[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 100 (Wednesday, June 30, 2010)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1259]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  TRIBUTE TO MS. EDNA MITCHELL-STEWART

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. DANNY K. DAVIS

                              of illinois

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, June 30, 2010

  Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Madam Speaker, I rise to pay tribute to one of 
the most admired, most loved and most influential members of my 
community, and of my congressional district. She was not a minister, 
she was not a physician, she was not an athlete, she was not a gangster 
and she was not a public educator or well known philanthropist. She was 
a queen, the queen of soul, the queen of soul food. She was the owner 
of Edna's Soul Food Restaurant where she fed kings and queens but never 
lost the common touch.
  Edna and her father, the late Mr. Sam Mitchell Sr. opened Edna's in 
the 1960's and operated a number of businesses in the Garfield Park 
Community. Their good food, personality and community spirit propelled 
Edna's into becoming a community institution.
  During his stay in Chicago, it was one of Dr. Martin Luther King 
Jr.'s, favorite eating places and of course they fed him and his staff 
often times for free. Over the years Edna's became the place to be, it 
was a meeting place for ministers, politicians, business persons and 
others. I have held regular meetings there for both my political and 
government activities.
  Mayors, governors, Presidents, entertainers, athletes and other well 
known personalities were there on a regular basis. Edna and her family 
were not just proprietors; they were a community institution, her 
parents, her sisters, including Judge Judy Mitchell Davis, her brother 
Sam, Sister Alice, all contributed greatly to the community. One former 
governor always called it Edna's Kitchen and would inquire about 
meeting there. Governor Pat Quinn earlier this year proclaimed Edna's 
Day while feasting on black-eyed peas and cornbread.

  Edna would hire young people and help them go to college. I cannot 
count the times she asked me about scholarships and financial aid for 
students.
  Edna did more than just manage a restaurant. She was a guidance 
counselor, a community resource, she hired people fresh out of prison, 
she fed the hungry, she clothed those who were naked, and she gave hope 
to the hopeless and provided help for the helpless. She was active in 
her church, participated in politics and played a substantial role in 
community affairs.
  Although Edna is gone, her spirit lives on in her recipes and in her 
legacy of generosity. Goodbye to our Queen of Soul . . . that is soul 
food.

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