[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 36 (Thursday, March 6, 2003)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E380]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[[Page E380]]
                  TRIBUTE TO CONGRESSWOMAN CARRIE MEEK

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. ALCEE L. HASTINGS

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, March 5, 2003

  Mr. HASTINGS of Florida. Mr. Speaker, it is with the pinnacle of 
respect that I rise today to pay tribute to retired Congresswoman 
Carrie Meek.
  For the past 10 years, I have had the distinct honor and privilege to 
not only know Carrie, but to serve in this great body with her, all the 
while being the gracious beneficiary of her wealth of spirit and depth 
of character.
  Only in America can the granddaughter of a slave and the daughter of 
a former sharecropper believe that she can achieve and conquer all that 
presents itself in opposition to her dreams.
  Franklin Delano Roosevelt stated in one of his fireside chats, ``The 
true test of our progress is not whether we add more to the abundance 
of those who have much; it is whether we provide enough for those who 
have too little.'' Carrie is the embodiment of that quote.
  She has fought with relentless effort for the people of the 17th 
Congressional District of Florida and has served them and her country 
well.
  Carrie Meek has set the stage and perpetuated the legacy of political 
astuteness for all of us, but particularly for African-American women 
everywhere.
  Carrie is truly a political pioneer and I and this legislative body 
have been, without a doubt, made the better for having just been in her 
element.

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