[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 69 (Thursday, May 22, 1997)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1036-E1037]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         TRIBUTE TO AARON HENRY

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. SANDER M. LEVIN

                              of michigan

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, May 22, 1997

  Mr. LEVIN. Mr. Speaker, on, May 19 a wonderful human being and a 
truly great American passed away in Clarksdale, MS--Aaron Henry.
  I mention first his human qualities because of the unusual warmth of 
his personality and capacity for friendship. Had he only been a friend, 
as he was for so many of us from many walks of life, he would remain 
indelibly etched in our thoughts and memories. Of course, his life went 
far beyond private relationships and friendships. He dedicated so much 
of his time to the public arena, pursuing the American Dream of equal 
opportunity for all Americans.
  He started in this pursuit, in the Army during World War II where he 
fought for integration and next as he obtained a degree in pharmacy 
under the GI bill. He then set up shop on Fourth Street in Clarksdale, 
which became his source of livelihood and a major hub for those working 
with him to bring equal opportunity and justice to Mississippi. I first 
saw

[[Page E1037]]

Aaron Henry in action at the 1964 Democratic Convention. The Michigan 
delegation was seated near that of Mississippi, and we witnessed his 
valiant efforts with Fannie Lou Hamer and others to end segregation in 
the Democratic Party of his home State.
  He failed then, but never lost hope. A few years later I saw that 
first hand when I spent a week with Aaron Henry and his coworkers in 
Clarksdale in a project--the Mississippi-Michigan Alliance--which he 
and I had set up to obtain help in efforts to register voters in his 
hometown. It was a grassroot endeavor, succeeding in registering 
hundreds of new voters though failing to break down other barriers. 
There was an election held while I was there and I remember visiting 
one precinct where there were no minority voters and a minority 
candidate for the State legislature did not receive a single vote from 
that particular precinct. I had never before visited a precinct in a 
contested election where a unanimous vote had been cast for one of the 
candidates, whatever the nature of the contest.
  But though personally involved in the election, Aaron Henry refused 
to give up or lose hope. Indeed, one reason he was such a great 
American was because he believed America's greatness would ultimately 
lead to the realization of the dreams of all of its people. So I left 
Clarksdale a few pounds heavier from all of the ice cream consumed at 
the old-fashioned soda fountain in his Fourth Street Pharmacy but also 
many degrees uplifted by the spirit and determination of Aaron Henry. 
As we met and talked now and then over the years, none of this ever 
ebbed.
  Aaron Henry's death will be deeply mourned by the many of us 
privileged to be his friend and blessed by his example of fighting 
hard, with good will. Hopefully, his native State will mourn him across 
its cities and farms. He was born in its rural land, toiled in one of 
its important towns and journeyed it throughout, from border to border. 
His legacy is his hopefulness. The task now of his beloved State, of 
his beloved Nation and of all of us who loved him is to keep his faith 
and continue his battle.

                          ____________________