[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 31 (Tuesday, February 26, 2008)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E239]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




     IN RECOGNITION OF THE LIFE AND LEGACY OF MRS. JOHNNIE R. CARR

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. MIKE ROGERS

                               of alabama

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, February 26, 2008

  Mr. ROGERS of Alabama. Madam Speaker, I respectfully ask for the 
House's attention today to honor the life and legacy of one of our 
Nation's most important Civil Rights figures, Mrs. Johnnie Carr, who 
passed away on February 22nd at the age of 97.
  As so many of my colleagues know, Mrs. Carr was a tireless advocate 
for the advancement of Civil Rights and equality for all Americans. 
During a tumultuous time for our Nation, in 1964 Mrs. Carr and her 
husband Arlam filed suit against the Montgomery County, Alabama, Board 
of Education in an attempt to desegregate the Montgomery County school 
system. Her desire was simply to help provide a more hopeful future for 
her son Arlam Carr Jr. and thousands of other African American children 
in Alabama. In addition to her legal action against the school board, 
Mrs. Carr pushed to open segregated Montgomery communities to African 
American residents.
  Not only did her leadership and courage help bring about the end of 
the segregation of our schools, she helped usher in a new era of 
equality and freedom for African Americans across our Nation. 
Throughout her life she continued her activism as a voice for Civil 
Rights in the Montgomery area and beyond, and was a frequent face at 
community events throughout her entire life.
  Mrs. Carr was an anchor for her family, who will surely remember her 
as a caring mother and grandmother who held her family together through 
trying times. Despite her tireless efforts to help advance Civil Rights 
for all Americans, she always put her family first. Mrs. Carr's passing 
is mourned by us all, Madam Speaker, and we all send her family our 
prayers at this difficult time. Thank you for the House's attention 
today to her life, and to her legacy.

                          ____________________