[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 79 (Thursday, May 21, 2015)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E771]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


            HONORING THE LIFE AND SERVICE OF MR. FRED CURLS

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. EMANUEL CLEAVER

                              of missouri

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, May 21, 2015

  Mr. CLEAVER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor and to remember the 
late 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 Friday, May 15, 2015, Mr. Curls passed away, after an 
incredible and inspiring ninety-six years of life.
   The silhouette of Mr. Curls now joins the always growing shadow of 
little-celebrated Kansas Citians whose work will make a difference for 
generations as yet unborn. Young African-American elected officials may 
not realize that the very office they hold--or aspire to hold--is, in 
no small part, related to the political pioneering of Mr. Curls.
   Mr. Curls was one of the original founders of Freedom Incorporated, 
an African-American political organization which at one time could 
generate nearly 70,000 votes and remains influential to this day. The 
organization was 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 dedicated his life to the 
Greater Kansas City community, promoting and improving political 
empowerment and the civil rights of people of color. The ripples of his 
efforts are felt in our community and around the country. 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, Fred Curls was 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 demonstrated his dedication and 
commitment to the greater good of others. He was actively involved with 
his high school graduating class, the Class of 1937, which remained 
close even in recent years. He was honored by Jackson County, Missouri, 
as one of its ``Legacy Awardees'' for its 175th anniversary as a 
political subdivision. He was also 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 believed in the saying ``make it happen.'' 
He put his principles into practice, and the results of his efforts 
``made it happen'' throughout the Kansas City metropolitan area.
   For those reasons and more, it is indeed an honor and a privilege to 
honor and remember the life of Mr. Fred Curls. Mr. Speaker, please join 
me in expressing our sympathies to the family of Mr. Fred Curls, and 
our gratitude for 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 was a true role model not just to the 
African-American community in Missouri, but to the entire community at 
large.

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