[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 148 (Wednesday, October 5, 2011)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1782-E1783]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




              HONORING THE LIFE OF REV. FRED SHUTTLESWORTH

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. JOHN CONYERS, JR.

                              of michigan

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, October 5, 2011

  Mr. CONYERS. Mr. Speaker, I rise to celebrate the life and legacy of 
the late Rev. Fred Shuttlesworth. Today, we mourn the loss of an 
American soldier who lived without fear to exemplify the power of 
nonviolence in the ongoing fight against injustice, inequality and 
inequity.
  No other word best describes civil rights pioneer Reverend Fred 
Shuttlesworth but the word ``fearless.'' Rev. Shuttlesworth was a 
native of Alabama and spent his entire life there dedicated to 
combating discrimination and the alienation of underrepresented 
communities. He co-founded the Southern Christian Leadership Conference 
(SCLC), and was a key strategist of nonviolent campaigns, working 
alongside notable civil rights leaders such as Dr.

[[Page E1783]]

Martin Luther King, Jr., Rev. Ralph Abernathy, Bayard Rustin and Ella 
Baker. Rev. Shuttlesworth was committed to civil disobedience in order 
to bring about the Constitution's promise of equality, however, he was 
in no way considered a ``passive'' individual. Many who worked closely 
alongside of him recall how he prodded his fellow civil rights comrades 
to be more active and deliberate in the push for equality.
  Prior to founding the SCLC, Rev. Shuttlesworth was a very visible 
civil rights figure, serving as Membership Chairman of the Alabama 
State Chapter of the NAACP in 1956, and establishing the Alabama 
Christian Movement for Human Rights (ACMHR) after the state of Alabama 
outlawed NAACP activities. His visibility made him a clear target of 
bigotry and violence, including an assassination attempt on the 
Christmas of 1956 where sixteen sticks of dynamite placed under 
Shuttlesworth's bedroom window resulted in extensive damage to his 
home. Shuttlesworth, however, suffered no bodily harm. When advised by 
a police officer with Klan allegiances to ``get out of town,'' 
Shuttlesworth rejected the officer's admonition, stating ``I wasn't 
saved to run.'' Rev. Shuttlesworth refused to be driven out by 
intimidation, ignorance and intolerance.
  We are ever so grateful he did not run. Rev. Shuttlesworth was one of 
the many brave souls who participated in the sit-ins at segregated 
lunch counters in 1960. His fingerprints are all over the Freedom Rides 
of 1961, where he organized and saw the mission to its completion. When 
riders were severely beaten, Rev. Shuttlesworth solicited other clergy 
and religious leaders to drive the wounded to hospitals and nursed some 
riders in his church, Bethel Baptist in Birmingham. His character was 
such that if one was hungry, he would feed them; thirsty, he would 
provide them with water; homeless, he would open his doors; imprisoned, 
he would visit them. Rev. Shuttlesworth believed that whatever we do 
for the least of our brothers and sisters, regardless of race, creed, 
orientation or any other qualifier, we are indeed doing for all of 
humanity.
  All men perish, but it is often upon the passing of great men that we 
truly recognize their value. Rev. Shuttlesworth is a universal figure 
whose activism led to several victorious litigations against 
segregation, including the Supreme Court decision of Shuttlesworth v. 
Birmingham, which reversed his conviction for holding a peaceful 
demonstration. His involvement in the marches in St. Augustine, Florida 
and Selma, Alabama led to the historic passages of the Civil Rights Act 
of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Every state in the United 
States, as well as twenty countries, has created programs to combat 
racism and prejudice implementing Rev. Shuttlesworth's strategies and 
organizational skills.
  Rev. Shuttlesworth once vowed that he would ``kill segregation or be 
killed by it.'' Fortunately, he lived to see the fruits of his labor. 
He served our country fighting for segregation's demise and as a 
result, we are all beneficiaries of his efforts. Now more than ever, we 
must follow the example of Rev. Fred Shuttlesworth and see the value in 
caring for the least among us. His efforts will never be forgotten.

                          ____________________