[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 99 (Tuesday, June 21, 2016)]
[House]
[Pages H3994-H3996]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
AMELIA BOYNTON ROBINSON POST OFFICE BUILDING
Mr. BLUM. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill
(H.R. 4777) to designate the facility of the United States Postal
Service located at 1301 Alabama Avenue in Selma, Alabama as the
``Amelia Boynton Robinson Post Office Building''.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
H.R. 4777
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of
the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. AMELIA BOYNTON ROBINSON POST OFFICE BUILDING.
(a) Designation.--The facility of the United States Postal
Service located at 1301 Alabama Avenue in Selma, Alabama,
shall be known and designated as the ``Amelia Boynton
Robinson Post Office Building''.
(b) References.--Any reference in a law, map, regulation,
document, paper, or other record of the United States to the
facility referred to in subsection (a) shall be deemed to be
a reference to the ``Amelia Boynton Robinson Post Office
Building''.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
Iowa (Mr. Blum) and the gentlewoman from Michigan (Mrs. Lawrence) each
will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Iowa.
General Leave
Mr. BLUM. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may
have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and
to include extraneous material on the bill under consideration.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from Iowa?
There was no objection.
Mr. BLUM. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
I rise in support of H.R. 4777, introduced by Representative Terri
Sewell of Alabama. The bill designates a post office in Selma, Alabama,
as the Amelia Boynton Robinson Post Office Building.
{time} 1545
Mrs. Boynton Robinson was a civil rights leader who marched on the
Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma and fought to ensure equality for all.
I look forward to learning more about Amelia Boynton Robinson's life
from my colleague and the sponsor of this bill, Representative Sewell.
I urge Members to support this bill.
I reserve the balance of my time.
Mrs. LAWRENCE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to join my colleagues in the consideration
of H.R. 4777, a bill to designate the facility of the United States
Postal Service located in Selma, Alabama, as the Amelia Boynton
Robinson Post Office Building.
Known as the matriarch of the civil rights movement, Amelia Boynton
Robinson began her activism as a child, along with her mother, on
horse-and-buggy trips to pass out women's suffrage pamphlets prior to
the 1910s. By 1930, Amelia was helping register southern African
American voters.
In 1964, she became the first African American woman to run for
Congress in Alabama. Although she lost the Democratic primary, her
campaign drew increased interest to the issue of voting rights.
Having participated in the Southern Christian Leadership Conference
since meeting Dr. Martin Luther King in 1954, Amelia helped organize
the march from Selma to Montgomery.
Mr. Speaker, we should pass this bill to make sure that a place in
history that was changed by this woman's leadership commemorates her
and her tireless efforts on behalf of civil and voting rights in our
country.
I urge the passage of H.R. 4777.
I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. BLUM. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mrs. LAWRENCE. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as she may consume to
the gentlewoman from Alabama (Ms. Sewell).
Ms. SEWELL of Alabama. Mr. Speaker, today I am honored to rise in
strong support of H.R. 4777, to designate the United States Post Office
at 1301 Alabama Avenue in Selma, Alabama, as the Amelia Boynton
Robinson Post Office Building.
Mrs. Amelia Boynton Robinson was known as the matriarch of the voting
rights movement. Her life and legacy epitomized strength, resiliency,
perseverance, and courage, the same characteristics that embody the
city of Selma, Alabama, my hometown, where she made such a significant
impact.
Amelia Boynton Robinson was named the only female lieutenant to Dr.
Martin Luther King, Jr., during the civil rights movement. In this
role, she would travel alongside Dr. King and often appear in his stead
for numerous events and gatherings.
Amelia Boynton Robinson was also well known for braving the frontline
of the Selma march on the Edmund Pettus Bridge, where she was brutally
attacked and left for dead on Bloody Sunday, on March 7, 1965. It was
the picture of a bloody and beaten Amelia Boynton that appeared on the
front page of The New York Times and showed the world the brutality of
racism in the fight for voter equality.
During the violent attacks, this heroine never gave up hope, hope in
an ideal that is all America. It is democracy. She believed so
fervently that all Americans should have the right to vote, and she was
willing to die for it.
It was the direct involvement of Amelia Boynton Robinson and the foot
soldiers who dared to march from Selma to Montgomery that led to the
passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. She was such a valued part of
this process that some of the contents of the voting rights bill were
drafted at her kitchen table in Selma.
