[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 109 (Thursday, July 29, 1999)]
[Senate]
[Page S9881]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                TRIBUTE TO THE SANDERS-CUNNINGHAM FAMILY

 Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, I rise today to salute the Sanders/
Cunningham family as they celebrate their fifth annual reunion. This 
extended family of more than 100 members has traced its roots back to a 
Georgia plantation in 1750, and before that to Ghana and Sierra Leone.
  As descendants of Wiley and Annie Cunningham Sanders of Aberdeen, 
Mississippi, they will gather together this weekend, July 30th through 
August 1st, in Springfield, Illinois, to celebrate their history, their 
common bonds, and their future.
  The Sanders/Cunningham family considers their reunion to be an 
Empowerment Summit, an opportunity to dispel false stereotypes, reject 
negative images, and celebrate who they are. They have noted Dr. Martin 
Luther King Jr.'s statement that ``when the history books are written 
they will tell of a Great People, a Proud People, a Black People.'' 
They know they are part of that people and that their heritage is a 
cause for joy. With an extended family that includes doctors and 
lawyers, business owners and farmers, educators and blue collar 
workers, they come together to celebrate their unity.
  This 6th generation family is diverse, unique, and special. The 
Sanders/Cunningham family's unity and strength is an example of what an 
American family should represent. Additionally, this family is full of 
rich history. The family matriarch is 94 years young, Edna Sanders 
Brandon. She is a mother of five, a grandmother of 12, a great-
grandmother of 16, an aunt, and a great aunt to many. Edna has 
witnessed events spanning the invention of the automobile to man's 
walking on the moon, to the birth of the Internet.
  All of us can benefit from an appreciation of our roots and our place 
in history. Knowing where we came from can be a helpful step in knowing 
where we are going. I applaud the Sanders/Cunningham family for their 
sense of heritage, their oneness, and their sense of empowerment. I 
wish them all the best as they gather in Springfield to celebrate who 
they are, where they have come from, and what they have become, and as 
they look forward to what they are yet to be.
  In closing, I would like to pay special recognition to Steven E. 
Richie, a 4th generation member of this family who has spent countless 
hours researching and preparing for this grand family event.

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