[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 93 (Monday, June 23, 2003)]
[House]
[Page H5683]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




            MOURNING THE PASSING OF HON. MAYNARD H. JACKSON

  (Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas asked and was given permission to address 
the House for 1 minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. What a world of ironies. The day that the 
United States Supreme Court affirms the idea of race as a factor in 
equalizing opportunities for Americans and a warrior, a man of justice 
and equality, who stood fast in years before these contested issues 
came to the forefront, Maynard Holbrook Jackson, the former Mayor and 
Vice Mayor of the City of Atlanta, has lost his life.
  Maynard Jackson was generous with his time. As a Representative from 
the State of Texas, might I acknowledge to my colleagues he was born in 
the great State of Texas. We sent him off to Atlanta, we bid him 
farewell, but he always remembered his roots and he never forgot his 
values, that of opportunity, that of fairness, that of the recognizing 
that business should be spread amongst those coming from all walks of 
life.
  We lost him today but his legacy and enthusiasm that he shared with 
America, that yes, those individuals who come with a different 
background can engage in business, too. He created equal opportunity in 
Atlanta that was not offensive. He gathered the corporate community 
together and they joined him enthusiastically in promoting 
opportunities for women and minorities. And yes, as a young college 
student, I was privileged to visit with Vice Mayor Maynard Jackson when 
I was doing my thesis about coalition politics in the Deep South. He 
did not hesitate to sit down with me and give me a history not only of 
his life but the great heroes that inspired him.
  He is a great soldier, a great warrior, and now I would say, lay your 
head down, my gentle warrior, lay down and rest that you will never be 
forgotten. Your words, your deeds will always be remembered that you 
are a great American hero. God bless you and God bless your family.

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