[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 78 (Thursday, June 7, 2001)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1053]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                             BYRD R. BROWN

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. WILLIAM J. COYNE

                            of pennsylvania

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, June 7, 2001

  Mr. COYNE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to observe the passing of one of 
Pittsburgh's civil rights heroes. Byrd Rowlette Brown died in 
Pittsburgh on May 3rd, 2001.
  Mr. Brown was born and raised in Pittsburgh. His parents were both 
active in Pittsburgh's African American community. His father, Homer S. 
Brown, was a state legislator and the first African American judge in 
Allegheny County, and his mother, Wilhelmina Byrd Brown, was an 
educator and civil rights activist.
  Byrd Brown graduated from Schenley High School in Pittsburgh and won 
an academic scholarship to Yale University. Mr. Brown earned a 
Bachelor's degree and a law degree from Yale. He served in the Army 
after completing his education, and after his discharge he began 
practicing law in Pittsburgh.
  In 1958, Mr. Brown was elected to the first of six two-year terms as 
president of the Pittsburgh NAACP. He was also one of the founders of 
the United Negro Protest Committee and the Black Construction 
Coalition. He worked successfully over the years to desegregate the 
local schools and eliminate discrimination in the employment practices 
of local corporations.
  Mr. Brown was also a candidate in the Pittsburgh mayoral election of 
1989, running on the slogan ``Byrd's the word.''
  Byrd Brown was also active in a number of civic and legal 
organizations, including the National Bar Association, the American Bar 
Association, the American Bar Foundation, the Academy of Trial Lawyers, 
and the Pittsburgh Foundation.
  With the death of Byrd Brown, Pittsburgh has lost a tireless civil 
rights crusader--a man who was dedicated to the fight for equality and 
the struggle for better race relations. I wish to extend my condolences 
to his family in their time of sadness and grief.




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