[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 65 (Thursday, May 12, 2011)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E881-E882]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      HONORING FRED DAVIS JACKSON

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. GEORGE MILLER

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, May 12, 2011

  Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California. Mr. Speaker, I rise today and invite 
my colleagues to join me in honoring Mr. Fred Davis Jackson of 
Richmond, California, for his lifetime commitment to serving his 
community.
  Fred Jackson has lived and worked in my congressional district since 
1950, a veteran, having moved to Richmond from his home in Mississippi. 
He was born on February 6, 1938 as the eldest son of devoted and hard 
working parents, the late Leo Marvis Jackson, who was a seasonal 
construction and shipyard worker, and the late Idella Villon Jackson. 
Mrs. Jackson would eventually become single and took on domestic jobs 
to care for Fred and his three sisters and five brothers. Fred Jackson 
is a peacemaker, an educator, a song writer and a true community-
builder, and each and every day since arriving in the Bay Area, Fred 
has made a decided difference in the lives of our residents.
  Early on in his life, Fred Jackson recognized and celebrated the 
personal dignity in each individual. His work crossed all race and 
ethnic lines, all faiths and all ages. As a peace and social justice 
activist, Fred sat in at lunch counters in the South during the 1960's 
Civil Rights Movement and worked for peace even as he served our 
country in combat duty during the Vietnam War.
  Fred Jackson is known throughout Contra Costa County as a dedicated 
advocate for our

[[Page E882]]

families and children. He participated in the walk from San Pablo to 
Sacramento with the March4Education and then fasted for 19 days with 
Fast4Education for more equitable school funding. Fred has been a 
constant anti-death penalty advocate and his work in the community on 
violence prevention resulted in being awarded the 2000 Peacemaker Award 
in Contra Costa County. Fred has also taken an active and very personal 
role in bettering the lives of our senior citizens. He formed critical 
partnerships in the community, and personally donated the land that 
allowed the City of Richmond to build the Trinity Plaza Housing complex 
for low income senior citizens.
  Fred Jackson's passion for writing and poetry has led him to express 
his personal philosophy through the arts. As a writer, he wrote, 
directed and produced the play Brother Dap at the Richmond auditorium 
in 1994, wrote a novel An Evolution in Black and White, wrote his soon 
to be published reflections, Thoughts Set Free on the Wings of 
Expression, and has written and performed numerous songs, including 
``One Step at a Time,'' ``Too Early Too Young,'' and ``When the Ozone 
is Gone.''
  As an educator, Fred Jackson has worked for many years at 
Neighborhood House of North Richmond on lead abatement, HIV education, 
the (Healthy Eating Active Living HEAL) collaborative. Fred volunteered 
as a trainer of the Peace Empowerment Process for the World Wall for 
Peace at Helms Middle School, Crescent Park Multicultural Center, and 
Chris Adams Center and this year introduced a Health Covenant uniting 
the community and church in a fight against diabetes.
  Therefore, it was without hesitation that because of Fred Jackson's 
commitment to social justice, I selected him to cast the December 2008 
electoral vote for the 7th Congressional District certifying the 
election of Barack Obama as president. He was also nominated for the 
Sergeant Shriver Achievement Award in 2010 for his work on behalf of 
low income residents in North Richmond.
  Fred Davis Jackson has spent his life making life better for others 
and he has called on us all to do the same. I invite my colleagues to 
stand with me and salute the work of a quiet man working tirelessly for 
justice and thank him for the change he has brought to our community.

                          ____________________