[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 22 (Monday, February 22, 2010)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E185]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




          HONORING THE LIFE AND ACCOMPLISHMENTS OF NINA SIMONE

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. HEATH SHULER

                           of north carolina

                    in the house of representatives

                       Monday, February 22, 2010

  Mr. SHULER. Madam Speaker, I rise today to remember the life of 
legendary American jazz musician and civil rights activist Nina Simone. 
A native of Tryon, North Carolina, Nina Simone was born Eunice Kathleen 
Waymon on February 21, 1933. In the United States House of 
Representatives, it is an honor to represent Ms. Simone's birthplace 
and the town where she began her legacy of musical innovation and civil 
rights activism.
  Ms. Simone began playing the piano at age three and made her first 
classical piano debut at age twelve. During this first recital she 
witnessed her parents being escorted from the front row to make room 
for a Caucasian family. Ms. Simone refused to play until her parents 
were seated in the front row. This event marked the beginning of a 
lifetime of civil rights activism.
  As the sixth of seven children in a poor family, Ms. Simone began her 
musical career singing as an accompanist to earn extra income for her 
family. As the civil rights struggle developed in the United States, so 
did her music. After the bombing of a church in Birmingham, Alabama in 
1963, Ms. Simone wrote an emotional response to the situation of 
African Americans in the United States. By 1974, Ms. Simone was 
traveling the world.
  In 1987, while in Paris, her song ``My Baby Just Cares for Me,'' was 
featured on a major television network. Her music, both in French and 
English, has been an inspiration for artists around the world.
  The Eunice Waymon-Nina Simone Project honors the legacy of Nina 
Simone in Tryon, her hometown in Western North Carolina. The Project 
honors her remarkable life and musical contributions. The Project also 
seeks to inspire and support talented youth to reach their full 
potential through a variety of scholarship programs. On the 21st of 
February they unveiled a life-size bronze statue of Ms. Simone. The 
Eunice Waymon-Nina Simone Project keeps her legacy alive in Western 
North Carolina.
  Ms. Simone passed away on April 21, 2003 at the age of 70 in the 
French countryside. Her daughter, Lisa Celeste Stroud, is also an 
actress and singer. Born in New York, Ms. Stroud spent much time 
traveling the world with her mother before enlisting in the United 
States Air Force. Today, she is a successful singer with a resume that 
includes starring in the Tim Rice musical ``Aida.''
  Madam Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in celebrating Ms. 
Simone's 77th birthday, and celebrating her extraordinary 
accomplishments as both an extraordinary jazz musician and strong civil 
rights activist.

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