[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 136 (Monday, September 26, 1994)]
[Senate]
[Page S]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: September 26, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
                       TRIBUTE TO ROSE M. SANDERS

  Mr. HEFLIN. Mr. President, it is my pleasure to pay tribute today to 
Selma, AL attorney Rose M. Sanders upon the occasion of ``Rose Sanders 
Day'' to be held this Saturday, October 1, in Selma. Ms. Sanders is a 
community activist and leader, and she has consistently given 100 
percent of her energy, talents, and wisdom to her community and State 
over the years.
  Rose Sanders graduated summa cum laude from Johnson C. Smith 
University with a double major in political science and economics. She 
went on to graduate from Harvard Law School in 1969. That same year, 
she was awarded a Reginald Herbert Smith Fellowship award and assigned 
to the National Welfare Rights Organization and Columbia Center on 
Social Welfare Policy and Law. She has served as a partner with the law 
firm of Chestnut, Sanders, Sanders, and Pettaway since 1972, and is a 
past municipal judge of Union- town, AL. She was the first 
black female judge in the State of Alabama.
  One of the hallmarks of Rose Sander's career has been her work to 
better the lives of children and young people from disadvantaged 
backgrounds. She has conducted extensive research on the status of 
youth leadership development, and has served as president and volunteer 
director of the 21st Century Youth Leadership project and as a member 
of Central Alabama Youth Services. She was the founder of McRae 
Learning Center, a preschool successful in teaching children to read; 
Saturday University, an after-school tutorial set up to motivate youth; 
MOM's [Mothers of Many], an organization dedicated to uplifting 
children and low-income women; B.E.S.T. [Best Education Support Team], 
an organization of parents and students formed to end racial tracking 
in public education; and the Dare to Dream project, a project designed 
to prepare and encourage youth to attend college or trade school. She 
was the State youth coordinator for the Jesse Jackson for President 
Campaign.
  Rose Sanders has authored, directed, and presented 15 musicals on 
issues impacting African American youth and their communities. Her 
plays have been performed around the Nation at colleges, churches, 
festivals, community gatherings, and at the World's Fair in New 
Orleans. She has authored several articles on youth leadership and over 
100 musical compositions, 16 of which were performed by the Children of 
Selma for an album produced by Rounder Records. She has received the 
Gloria Steiner Award for Service to Youth and the Lewis Hines Child 
Labor Award.
  Incredibly, while Ms. Sanders has worked extensively on behalf of 
children, she has also managed to give great energy and leadership to 
the civil rights movement in a number of capacities. She has served as 
a cooperating attorney with the NAACP Legal Defense Fund; as president 
and volunteer director of the National Voting Rights Museum; and 
president of the Campaign for a New South. She has been recognized by 
the National Bar Association for her leadership on the cutting edge of 
law for civil, social, and economic justice and by the Bannerman 
Fellowship for her community activism.
  Attorney Sanders' special legal cases have included the successful 
representation of the Blackbelt Eight, a case involving voter fraud 
prosecution by the Federal Government and her achievement of a 
settlement in a title VII case that resulted in $1 million in grants to 
black colleges and the minority vendors program.
  Rose Sanders is truly an exceptional woman who has earned her day of 
recognition many times over. She is one of those rare individuals who 
give themselves fully not only to their professions, but to their 
communities as well. Her remarkable career and projects on behalf of 
youth and civil rights have provided her a vital role in ongoing 
efforts to secure social justice for all. I extend my congratulations 
to Ms. Sanders for her remarkable accomplishments, and my best wishes 
for a memorable Rose Sanders Day. I hope the people of her community 
and State enjoy the benefits of her services and talents for many years 
to come.

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