[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 51 (Thursday, March 26, 2015)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E432]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      HONORING WILLIE RENE LEFLORE

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. BENNIE G. THOMPSON

                             of mississippi

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, March 26, 2015

  Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor a 
remarkable public servant, Ms. Willie Rene Leflore.
  Ms. Leflore is a lifetime resident of Sunflower County, Mississippi.
  Ms. Leflore is a soldier encouraging others to sign up and be 
counted. In her words, ``Gone are the days of nurturing, chopping, 
hoeing, hauling water pails, getting up early, catching Bill 
Henderson's bus, etcetera, to work from sun up to sun down for $3.15 
daily''.
  Growing up, Ms. Leflore wanted to be free to enter the front doors of 
Labella Restaurant and ride at the front of the Grey Hound Bus. So, Ms. 
Leflore took a stand, and marched beside Cora Stone Johnson, Nelson 
Dotson, John Richardson, Lene and others for her civil rights.
  Ms. Leflore is a soldier for what is right. She believes in receiving 
the same privileges and rights as other races. She believes that all 
adults have their own mind to decide on what they want to participate 
in as long as it is right. She fought for that privilege. It was an 
acquired desire to march beside others who shared the same belief.
  Ms. Leflore worked, never missing a day unless she was sick. When she 
became ill, she had to retire. She has received numerous commendations 
as a loyal supporter of all athletic activities at Gentry High School. 
To this day, she still uses the phone as her legs and mouth, 
encouraging others to stand and show themselves approved. She believes 
that standing for what you believe in regardless, of the odds against 
you, and the pressure that tears at your resistance means courage, 
which is what she had to constantly remind herself of. She always kept 
a smile on her face, even when on the inside she felt like dying. She 
stopped at nothing. Doing what was instilled in her heart, is to make 
another's life a little more bearable. When she was in the moment, she 
was loyal, she wasn't selfish and she kept her head high.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in recognizing Ms. Willie 
Rene Leflore for her dedication to serving others and giving back to 
the African American community.

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