[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 58 (Thursday, April 22, 2010)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E639-E640]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     HONORING REVEREND JAMES COFFEE

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. LYNN C. WOOLSEY

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, April 22, 2010

  Ms. WOOLSEY. Madam Speaker, I rise with sadness today to honor a man 
who was a dear friend to me and a giant in our community. Reverend 
James Coffee of Santa Rosa, California, passed away April 6, 2010, at 
the age of 76, after a life that touched thousands of lives. He will be 
deeply missed.
  Raised in Oklahoma when segregation was the rule of the day, Rev. 
Coffee moved to the San Francisco Bay Area as a teenager. He was first 
invited to be the pastor of Community Baptist Church in Santa Rosa in 
1962 while studying at Golden Gate Baptist Seminary in Mill Valley. A 
year later, he accepted the position and took on a small congregation 
of 15 African American members.
  Rev. Coffee was engaged in the civil rights struggles of those times, 
including the 1956 Montgomery bus boycott where he met Rev. Martin 
Luther King, Jr. Racial tensions existed in Sonoma County also. In 1985 
the church was damaged in a fire that Rev. Coffee believed to be arson, 
possibly because of his stand against apartheid and his success in

[[Page E640]]

persuading the Board of Supervisors to withdraw investments in South 
Africa. Many in the community rallied around the church, contributing 
time and money to the repairs and later to the building of a new 
church.
  Reverend Coffee always persevered in his vision of a society where 
everyone could realize his or her full potential. With love and an open 
heart, he acted on his principles. With the support and assistance of 
his wife Vivian, his family, and his many friends made over the years, 
he worked inclusively to break down the barriers between races and 
promote the greater good.
  He was particularly concerned with the community's youth, mentoring 
young people, providing scholarships, and joining with others to 
establish and promote programs such as Rites of Passage (with Shirley 
Gordon) which teaches teens that they can attend college and become 
leaders. These activities have given young people the hope and the 
support that keeps them out of gangs and on the path or promise.
  Rev. Coffee also founded or participated in a wide variety of civic 
organizations and could be found bringing people together for a wide 
variety of social issues. From the Bridge Builders Organization (to 
promote racial reconciliation), 100 Black Men of Sonoma County, Race 
Equality Week, and Citizens Against Domestic Violence to the Salvation 
Army Advisory Board and Citizens for Balanced Transportation, Rev. 
Coffee's presence and energy were a catalyst for the whole the 
community.
  In 1981, he co-founded Santa Rosa's Martin Luther King, Jr. birthday 
celebration (with Carole Ellis and Mary Moore) which continues to 
inspire youth and bring people together. In 2004, he had the honor of 
meeting King's son, Martin Luther King III who spoke at a Sonoma County 
Human Rights Commission event at which the first of a new series of 
awards were presented--the Reverend James E. Coffee Human Rights 
Awards.
  Rev. Coffee himself earned many awards throughout his years of 
service. He appreciated these acknowledgements, yet the greatest honors 
for him were the light of understanding in a teen's eyes, the dialogue 
across a racial barrier, and the legacy of love and activism. He leaves 
a Community Baptist Church that is multi-cultural with 500 active 
members who will carry on his work.
  He is survived by his wife Vivian; his children James Jr., Shirley, 
and Yvette; three grandchildren; one great grandchild; and countless 
friends who will mourn him and be inspired by his example.
  Madam Speaker, I am one of those many friends and I will miss him 
every day. To me, the Reverend James Coffee, has been the perfect 
embodiment of one of his favorite sayings: ``Make a difference one day 
at a time.'' Reverend Coffee did make a difference--with strength and 
persistence, humor and compassion--every day of his life.

                          ____________________