[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 31 (Tuesday, February 24, 2015)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E239]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 IN HONOR OF MRS. MILDRED PARISH MASSEY

                                 ______
                                 

                      HON. SANFORD D. BISHOP, JR.

                               of georgia

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, February 24, 2015

  Mr. BISHOP of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, it is with a heavy heart and 
solemn remembrance that I rise today to pay tribute to an exceptional 
woman and outstanding citizen, Mrs. Mildred Parish Massey. Sadly, Mrs. 
Massey, the mother of our dear friend and colleague, Congresswoman 
Barbara Lee, passed away on Monday, February 16, 2015. Funeral services 
will be held on Thursday, February 26, 2015 at Allen Temple Baptist 
Church in Oakland, California.
  Mildred Parish Massey was born in El Paso, Texas on June 6, 1924 to 
William Calhoun and Willie Pointer Parish. With her sisters, Juanita 
and Lois, Mrs. Massey attended Douglass Elementary and High School in 
El Paso, where she played the saxophone in the band and marched in the 
Sun Bowl Parade. She then earned a scholarship to attend Tillotson 
College in Austin, Texas and later transferred to Southern University 
in Baton Rouge, Louisiana to study business administration. After 
college, Mrs. Massey worked for a time as registrar and secretary to 
the president of what is now Norfolk State University in Portsmouth, 
Virginia. She then returned to El Paso and gave birth to three 
daughters between 1946 and 1952, Congresswoman Barbara Lee, Mrs. 
Mildred Whitfield and Mrs. Beverly Hardy.
  Mrs. Massey's daughters never had to look far for an outstanding role 
model. While at Southern University, Mrs. Massey had boycotted a 
sorority which barred a friend from pledging because of the darkness of 
her skin. She even organized for revered civil rights leader Mary 
McLeod Bethune to go to the university to help change the policy. 
Because of Mrs. Massey's efforts, the discriminatory practice was 
ended. Then, when El Paso began integrating its public schools, she was 
one of the first seven African-American students to integrate Texas 
Western College, now the University of Texas at El Paso.
  Mrs. Massey made history by being the first African American to be 
hired in not one, but multiple positions. She was the first black 
clerical worker at Ft. Bliss, Texas in the Postal Locator. After she 
moved to San Fernando, California in 1960, she was the first African 
American to work at the Raymond Lamp Company, at the Veterans 
Administration Hospital in Sylmar, California, as Assistant Manager of 
the Lerner Dress Store in Panorama City, California, and as Manager of 
the Rembrandt Sign Company in San Fernando. In short, Mrs. Massey's 
life in and of itself was a testament to the advancement of African 
Americans before, during, and after the Civil Rights Movement.
  Mrs. Massey was not only a trailblazer but also a devoted mother. At 
one point, she worked three jobs to support her daughters and aging 
father. Mrs. Massey was so dedicated to her children that after her 
retirement, she worked for another twelve years to help found and 
manage her daughter Congresswoman Barbara Lee's business. Throughout 
her life, this love and devotion continued to extend to not just her 
daughters, but her seven grandchildren, sixteen great grandchildren and 
one great, great grandchild as well.
  Maya Angelou once said, ``A great soul serves everyone all the time. 
A great soul never dies.''
  Mrs. Massey is one such great soul, who served humanity in a special 
way. Each day she graced the people around her with an enthusiastic 
sincerity of presence. Her impression on this earth extends beyond 
herself to those whom she inspired and supported, and for it she will 
be remembered for time to come.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues in the House of Representatives to 
join me and my wife, Vivian, in paying tribute to Mrs. Mildred Parish 
Massey for the inspiring life that she led. We stand united with 
Congresswoman Barbara Lee and we extend our deepest sympathies to her 
family, friends and loved ones during this difficult time. We pray that 
they will be consoled and comforted by an abiding faith and the Holy 
Spirit in the days, weeks and months ahead.

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