[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 89 (Thursday, June 4, 2015)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E847]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




         HONORING CIVIL RIGHTS ACTIVIST REV. FREDERICK D. REESE

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. TERRI A. SEWELL

                               of alabama

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, June 4, 2015

  Ms. SEWELL of Alabama. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor renowned 
civil rights leader Rev. Frederick D. Reese, a pillar in the Selma to 
Montgomery marches of 1965. This courageous Alabamian is being honored 
on Saturday June 7, 2015, in my hometown of Selma, Alabama, for his 
service and contributions to education and politics, as well as the 
fight for equality and justice. I am proud to be a part of efforts to 
pay homage to one of the most influential Americans in history.
  Dr. Reese was born November 28, 1929. A believer in education, he 
graduated from Alabama State University and Livingston University, and 
studied and attended Southern University, the University of Alabama and 
Auburn University before receiving his doctorate of divinity from Selma 
University.
  Dr. Reese is an historic figure of modern history known for his 
support of civil rights. Dr. Reese rose to national prominence as a 
civil rights leader following ``Bloody Sunday.''
  This beloved civil rights activist marched across the Edmund Pettus 
Bridge in Selma, Alabama in 1965, along with hundreds of other 
supporters. By the mid-1960's, Reese was President of the Dallas County 
Voter's League and was also a local teacher who presided over the Selma 
Teachers Association. Discouraged by Selma's efforts to hinder voter 
registration for African Americans, Dr. Reese advocated that teachers 
press the issue. Dr. Reese invited Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr. and 
the Southern Christian Leadership Conference to lead Selma's voting 
rights protest.
  Dr. Reese has served the Selma and Dallas County community faithfully 
and his exemplary work and commitment to social justice is well known. 
Notably, Dr. Reese hasn't left the community that he helped become the 
center of the civil rights movement in the 1960s. Dr. Reese has been 
quoted as saying his new fight is to inspire young people to lead 
purposeful lives.
  ``I tell young people today that they cannot rest on our victories,'' 
Dr. Reese said. ``We have to remain committed. That means registering 
to vote and participating in what this country has to offer. That means 
making a difference for others.''
  Dr. Reese said that he marched so that everyone, regardless of color, 
could become a first-class citizen. Dr. Reese knows that you have to 
stand for what you believe in. He became nationally known for his 
beliefs and inspired others to stand as well. Dr. Reese has remained 
committed to education and service. He became a principal and a city 
councilman, serving 12 years on the Selma City Council. He also ran for 
mayor in 1984, and led a campaign to motivate Wal-Mart executives to 
hire African-Americans as store managers.
  In 2000, in honor of his civil rights work, a stretch of more than 
three miles of U.S. Route 80, where he marched to Montgomery, was named 
the Frederick D. Reese Parkway. The F.D. Reese Christian Academy in 
Kokomo, Indiana, was also dedicated to him.
  Dr. Reese has been the pastor of Selma's Ebenezer Baptist Church 
since 1965. Although he is retired from teaching, he still works as a 
Baptist minister and delivers a sermon to his congregation each week.
  On behalf of the 7th Congressional District, the State of Alabama and 
this nation, I ask my colleagues to join me in celebrating the 
accomplishments of Reverend Dr. F.D. Reese. We pay tribute to his 
distinguished career and honor his contributions and leadership in the 
civil rights movement. My deep appreciation is expressed for his 
courageous, distinguished and on-going service.