[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 132 (Monday, September 30, 2013)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1408]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


                  HONORING THE LIFE OF WILLIE MAE KIRK

                                 ______
                                 

                       HON. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                       Monday, September 30, 2013

  Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to 
honor the life of an extraordinary person, Mrs. Willie Mae Kirk.
  Mrs. Kirk attended what now is known as Huston-Tillotson University, 
where she met her husband Lee Kirk. Lee and Willie Mae Kirk became the 
proud parents of four children. Mrs. Kirk served as a teacher for 32 
years, where she championed equal opportunities for her students in 
East Austin and also helped lead protests against segregation at Austin 
businesses, schools and Barton Springs Pool. As a teacher, she lived a 
committed life ensuring the future of young Americans was a bright one.
  Mrs. Kirk was a leader in her community and played an important role 
in Austin politics for over five decades. In her younger years she 
worked to repeal the poll tax and register African Americans to vote. 
Even late in life, she continued to speak out about how minorities were 
treated in Austin, particularly in the wake of police shootings. Last 
year, the city of Austin named the Willie Mae Kirk Branch library in 
her honor.
  It is with great respect and admiration that I ask this esteemed body 
to keep her son, former Mayor of Dallas and former United States Trade 
Representative Ron Kirk and the rest of the Kirk family in our hearts 
and prayers. May we all rejoice in having known such a great woman and 
cherish both her memory and her legacy.

                          ____________________