[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 185 (Wednesday, December 10, 2008)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E2366-E2367]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




       HONORING THE LIFE OF LEGENDARY RESTAURANTEUR JAMES PASCHAL

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. JOHN LEWIS

                               of georgia

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, December 10, 2008

  Mr. LEWIS of Georgia. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor my friend 
James Paschal, one of the founders of Paschal's Restaurant. James 
Paschal was an extraordinary man. He was more than a business leader, 
more than an involved citizen: he was a gifted American who gave so 
much to Atlanta and the Nation. Paschal's Restaurant was an unofficial 
headquarters for the Civil Rights Movement in Atlanta. Many of the 
organizing meetings to plan how historic civil rights actions, like the 
March on Washington, were held at Paschal's. At a time when public 
accommodations were racially segregated by law throughout the South, 
Paschal's was considered an oasis where civil rights activists could 
congregate, relax, nourish themselves, and in the comfort of that 
environment fuel their minds to plan major movement actions.
  The first meal I had in Atlanta, when I moved to the city in June of 
1963, was at Paschal's Restaurant. Then it was located on old West 
Hunter Street, now Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue. At one time the 
headquarters of SNCC was right across the street from Paschal's. We 
used to refer to the restaurant as Paschal's Precinct. If you wanted to 
get a reading on what was happening in the community, you had to check 
in at Paschal's to get the pulse of Atlanta and a line on what was 
happening throughout the South.
  During the Civil Rights Movement, everyone--Hosea Williams, Martin 
Luther King Jr., Ralph Abernathy, A. Phillip Randolph, and many of the 
famous black entertainers--ate and visited at Paschal's. At one time 
you could buy two pieces of chicken, potato salad, ``early peas,'' as 
we called them, two rolls and some peach cobbler for 99 cents plus tax 
at Paschal's. The food, the comfortable surroundings, and the welcoming 
environment helped to fortify us to go out and do battle. The last time 
I saw Martin Luther King Jr. alive, I was in Paschal's Restaurant. He 
had

[[Page E2367]]

called a coalition of activists together to plan the Poor People's 
campaign, and he held that meeting at Paschal's. The restaurant James 
and his brother founded played a major role in the Civil Rights 
Movement.
  James Paschal was a wonderful man, a very quiet man. He was very 
businesslike. He was always concerned that we were comfortable and 
checked often to make sure the food and service were to our liking. He 
would ask, ``Is everything all right, sir? How are you doing, sir?'' He 
was very polite and spoke to us with dignity and respect. He was a true 
gentleman.
  There was something so stable, so dependable, so real about James 
Paschal. His very personality, his very being was as solid as a rock. 
He was very supportive of the Movement in his own quiet, deliberate 
way. Sometimes, when we were having a major crisis, James Paschal might 
decide to host the meeting--give us our meals on the house--to help 
facilitate our planning and action. After Martin Luther King Jr.'s 
funeral, many of us went to eat at Paschal's. It was like a home away 
from home.
  We were more than lucky and very blessed that a man named James 
Paschal came our way. He made a lasting contribution to the free 
exercise of civil rights in America, not just for African Americans, 
but all Americans. He will be deeply missed.

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