[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 16 (Tuesday, January 28, 2014)]
[House]
[Page H1438]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                HONORING THE LIFE OF MRS. ADELFA CALLEJO

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from 
Texas (Ms. Eddie Bernice Johnson) for 5 minutes.
  Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to 
honor the life of Mrs. Adelfa Callejo, a well-respected civil rights 
leader and attorney in Texas.
  Mrs. Callejo was 90 years old when she passed last week. She 
developed into her role as an advocate for justice at an early age. As 
the oldest daughter of a father who did not speak English, Mrs. Callejo 
often had to serve as an intermediary in the defense of her family 
against intimidation from Federal immigration agents or unfair 
treatment in schools targeted at Mexican American immigrants.
  As the first Hispanic woman to graduate from law school at Southern 
Methodist University, her background and education have not gone 
unnoticed. Mrs. Callejo emerged as a prominent civil rights attorney in 
Texas, battling questionable city council redistricting in the late 
1980s, and staunchly opposing illegal immigration policies in Farmers 
Branch, among other prominent legal battles, that have helped to shape 
our State.
  Mrs. Callejo was known best for her forceful advocacy and fiery 
personality. She overcame tremendous adversity as a female and as a 
Hispanic, although nothing would deter her from becoming a powerful 
financial and social force in Texas.
  She once said: Only through education will we make the world a better 
place than we found it. She lived true to these words and worked with 
the Dallas Independent School District to ensure a better education was 
offered to a more diverse range of students; and for that, she was 
honored by a school being named for her in the Dallas Independent 
School District.
  Mr. Speaker, Mrs. Callejo was an inspirational character who offered 
her talent and her resources to those who were less fortunate. While 
she had an incredible presence in Dallas, her reputation as ``the 
Godmother'' extended far beyond the city limits.
  While her passing comes as a great loss to many, we may continue to 
look to her life for an inspiration. I am proud to call her my friend 
and supporter.
  Mr. Speaker, we have lost a warrior.

                          ____________________