[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 78 (Wednesday, June 5, 2013)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E810]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    HONORING REVEREND WILLIE E. BLUE

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. BENNIE G. THOMPSON

                             of mississippi

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, June 5, 2013

  Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor a 
civil rights activist and known legend from Mississippi, Rev. Willie 
Blue. He is from Charleston, Mississippi.
  Civil rights and the movement was a necessary part of American 
culture. It helped to seal cracks in the American society by making 
great improvements in its foundation and Rev. Willie E. Blue was a part 
of that effort.
  In 1963 he joined SNCC (Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee). 
SNCC was founded by Ella Baker at Shaw University as a direct response 
to segregated public facilities. SNCC's aim was to desegregate those 
public facilities by organizing ``Sit-ins''. From 1963-1966 he was the 
field secretary for SNCC and he has worked alongside people like Julian 
Bond, Stokely Carmichael, Kwame Ture, Bob Moses, and Hollis Watkins to 
name a few. He became a member of the Veterans of the Mississippi Civil 
Rights Movement in 2007.
  Although the years have passed since the start of the Civil Rights 
Movement, Rev. Blue has continued his efforts by working with young 
people to make sure they are educated on the movement and its 
contribution to society. He is building the fire inside of them to 
continue the fight for a better America for all citizens. ``It's their 
turn now'' he says, ``and the veterans have to show them the way.''
  Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in recognizing Reverend 
Willie E. Blue for his dedication to fighting oppression, 
discrimination, and injustice in Mississippi.

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