[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 129 (Thursday, September 24, 1998)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1799]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        TRIBUTE TO MAMIE HUGHES

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. KAREN McCARTHY

                              of missouri

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, September 24, 1998

  Ms. McCarthy of Missouri. Mr. Speaker, I am honored to rise today to 
pay tribute to Ms. Mamie Hughes, an inspirational civic leader and 
civil rights activist in my district. For her dedicated, steadfast 
commitment to public service and quality leadership throughout the 
years, Hughes is being recognized As Woman of the Year by the Central 
Exchange, an organization established in 1980 as a networking resource 
for women. Ms. Hughes is the first African-American in Kansas City to 
receive this coveted award.
  Ms. Hughes graduated from Fisk University in Nashville, TN, with a 
Bachelor of Arts degree, and began her public service as an elementary 
school teacher in Arcola, MS. She continued her career as a teacher in 
the Kansas City, Missouri School District.
  In 1962, as a mother of five children, Ms. Hughes volunteered for 
several Kansas City civil rights organizations. She represented the 4th 
district in the Jackson County Legislature for 6 years following a 1972 
election, and eventually chaired its Health and Welfare Committee. 
Following a 1976 re-election, Ms. Hughes was chosen by her peers for 
the honorable position of Vice-Chair of the Legislature, and 2 years 
later she was appointed by President Carter to be Regional Director for 
ACTION, a Federal Volunteer Service Agency, where she oversaw more than 
20,000 volunteers in four states.
  In 1981, Ms. Hughes' focus shifted slightly from regional to local 
concerns when she accepted an offer by the Black Economic Union of 
Greater Kansas City to serve as a Community Planner. A year later, as 
President and Chief Executive Officer of the Black Economic Union, Ms. 
Hughes became a driving force behind the rejuvenation of the Historic 
Jazz District at 18th and Vine as she promoted the area as a cultural 
center and worked with local officials to get the project designated as 
an Historic District. We owe thanks to Ms. Hughes for the successful 
tourist attraction including the Negro League Baseball Museum and Jazz 
Museum, and the growing business and residential development that 18th 
and Vine are today.

  Ms. Hughes currently is employed by the City of Kansas City, 
Missouri, as an ombudsman for the Bruce R. Watkins Drive, an important 
thoroughfare that is being constructed to connect the communities of 
south Kansas City with downtown. When the development of the Bruce R. 
Watkins Drive led to public concern about citizens' property rights. 
Ms. Hughes stepped up as champion for citizens within the area, to 
counsel them about their rights as residents. She also coordinates 
activities of the Missouri Department of Transportation with Kansas 
City's Housing and Urban Development, Public Works, and Parks, 
Recreation, and Boulevards Departments.
  As a founding and charter member of the Central Exchange, a lifetime 
member of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored 
People, board member of the Kansas City Habitat for Humanity, and an 
advisory board member of the Women's Foundation, Ms. Hughes has 
received many awards. Her honors include the Public Service Award from 
the African American Episcopal Church Missionary Society, Career Woman 
of the Year from the Jones Store Company, and Eleanor Roosevelt Award 
for her Exemplary Leadership for Women from the Greater Kansas City 
Commission on the Status of Women.
  My friendship with Ms. Hughes is special. She is an inspirational 
figure in our community and offers the woman of Kansas City and the 
region a strong role model. As an original member of the Woman's Public 
Service Network, she is very active in the organization which is a 
network on key issues of concern to women in our community, especially 
in helping women succeed in the political process.
  Ms. Hughes has the respect, admiration, and trust of citizens in our 
area and region. She is unique, and truly deserves to be Woman of the 
Year. Mr. Speaker, please join me in thanking her for her efforts on 
behalf of others, and congratulating her for her dedication to making 
the world a better place for all of us.

                          ____________________