[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 90 (Wednesday, June 6, 2007)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1217]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




            HONORING THE LIFE OF CONGRESSMAN PARREN MITCHELL

                                 ______
                                 

                             HON. AL GREEN

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, June 6, 2007

  Mr. AL GREEN of Texas. Madam Speaker, I wish to honor the life of 
Congressman Parren J. Mitchell who died on May 28, 2007. Parren J. 
Mitchell, was a civil rights leader and a dynamic former U.S. 
congressman who helped to establish the Congressional Black Caucus. 
Congressman Mitchell was elected to the House of Representatives from 
Baltimore in 1970 and was Maryland's first black congressman. This 
great public leader from the state of Maryland served eight terms 
before stepping down in 1986.
  Born in Baltimore, MD in 1922, Mr. Mitchell was a graduate of Morgan 
State College and earned a master's degree from the University of 
Maryland. Mitchell had to sue the then-segregated University of 
Maryland for admission to the graduate school, and won. Additionally, 
he served as an officer in the 92nd Infantry Division during World War 
II, during which time he was wounded and received the Purple Heart. 
Prior to his election to Congress, Mitchell worked in the 
administrations of Baltimore mayors Theodore R. McKeldin and Thomas J. 
D'Alesandro III and Governor J. Millard Tawes. While active in state 
politics he was known as a passionate defender of minority and civil 
rights. Congressman Mitchell was also the brother of the late Clarence 
M. Mitchell, Jr., who was head of the NAACP's Washington office, and 
was one of Lyndon Johnson's chief advisors in the civil rights 
movement.
  As a congressman, Mitchell fought for legislation requiring local 
governments to set aside 10 percent of federal grants to hire minority 
contractors. Congressman Mitchell was a crusader for minority economic 
rights and pushed forth to make economic empowerment a reality for 
minority-owned companies.
  Congressman Mitchell dedicated his life to the ideal of public 
service. He served his country, his community, and his government with 
the determination and courage that is exemplary of a true public 
leader. He demonstrated his courage on the battlefield while fighting 
for democracy abroad and he would utilize that same courage and zeal to 
fight for equal rights and opportunities for all Americans here in the 
United States Congress.
  Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in honoring the life 
of Congressman Parren J. Mitchell.

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