[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 22 (Thursday, February 26, 2004)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E239]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     IN HONOR OF ORAH BELLE SHERMAN

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. JOHN LEWIS

                               of georgia

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, February 26, 2004

  Mr. LEWIS of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, in the last days of Black History 
Month, I want to be sure this Congress honors the memory of Orah Belle 
Sherman, a woman who served our democracy well. In the eyes of some, 
her labor may have seemed humble, but her spirit was great. For 41 
years, Orah Belle Sherman served the citizens of Atlanta as the hostess 
of Paschal's restaurant, and the comfort and hospitality of Paschal's 
reached the very soul of the Civil Rights Movement.
  The role of the capable hostess is fully acknowledged in politics 
today. Sometimes decisions that impact the history of mankind may be 
made in the relaxation of social environments. A hostess is the 
architect of that relaxation, creating a seamless atmosphere of comfort 
where minds can meet undistracted and strike an agreement. Her grace 
eases the tension of division, and the ambience she offers invites 
opposing sides to sit down together. Orah Belle Sherman was a master 
hostess among hostesses because her grace not only cooled the tensions 
of ideological differences but momentarily silenced the ravages of 
racism.
  In a segregated Atlanta, where a cacophony of signs declared ``White 
Only,'' ``Colored Only,'' ``Colored Waiting,'' ``White Waiting,'' in 
the heart of a hostile America, in the recesses of the Jim Crow South 
where a wilderness of racism threatened the future of this nation, 
Paschal's became an oasis of friendship, brotherhood and peace. There 
African Americans were always welcomed by Orah Belle Sherman.
  She created a safe space where men and women who were outcasts of 
mainstream America could socialize in dignity and peace. In her haven 
of comfort and acceptance, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Ambassador 
Andrew Young, Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall, Dr. Benjamin 
Mays and many other soon-to-be great men of the Civil Rights Movement 
were welcomed, fed, and given the room to deliberate. In the loving 
glow of Orah Belle Sherman, they strategized the actions that would 
become the Movement we know today. Many of the great civil rights 
speeches, the plans for marches and sit-ins, the boycotts and sermons 
were discussed in the ambience of Paschals restaurant.
  Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. once said that, ``Love is the most 
durable power in the world. This creative force is the most potent 
instrument available in mankind's quest for security and peace.'' The 
love of Orah Belle Sherman has an enduring place in the history of the 
Civil Rights Movement. She is a gem of the South that reminds us of a 
culture of hospitality that is slipping away. Her graciousness and 
charm consoled the builders of a new day for America. She will long be 
remembered in the hearts of all the lives she touched.

                          ____________________