[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 120 (Friday, September 11, 1998)]
[House]
[Pages H7609-H7610]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
TRIBUTE TO CHARLES C. DIGGS
(Mr. STOKES asked and was given permission to address the House for 1
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
Mr. STOKES. Mr. Speaker, I rise to advise the House of the recent
passing of our former colleague and friend, former Congressman Charles
C. Diggs, Jr. Former Congressman Diggs passed on August 28, 1998.
Charlie Diggs was elected to the United States Congress from
Michigan's 13th Congressional District in 1954. He was Michigan's first
black Member of Congress.
During his Congressional career, he was one of the founding members
of the Congressional Black Caucus and served as the first chairman of
that group.
{time} 1215
He is also credited with establishing home rule for the District of
Columbia, as well as authoring legislation to create the University of
the District of Columbia.
Mr. Speaker, at the funeral services for Charlie Diggs, I was honored
to offer remarks on behalf of the Congressional Black Caucus. I want to
share my remarks and a copy of Charlie's obituary with his friends
across the Nation.
Charlie was a giant in the Black political history of America. We
extend our deepest sympathy to his wife, Darlene, and members of the
Diggs family. He will never be forgotten.
The materials referred to are as follows:
Remarks of the Honorable Louis Stokes, Member of Congress--a Special
Tribute to the Honorable Charles Diggs
Ebenezer A.M.E. Church, Fort Washington, MD, September 1, 1998
Darlene and members of the Diggs family. I speak here today
to pay tribute to a giant in the black political history of
America. I speak on behalf of the 39 black Members of
Congress who inherit his legacy. The entire Congressional
Black Caucus, chaired by Congresswoman Maxine Waters, liken
his passing to the falling of a giant oak in the forest.
Present today are Ms. Waters, Congressman Clay of Missouri,
Albert Wynn of Maryland, former Congresswoman Cardiss
Collins, and myself.
Long before many of us came to Congress, Charlie Diggs was
a legend to us. Both his father's and his own political
career had made the Diggs name a prominent family name among
blacks all over America. We, too, had taken pride in 1955 in
seeing this young State senator, join William L. Dawson and
Reverend Adam Clayton Powell, as Michigan's first black
Congressman. He hit the ground running in Congress and
quietly established his reputation as a fighter for civil and
human rights.
In the same year he was sworn in to Congress, Charlie
received national attention for monitoring the trial of two
white Mississippians accused of murdering Emmett Till.
Following the trial, he proposed that the representation in
Congress from Mississippi be reduced. He also called upon
President Eisenhower to call a special session of Congress to
consider civil rights issues.
Charlie endured fire bombings at homes he was staying in in
Selma and Mississippi while taking up the cause of tenants
being evicted from a slum. He investigated racial disputes at
a Job Corps camp and in the United States Army. In fact,
Congressman William Clay, who would not come to Congress
until 1969, was one who was affected by this. In his book
entitled, ``Just Permanent Interests,'' Clay first speaks of
``Diggs' long and glorious career,'' and then tells that ``In
late 1954, when I was a member of the Army Chemical Corps,
stationed at Fort McClellan, Alabama, I was prompted to call
upon him for assistance even before he was sworn into
Congress.''
Between 1955 and 1968 John Conyers, Robert Nix and Augustus
Hawkins had come to Congress. So, in 1969 when Bill Clay,
Shirley Chisholm and I came to Congress, for the first time
in history there were nine black Congresspersons. By 1971, we
had been joined by Charlie Rangel, Ron Dellums, Parren
Mitchell, George W. Collins and Ralph Metcalfe. This was the
beginning of the Congressional Black Caucus and we elected
Charlie Diggs as our first chairman.
Charlie's speech at our first Congressional Black Caucus
dinner in 1971 established the creed under which the
Congressional Black Caucus exists. He said, ``We meet to
assert the common bonds that unite men and women of all
races, creeds and generations who share a fierce
determination to liberate the legions of the oppressed. We
come together to arm and equip ourselves to fight more
effectively than ever before for those who are too seldom
victors, too often victims.''
Under Charlie's leadership, we became a formidable force in
the United States Congress. One of our finest hours was the
meeting with President Richard Nixon following our boycott of
him for neglecting the legitimate needs and rights of black
Americans. At this historic meeting, in his quiet, dignified
manner, Charlie Diggs told President Nixon. ``Our people are
no longer asking for equality as a rhetorical promise. They
are demanding from the national administration and from
elected officials without regard to party affiliation, the
only kind of equality that ultimately has any real meaning--
equality of results.''
President Nixon's failure to adhere to our demands forced
Charlie to make a dramatic and brilliant move. He appointed
the Diggs ``shadow cabinet'' which consisted of black
professionals who were experts in government, and whom
Charlie gave titles similar to that of each member of Nixon's
Cabinet. Whenever a Nixon Cabinet member presented an
administration policy or position, the Diggs ``cabinet''
counterpart would respond from the black perspective.
