[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 44 (Monday, March 16, 2015)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E333]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


                    HONORING AMELIA BOYNTON ROBINSON

                                  _____
                                 

                          HON. MARC A. VEASEY

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                         Monday, March 16, 2015

  Mr. VEASEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Amelia Boynton 
Robinson, a woman who made vast contributions to the civil rights 
movement.
  Amelia Boynton was born on August 18, 1911 in Savannah, Georgia, and 
was first exposed to the fight for equal rights at the age of 9, when 
she joined her mother in the women's suffrage movement. She learned 
four principles of life that she still carries on today: daily praying, 
always helping and showing compassion for others, standing up for the 
morally right, and becoming economically independent.
  After graduating from Tuskegee University, she also studied at 
Tennessee State, Virginia State, and Temple University. She became a 
registered voter in 1932, and was one of the first people to pass tests 
used as a barrier to prevent Southern blacks from being able to vote.
  In 1930, Amelia met Dallas County extension agent Samuel Boynton. The 
two shared the desire to improve the lives of African-Americans in 
their community. As a result, the Boynton's became co-founders of the 
Dallas County Voters League in 1933. In 1936, Amelia and Samuel married 
and had two sons, Bill, Jr. and Bruce Carver. After losing her husband 
in 1963, Amelia was not deterred from her commitment to improve the 
lives of African Americans.
  On February 29, 1964, Amelia Boynton ran on the Democratic ticket for 
a seat in Congress representing the state of Alabama, becoming the 
first African-American woman to run as a Democratic candidate as well 
as the first woman to run in the state's history.
  On March 7, 1965, at the age of 53, Amelia joined fellow civil rights 
activist Martin Luther King, Jr. in organizing the marches from Selma 
to Montgomery, Alabama. On that fateful day, 600 peaceful protestors 
tried to cross the Edmund Pettus Bridge and were met with the violence 
known as ``Bloody Sunday.'' Forever immortalized by photograph, the 
nation saw Amelia Boynton beaten unconscious and left for dead on this 
tragic day.
  ``Bloody Sunday'' prompted swift action by Congress and resulted in 
President Lyndon B. Johnson signing the Voting Rights Act on August 6, 
1965. President Johnson invited Amelia as a guest of honor during the 
signing of this important civil rights legislation.
  After the signing of the Voting Rights Act, Amelia continued her 
leadership across the nation as a writer, speaker, and social change 
ambassador.
  In 1990, Boynton was awarded the Martin Luther King, Jr. Medal of 
Freedom. She continued to tour the United States on behalf of the 
Schiller Institute, which continues to defend the human and moral 
rights of all.
  And on March 7, 2015, I was proud to have walked alongside Amelia 
Boynton during the 50th Anniversary of the March in Selma, Alabama. I 
ask my colleagues who also traced the very footsteps that Amelia took 
to pledge to go beyond just remembering those who sacrificed for us and 
resolve to carry on their legacy with action.

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