[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 47 (Wednesday, March 21, 2012)]
[House]
[Page H1431]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                             MONICA PEARSON

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Georgia (Mr. David Scott) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. DAVID SCOTT of Georgia. Madam Speaker, ladies and gentlemen of 
the Congress, Monica Pearson, with WSB Television in Atlanta, Georgia, 
is indeed a true pioneer and a trailblazer in television news. She 
broke barriers as an African American and as a woman news anchor for 
WSB Television starting in 1975.
  The year 1975 was an important turning point, especially in the 
South. So it is very important for us to understand the significance of 
Monica often appearing as a nightly anchor, as the first African 
American and first woman in the South at WSB Television in 1975. Now, 
38 years later, Monica is retiring.
  Monica Pearson brought a special talent, a sparkling personality, 
hard work, and a high nobility of purpose that appealed to everybody, 
to people of all races, and she became endeared to everybody from every 
walk of life. What a great American story is Monica Pearson.
  She paved the way for other African Americans and women to become 
news anchors and to become television journalists throughout the South. 
So it is most fitting as she announces her retirement that we gather 
here today on the part of the United States Congress to give her this 
special commendation. We also give a special commendation to WSB 
Television and Cox Enterprises management for making that critical 
decision at that important time in the history of the United States. 
Because of her talent, because of her hard work, we in the Congress of 
the United States recognize with high distinction an outstanding 
American: Monica Pearson, an outstanding American.
  Madam Speaker, Monica Pearson is a familiar face to metro Atlanta's 
residents, though most know her by her former name--Monica Kaufman. For 
the past 37 years, Monica has anchored WSB TV's Channel 2 Action News. 
The character and amount of trust she has built as Channel 2's nightly 
newscaster is laudable, but perhaps more important are the barriers she 
broke as she developed that reputation. Born and brought up in the 
Civil Rights era, Monica became not only the first African-American, 
but also the first woman to anchor a daily evening newscast on WSB in 
1975.
  Throughout her long career, Monica has accumulated an even longer 
list of awards and achievements. All in all, she has won thirty Local 
and Southern Regional Emmy awards. When she saw injustice or a story 
that needed to be heard, she was there reporting on it--first at the 6 
pm and 11 pm segments, and later at 4 pm. Her hard-hitting 
investigative journalism cuts at all different issues. In 1992 she 
spoke out on behalf of women and girls in Georgia when she found out 
that the Georgia High School Association's all-male executive committee 
did not have a state-wide competition for girls' soccer or 
cheerleading. She was awarded the Women's Sports Journalism Award for 
Local Television Reporting from the Women's Sports Foundation and 
Miller Lite for her report.
  Monica has been honored for bringing attention to a wide range of 
issues--from the ``HOT FLASH! The Truth about Menopause'' documentary 
that won local and national awards in 1994 to the ``Prejudice and Hate: 
Georgians and the Holocaust'' documentary that lead to win the Georgia 
Commission on the Holocaust's Humanitarian Award in 1977. Her sense of 
civic duty, compassion and curiosity has distinguished her from her 
peers, winning an Emmy Award for Best Feature Program--``Monica Kaufman 
Closeups'', the National Foundation for Women Legislators' ``Media 
Excellence Award'' and the Georgia Commission of Women's ``2004 Georgia 
Woman of the Year''.
  While devoting her life to journalism, she has also deeply involved 
herself in the community. She remains a passionate supporter of the 
Metropolitan United Way, the organization that helped her move beyond 
her poor background to become an award-winning newscaster. Since then, 
she has served as Chair of Atlanta's United Way board, the first 
African-American and only the second woman. Her dedication to the 
organization might be due in no small part to the fact that her 
daughter was adopted through a United Way agency. In her own words, 
``United Way literally unites people.''
  United Way is not the only organization that has touched Monica's 
heart. For many years, Monica ran in the Susan G. Komen's Race for the 
Cure. She continued to run in the race and volunteer for the 
organization until the year she herself was diagnosed with breast 
cancer. Her reaction to this cancer is a story that truly touched my 
heart. A very religious woman, Monica did not let fear cripple her--
instead she left everything to God. She prayed, ``Thy will be done, O 
Lord, not mine.'' ``If you are really strong in your faith, then you 
don't worry about the outcome'', she said. The outcome is obvious--
Monica remains to this day a strong, dedicated woman. She is both an 
inspiration and a role model. Monica will be retiring in July, but I 
know her character, personality and spirit will not let her keep still. 
I wish her the very best in her future endeavors, and may we continue 
to hear of her excellent work for her community. God Bless.

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