It was during this period of time that Vice President Spiro
T. Agnew, while traveling in Africa, verbally attacked
America's black leaders and the Congressional Black Caucus.
Under Charlie's leadership, the caucus responded on the floor
of the House. Charlie said, ``Although his statements are
very difficult to follow with any degree of logic, it is not
hard to understand that times and the people have indeed
passed him by--the matter of black leadership is not within
his province to decide.''
In two areas, Charlie's legislative accomplishments will
remain etched in history. Under his chairmanship of the House
District of Columbia Committee, home rule was established,
giving the District of Columbia the right to elect their own
mayor and city council for the first time in more than a
century. He also authored the legislation creating the
University of the District of Columbia. The other area was
his tenure as chairman of the Subcommittee on African
Affairs. He was acknowledged and respected by everyone as
Capitol Hill's foremost elected official on Africa. He was
loved all over Africa.
So, Charlie, we benefitted from your leadership, your
friendship, your letters, your phone calls and your visits.
You walked tall and quietly carried a big stick. Good night,
Dean. We'll miss you.
____
Obituary
Charles C. Diggs, Jr., State Senator, Congressman and
Mortician, was born December 2, 1922, and departed this life
August 24, 1998. He was the only child of the late Mayme E.
Jones Diggs and Charles C. Diggs, Sr. The Diggs Seniors were
Morticians, pioneers in business, public service and
community activists.
Charles C. Diggs, Jr. began his political career in 1951
when he was elected to the Michigan State Senate. The
youngest member of the Senate, he served a total of two
terms. During this tenure, he compiled a record that brought
the admiration of leaders throughout the state. An advocate
and firm supporter of social legislation, he did much to
assist Governor G. Mennen Williams promote a constructive
program of human relations for the state. He was instrumental
in pushing legislation through the Senate that brought about
good business and labor relations, compulsory school
attendance, and a re-evaluation of restrictions to age
limitations on voting.
[[Page H7610]]
In 1954, his popularity in his state as a leader led him on
to defeat the favored incumbent, George O'Brien. He then
became the Democratic candidate for Congress from the
Thirteenth District. Arriving in Washington as a federal
legislator, he found it relatively easy adjusting to what he
described as ``the way of life on Capitol Hill.'' He also
found time to utilize his literary skills, serving as radio
commentator on a program sponsored by the House of Diggs,
Inc., and their insurance company. He was the owner and
president of the House of Diggs, which was recognized as the
state's largest funeral home.
As a Congressman, he identified himself with the problems
of the Southern Blacks. This association resulted in his
being described as the ``Mississippi Congressman-at-large.''
In 1955, as a freshman Congressman, he was propelled across
the international scene by his attendance at the Emmit Till
murder trial in Mississippi, next to Issaquena County where
his father was born and grandfather, Reverend James J. Diggs,
founded the Woodland Baptist Church. Charles was a staunch
supporter of the Civil Rights Movement and wrote legislation
supporting the movement. During his first four years in
Washington, he was assigned to the House Veterans Affairs
Committee. He also served on the House Interior and Insular
Affairs Committee promoting Statehood for Alaska and Hawaii.
In 1959, he became the first Black Member of Congress to
serve on the House Foreign Affairs Committee. One of the
prime considerations at the time was to authorize
establishment of the Peace Corps. Because of his strong
support, he later became Chairman of the Subcommittee on
Africa.
Congressman Diggs attended all the Democratic National
Conventions beginning in Chicago in 1957. He traveled
throughout the U.S.A. speaking on behalf of the Kennedy/
Johnson ticket. In 1969-1970, he was the founding Member and
first Chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus. In 1973, he
became the Chairman of the House District Committee and in
less than a year, he persuaded Congress to grant District
citizens the right to elect their own Mayor and City Council
for the first time in over a century. Home Rule, the
establishment of the University of the District of Columbia,
the Frederick Douglas Home designation as a National
Historical Site are all chiefly the results from that
Committee and his Chairmanship.
Congressman Diggs is a double life member of the NAACP, and
a member of the Tuskegee Airmen, East Coast Chapter and, has
received numerous awards and recognitions. His congressional
papers were given to Howard University's Moorland-Spingarn
Research Center. In Detroit, he was a member of Hartford
Memorial Baptist Church. In 1986, he became a member of
Ebenezer A.M.E. Church in Fort Washington, Maryland, where he
accepted Christ as his personal Savior and maintained strong
religious ties until his death.
Congressman Charles C. Diggs, Jr., is survived by his wife
of 15 years, Darlene Expose Diggs; six children: Charles C.
Diggs, III, Denise Diggs Taylor, Alexis Diggs Robinson,
Douglass J. Diggs, Carla Diggs, and Cindy Carter Diggs; 13
grandchildren: Charles IV, Nicole, Diamond, Dorian, Dominic,
Itta, Juanita, Marshall, Alexandria, Ryan, Evan, Jonathan,
and Jacqueline; and a host of relatives and friends.
____________________