. Congress.
To the people of California's 37th District--as well as
everyone who had the pleasure of knowing her during her
time in the People's House--Juanita was an inspiration--
someone who never allowed the conventions of the world
around her to dictate the role she would play.
She was a pioneer in every sense of the word. And she
will be deeply missed.
F. Scott Fitzgerald once defined America as a
``willingness of the heart.'' And Juanita Millender-
McDonald was a leader who understood precisely what
Fitzgerald was talking about. She was always willing to
give of herself for the benefit of others--and I am
eternally grateful for the opportunity to work so closely
with her for so many years.
Nancy Pelosi. Good morning. Thank you, Congresswoman
Watson, for bringing us together this morning so that we
once again can express our love and pay tribute to our
dear friend, our girlfriend, Juanita Millender-McDonald,
or as she liked to be called, Madam Chairwoman.
It is an honor to join all of you, so many of her
friends, her sorority sisters, James, Dr. Chappell, to you
and certainly to Valerie and to the wonderful family. Yes,
we loved seeing those children here in the Capitol. When
they weren't here she talked about them all the time. One
only had to visit her office to see as a mother, a
grandmother and a wife what was important to her.
I told my colleagues when we came back from the
funeral--the mayor of Los Angeles was there for the full 3
hours, the Speaker of the House, Willy Graham, the former
Speaker was there, representatives of every aspect of the
official religious community life of her district and our
State were there. But the greatest tribute of all was not
what was said by the elected officials. The most beautiful
tributes, of course, came from her children. But the
greatest tribute to me, as a grandmother, was that her
grandchildren cried at her funeral. It was so moving,
wasn't it, Valerie? We were all so touched. They accepted
the flag in her honor. Their tears were shed. You could
see their personal closeness to her.
As has been said, Juanita was raised in the segregated
South. Growing up, Juanita saw voting rights being denied
in Birmingham, AL. She blazed a trail to become the first
African American woman to chair a committee in the
Congress. It was historic, and it was on merits. We are
all very proud of her. In doing so, she brought us closer
to the ideal of equality that is America's heritage and
hope. She became one of our Nation's great champions so
that every vote counts and that every person who is
eligible to vote can vote. It was about the legitimacy of
our democracy, it was about the fairness of our system,
and it was about the respect that we all had for her.
It is fitting that we are gathered here in Statuary
Hall, and I just want to depart from what I've intended to
say because the spirit is moving me to a different
direction, Madam Chair. The chair of the Congressional
Black Caucus, Congresswoman Kilpatrick, always tells us to
speak where the spirit moves us; she always does. When I
was hearing the ``Beautiful Precious Lord'' song that was
sung so beautifully, all I could think of was that Juanita
is calling the Lord ``Precious'' right now, because she
called all of us ``Precious.'' She called the mayor of Los
Angeles ``Precious.'' She called Senator Boxer
``Precious.'' I don't know if she called Senator Feinstein
``Precious,'' but she may have. So I'm sure she's calling
the Lord ``Precious'' right up there.
But what I wanted to tell you was, and Mr. Clyburn and I
have discussed this, while we are in Statuary Hall, it is
appropriate that we are paying tribute to her here.
Valerie, she loved you so much. When President Lincoln
made his second Inaugural Address, which some considered
his greatest speech, it was the first time that blacks
came to an inauguration as free people, as a class and
met. Of course, it was the Emancipation Proclamation, and
then they came. For a couple of days before the
inauguration it was raining and storming, and the streets
were full of mud. Of course, they were dirt roads to begin
with, but they were full of mud, and it was a mess.
Washington was a mess. People sought shelter in the
Capitol when they came to attend the inauguration of
President Abraham Lincoln. And so the white folks who came
had on their foul weather gear. They just had on their
worst clothes, because it was such terrible weather, and
they didn't want to get their clothes dirty.
But the blacks who came, came in their Sunday finest.
