[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 27 (Friday, February 18, 2011)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E292]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  HONORING MRS. ELLEN WILLIAMS RAGLAND

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. BENNIE G. THOMPSON

                             of mississippi

                    in the house of representatives

                       Friday, February 18, 2011

  Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor a 
remarkable public servant Mrs. Ellen Williams Ragland. Mrs. Ragland got 
her start in 1929. She grew up in a small rural community in Humphreys 
County, MS, where she witnessed the implementation of the civil rights 
movement and watched it unfold victoriously.
  Mrs. Ragland married Adam Ragland in 1947. They later moved to Silver 
City, MS, and had five children. They were black farmers and owners of 
Semicko's Record Shop.
  Mrs. Ragland was hired as a nurse assistant for the black schools in 
Humphreys County before integration. She picked-up the sick children 
from school and took them to the doctor in Belzoni, MS. She also worked 
for Friends of Children of Mississippi as a teacher assistant in 1968.
  After the schools were integrated, Mrs. Ragland was hired as a 
teacher assistant in Humphreys County Public School in 1970. She worked 
for Humphreys County School District until she retired in 1990.
  In 1991, Mrs. Ragland began working as an Entitlement Aid for 
National Caucus for Black Age. She was very passionate about her job 
and the people she served, where she often went beyond the call of duty 
to service their needs. Mrs. Ragland is well respected in the 
community. She has a pleasant personality that makes people feel 
comfortable going to her for help.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in recognizing Mrs. Ellen 
Williams Ragland for her dedication to serving others in need.

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