[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 55 (Friday, April 4, 2014)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E522]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




           RECOGNIZING THE 95TH BIRTHDAY OF MR. FRED A. CURLS

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                          HON. EMANUEL CLEAVER

                              of missouri

                    in the house of representatives

                         Friday, April 4, 2014

  Mr. CLEAVER. Mr. Speaker, I proudly rise today in recognition of the 
95th birthday of Mr. Fred Curls, a pioneer for civil and political 
rights and a resident of the Fifth District of Missouri, which I am 
honored to represent. On March 31, 2014, Mr. Curls turned 95 years 
young. Last weekend on March 29th, he was honored in Kansas City, 
Missouri, by family, friends, and acquaintances.
  Mr. Curls is one of the original founders of Freedom Incorporated, an 
African-American political organization which at one time could 
generate nearly 70,000 votes. Freedom Inc. was and has been a very 
influential political action group. The organization has been at the 
forefront in serving as a catalyst for change in civil rights, public 
accommodations, and the election of candidates at all levels of 
government. Freedom Inc.'s office has been visited by City 
Councilpersons, Jackson County Executives, Mayors, Missouri State 
Senators and Representatives, Governors, Congresspersons, Senators, 
Presidents, and those who have Presidential aspirations.
  For more than fifty years, Mr. Curls has dedicated his life to the 
Greater Kansas City community, promoting and improving political 
empowerment and the civil rights of people of color. His children, 
grandchildren, and great grandchildren have followed in his footsteps 
in acknowledging their responsibility of giving back to the community. 
His son, State Senator Phil B. Curls, Sr. was the President of Freedom 
Inc. during a period when it was recognized as one of the most potent 
political organizations in the United States and brought about the 
election of the first African-American Congressman from the Fifth 
District of Missouri, U.S. Representative Alan Wheat.
  Since the mid-1950s, Mr. Curls has been involved in real estate sales 
and appraisals, most notably in the African-American community of 
Kansas City. He fought against ``restrictive covenants'' whereby 
residential homes could not be sold in certain areas to minorities. He 
was part of a class action lawsuit which resulted in the United States 
Supreme Court outlawing such covenants.
  In all of his activities, Mr. Curls demonstrates his dedication and 
commitment to the greater good of others. He is actively involved with 
his high school graduating class, the Class of 1937, which has been 
very close to this day. He was honored by Jackson County, Missouri, as 
one of its ``Legacy Awardees'' for its 175th anniversary as a political 
subdivision. He also has been honored by fellow Missourian U.S. 
Representative William Lacy Clay of St. Louis and myself as an awardee 
of the ``Missouri Walk of Fame'' designation, as one of the pioneers of 
Kansas City's African-American political struggle.
  Throughout his life, he has believed in the saying ``make it 
happen.'' He has put his principles into practice, and the results of 
his efforts have ``made it happen'' throughout the Kansas City 
metropolitan area.
  For those reasons and more, it is indeed an honor and a privilege to 
recognize Mr. Fred Curls on his 95th birthday celebration. Mr. Speaker, 
please join me in expressing our appreciation to Mr. Fred Curls and his 
endless commitment to serving the residents of Kansas City and the 
State of Missouri. Whatever we, as African-Americans, may attain in the 
political arena, Fred Curls and those who labored to act on our behalf 
as political pioneers have helped to change the course of history. He 
is a true role model not just to the African-American community in 
Missouri, but to the entire community at large.

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