[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 97 (Friday, July 21, 2006)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1482]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


              HONORING RAYFER EARL'E MAINOR, POET LAUREATE

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                       HON. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, July 20, 2006

  Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of Texas. Mr. Speaker, today, I would like 
to honor a great man and a great artist, poet laureate Rayfer Earl'e 
Mainor. As our Nation's longest serving poet laureate, and the only 
current African American poet laureate, Rayfer Earl'e Mainor has shared 
his soul through his poetry for over 50 years.
  It is the responsibility of a poet laureate to uplift and raise the 
status of poetry in the everyday consciousness of Americans. Since 
1969, Rayfer Earl'e Mainor has embodied those ideals and standards.
  All too often poetry has ignored the particular aspects and unique 
history of African Americans. Rayfer Earl'e Mainor's representations 
and imagery have shaped the way the world now views the African 
American experience. His poems have allowed us to reexamine and rethink 
our own views and experiences.
  Rayfer Earl'e Mainor has authored several works that have sought to 
inspire us including: Poems; Poems II; A Tribute to Blackness; The Life 
and Times of Sister Menefee; Mammoth Melting Sugar; and To Mister or 
Sarah Jean: A Love Story. Through his craft, Rayfer Earl'e Mainor has 
enlightened us with the narrative prose of the brutal murder of Emmitt 
Till, and poetry relaying the 1916 lynching of Jesse Washington. His 
work has also detailed the reflections and expectations surrounding 
expectant fatherhood.
  It is an honor for me to be able to recognize this outstanding man, 
artist, and lifelong member of Alpha Phi Alpha. His work and 
representations have brought reverence to the African American 
community and his brotherhood at Alpha Phi Alpha. I am fortunate enough 
to serve with several distinguished men of Alpha Phi Alpha, including: 
Congressman Charles Rangel, Congressman Gregory Meeks, Congressman 
Robert Scott, Congressman Chaka Fattah, Congressman Emanuel Cleaver, 
Congressman David Scott, Congressman Danny Davis, and Congressman Al 
Green. I know that my fellow colleagues and Congressional Black Caucus 
Members equal the respect and admiration for Mr. Mainor.
  I have the highest esteem for Rayfer Earl'e Mainor and his work, and 
I look forward to many more bright expressions of poetry, prose, and 
art in the years ahead.

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