[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 66 (Tuesday, April 24, 2007)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E850]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  EXPRESSING SORROW OF THE HOUSE AT THE DEATH OF HE HONORABLE JUANITA 
  MILLENDER-MCDONALD, MEMBER OF CONGRESS FROM THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                         HON. JOHN CONYERS, JR.

                              of michigan

                    in the house of representatives

                         Monday, April 23, 2007

  Mr. CONYERS. Madam Speaker, I rise today in honor of my close and 
dear friend Juanita Millender-McDonald, whom I have worked with and 
known for many, many years. I am deeply saddened by the news of her 
untimely passing, and I would like to extend my sincere condolences to 
the family, friends, and constituents of this distinguished Member of 
Congress.
  She came to Congress in 1996 and quickly moved up the ranks among her 
peers. Her commitment to excellence led her to achieve a series of 
political firsts, including, becoming the first African American woman 
to chair the Committee on House Administration, the first African 
American woman to serve on the Carson City Council; the first to hold 
the position of Chairwoman for two powerful California State Assembly 
committees in her first term, and the first African American woman to 
give the national Democratic response to President Bush's weekly radio 
address. She spoke her mind and was not easily intimidated by political 
pressure, regardless of from where it came.
  Furthermore, in the 110th Congress, in addition to her 
Chairwomanship, she served on eight full and sub-committees. One issue 
that the Congresswoman and I worked on closely together was the 
protection of one's fundamental and Constitutional right to vote. Our 
combined efforts on voting irregularities in Ohio ultimately led to the 
introduction of HR 4141 in 2005, which would amend the Help America 
Vote Act of 2002.
  She believed that there are no more important responsibilities in the 
People's House of Representatives than ensuring that the ability to 
vote in free and fair elections is not compromised in any manner, which 
has not always been the case. She was a visionary, an advocate for 
justice for all Americans, and the embodiment of determination.
  Millender-McDonald was a role model and incredibly dedicated to the 
empowerment of woman and youth as the Founder and Executive Director of 
the League of African-American Women, and the Founder of the Young 
Advocates, a political leadership-training program for African-
Americans between the ages of 18 and 35.
  It has been an honor and a pleasure to serve with a distinguished 
woman of strength, integrity, and dynamism. Not only will I miss her 
dearly, but she will also be missed by the many people that she has 
touched throughout her service in Congress.