[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 85 (Friday, June 14, 2013)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E855]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         HONORING REV. ABRAHAM 
                               REED, SR.

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. BENNIE G. THOMPSON

                             of mississippi

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, June 13, 2013

  Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Rev. 
Abraham Reed, Sr., who is a remarkable civil and public servant.
  Rev. Abraham Reed, Sr. was born on December 1, 1940, the third child 
of 10 children. He is a Civil Rights legend in the Jefferson and 
Claiborne County areas. Often when the movement did a boycott of a 
business in one county they would follow and boycott in neighboring 
counties.
  Rev. Reed stated that he believed that he was used during the 
movement because he was not scared of anything, so he was the go-to 
man, when it was time for standing up to the Jim Crow society in 
Jefferson County.
  Rev. Reed remembers that the movement started in 1965, when Mr. 
Charles Evers, another movement leader, would come into Fayette, MS to 
meet at Adams Chapel United Methodist Church in a mass meeting, then 
march to the Courthouse where demands of the people would be made. They 
wanted jobs in the stores and in the county offices and to have the 
same rights for good books for our children in their classrooms which 
would create the best opportunities for good jobs and education.
  Rev. Reed remembers that it was well worth the marching, and the 
boycotting and the mass meetings, because after long hours and days of 
marching, many of their demands were met, resulting in two black ladies 
who were hired. Mrs. Doris White was hired at the Montgomery Store in 
1966 and in that same year Mrs. Jeanie Enochs was hired at Hirsch's 
Store and these ladies worked at the stores for many years. And with 
continued success in the movement, another lady, Delorise Frye was 
hired as a Deputy Clerk in the Chancery Clerk's Office and worked there 
for many years.
  Rev. Reed is a bricklayer by trade. He learned this trade from an 
elderly white man, Claude Brown. Rev. Reed was not participating in the 
movement to get a job for himself but because of his concern for 
others.
  Rev. Reed stood guard over many of the most prominent civil rights 
workers at night and laid bricks by day. Oftentimes, while at Mr. 
Fernand Allen's house, he had to protect Mr. Allen, because he was the 
president of the NAACP. Therefore, Rev. Reed and others kept shifts 
because they were determined not to lose a great leader.
  Rev. Reed laid the blocks to Mr. Allen's hotel that he was building, 
but when the MS Southern Bank at Port Gibson found out that Mr. Allen 
was active in the NAACP movement, the bank withdrew financing of 
$20,000.00 and the bank gave him 6 weeks to pay it back. Rev. Reed 
along with others participated in an emergency mass meeting and 
financial rally; and raised $19,000.00 to cover this debt.
  Rev. Reed often stood guard over other leaders of the NAACP as well 
as continued his trade of laying blocks all day. Often he picked up 
some worker's before they went on a job and the white folk came and 
enticed them to go to work with them, another bricklayer, would come by 
and try and get them to go to his job so that they would not get the 
building, that Rev. Reed was working on completed.
  Rev. Reed enjoyed his work with the civil rights movement which was 
important work to him. He registered to vote in 1966 and assisted other 
blacks to register to vote. While doing this, others had to be called 
to assist in helping to register blacks because blacks were prevented 
from voting because they did not know how to fill out the forms or 
simply because of being black. But when help came, blacks were allowed 
to register and hundreds of blacks registered to vote.
  Rev. Reed participated in registration drives and felt very proud 
when in 1969, a slate of black candidates ran for office in the City of 
Fayette and everyone that ran won.
  Rev. Reed remembers the dangerous times during those years when 
blacks had to watch out for self and for others, yet he is proud to 
have been an active part of the movement.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in recognizing Rev. 
Abraham Reed, Sr. for his dedication to serving others and giving back 
to the African American community.

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