They were dressed beautifully. So beautifully that, 160
years later, the author who wrote the book on Lincoln's
greatest speech commented that this was the remarkable
thing about Lincoln's second inaugural. He didn't live
much longer after his Inaugural Address, but what he saw
at his inaugural was black Americans coming as free people
dressed to the hilt. And Chairwoman Millender-McDonald
honored that tradition. It was right here in Statuary Hall
where people sought shelter and slept against these
columns. All of you in the sorority who honor that
tradition--and I see that you do--note that it has strong
roots in our democracy, in our having freedom extended to
people and being accepted with the greatest dignity. It
was with the greatest dignity that Chairwoman Millender-
McDonald served here.
She was the mayor of Capitol Hill, as mentioned by
Congresswoman Jackson-Lee. She went around talking to
everyone. She, of course, loved the people of her
congressional district. After her family and her faith,
they were her first priority. Millions of people around
the world have lost an advocate for justice. Juanita spoke
out forcefully against the genocide in Darfur and was a
powerful advocate for the rise of women everywhere.
We've talked about mayors and Senators and
Congresspeople and the rest. Three trainloads of Members
of Congress went to her funeral. That was recognized by
all who attended that beautiful tribute of love and
respect for her. I thought it was interesting that no
matter how exalted her friends were and all the tributes
she received from her former colleagues in the State
legislature, the mayor of Los Angeles, and others, this
tribute came from Albert Cary Caswell. He's a worker here
in the Capitol. When she died, he extended his sympathies,
and he said, ``I wrote a poem for Chairwoman Millender-
McDonald. I loved her.'' An ordinary worker in the
Capitol. While she was receiving tributes from Lorraine
Miller, the new Clerk at the House, who brought these
three trainloads of Members of Congress to her funeral, I
thought it was important for her friends there and here
today to hear from someone considered an ordinary worker
in the Capitol. Certainly not ordinary. He wrote a poem:
Black is beautiful,
And Juanita, so were you
A woman of character through and through
One of dignity, as are you
So dignified, who strived
Who so ever held her head up high so true
A freedom fighter who so fought for all
Who, like King and Parks, worked
For a far, far better world that they so saw
It's time to rest a fine lady our Nation blessed
And now an angel of our Lord
To fight the good fight as the shining light
And as an angel forevermore.
``An angel forevermore'': our precious Juanita
Millender-McDonald.
Daniel P. Coughlin. Almighty and merciful God, eternal
Shepherd of Your people, You are forever the just reward
for those who serve You faithfully and the consolation of
those who love sincerely, tender in moments of
understanding and strong when strength is needed.
Shower with consolation the family, constituents,
colleagues, staff and friends of Congresswoman Juanita
Millender-McDonald.
As love and justice have bound them together in this
life, may eternal hope and loving trust strengthen their
steps in the way of peace and draw all to Your everlasting
truth.
Almighty and merciful Lord, in this life as in every
life, attentive to Your Word, the Holy Scriptures are
fulfilled. Today we commend to You our sister, Juanita, in
the sure and certain hope that together with all who have
lived and died calling upon Your holy Name, she will live
with You and rise in glory on the last day.
We give you thanks for all the blessings which Your
Divine Providence bestowed upon Juanita in this life both
in family and service in the 37th District of California
and the Nation here in the House of Representatives.
These signs of goodness are a lasting memorial to her
legacy and a sign of our oneness in Your sight.
O Lord our God, Spirit dwelling in broken and healing
hearts, Your days are without end and Your mercies beyond
counting, keep us who remain here a little while longer
mindful that life is short. Help us to comfort one another
with assurances of faith. Guide our days on earth in the
ways of holiness and justice, that we may serve You
together and one day be reunited with our sister and with
You in the great and glorious marriage feast of the
Resurrected Lamb, our Lord and Savior.
Thank you for gathering here to celebrate the life and
memory of Juanita Millender-McDonald.
Let us go now in the peace of the Lord, for it is in
God we trust as we walk into the future.