A courageous trailblazer even before Bloody Sunday, Amelia Boynton
Robinson, on May 5, 1964, broke all barriers as the first Black woman
in the State of Alabama to run for Congress. She ran to represent the
Seventh Congressional District of Alabama, the seat I am so honored to
hold today. She garnered 10.7 percent of the vote during a
[[Page H3995]]
time when very few Blacks were registered to vote. I know, Mr. Speaker,
that the journey that I now take as Alabama's first Black Congresswoman
was only made possible because of the courage, tenacity, and faith of
Amelia Boynton Robinson.
Last year, before Mrs. Boynton passed, I was honored to have her as
my special guest at the State of the Union. It was incredibly moving to
see Members of Congress from both sides of the aisle and members of the
President's Cabinet line up to greet her and to take pictures with her.
Everyone thanked her for her service to this country. Even President
Obama came to talk and thank Mrs. Boynton before he gave his address at
the State of the Union.
This picture documents that very time when she got to meet the
President of the United States for the first time. The memory of that
moment will stand as one of the highlights of my time here in Congress.
The symbolism of this picture is not lost on any of us. It was truly
because of her bravery and the bravery of other foot soldiers who dared
to march, like our very own colleague, John Lewis, that paved the way
for the election of this country's first Black President.
Just a few months later, on March 6, 2015, she joined hands with our
own President Barack Obama again, to retrace the path that she took
across the Edmund Pettus Bridge on the 50th anniversary of Bloody
Sunday, when she and our colleague, John Lewis, were beaten over 50
years ago. Amelia Boynton Robinson passed away just a few months later
on August 26, 2015, at the age of 104.
She was featured prominently in the movie ``Selma'' for her tenacity
and her bravery. She truly embodied what they were fighting for as foot
soldiers. I was so glad that before her death she was able to cross
that bridge one more time, and this time with two Presidents: President
Barack Obama and President George Bush. So many of my colleagues joined
us that day, and we continue to honor her legacy by supporting this
legislation and naming the Selma Post Office in her honor.
As a daughter of Selma, I am honored to sponsor this legislation, and
I can think of no one more deserving to have their name on a post
office in Selma, Alabama, than Amelia Boynton Robinson. She truly
represents the heart, spirit, and essence of Selma, Alabama, and the
voting rights movement.
In closing, I am reminded of the words that Amelia Boynton Robinson
said during her visit to this Capitol at the State of the Union in
2015. As Members of Congress and Cabinet members took pictures with her
in the Halls of this Capitol, they said to Mrs. Robinson: ``I stand on
your shoulders. I wouldn't be here if it weren't for you.''
Ms. Boynton finally, after the fifth person said that to her, ``I
stand on your shoulders,'' she looked up, as only a person of 104
would, and said, ``Get off my shoulders.'' She said: ``Do your own
work. There is plenty of work to be done.''
Mr. Speaker, this august body still has work to do to fully restore
the Voting Rights Act of 1965, which was gutted by the Supreme Court in
the Shelby v. Holder decision of 2013. I ask my Republican colleagues
to join the 180 members of the Democratic Caucus who have sponsored the
Voting Rights Advancement Act. It is this bill that will give back the
enforcement arm of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, and it is up to
Congress to restore the Voting Rights Act.
In memory of Amelia Boynton Robinson, I urge my colleagues to not
only support the naming of this post office in H.R. 4777, but they can
honor the memory of her and so many of the foot soldiers' bravery by
passing the Voting Rights Advancement Act of 2015. The right to vote is
a sacred right, Mr. Speaker, and no American should be denied access to
the ballot box.
Ms. LAWRENCE. Mr. Speaker, can you tell me how much time I have
remaining?
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentlewoman from Alabama has 11\1/2\
minutes remaining.
Mr. BLUM. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mrs. LAWRENCE. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to
the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Lewis).
Mr. LEWIS. Mr. Speaker, I rise to express my support for this bill. I
want to congratulate the gentlewoman from Alabama for her good and
great work on this bill.
Amelia Boynton Robinson was a daughter of Georgia who moved to
Alabama to study at Tuskegee Institute. After graduating, she began
working for the United States Department of Agriculture in Dallas
County, Alabama, where Selma is the county seat. This is where Mrs.
Boynton met her husband, Samuel Boynton. They raised their sons--Bill,
Jr., and Bruce Carver--on the front lines of the fight for equality and
civil rights.
I remember going to Selma, Alabama, for the first time in 1963, at
the age of 23, to help African Americans gain the right to vote. Mrs.
Boynton was one of the first individuals I met. She worked tirelessly.
She organized. She mobilized. She spoke. She led. She was fearless.
Mrs. Boynton was one of the very first African Americans to register
to vote in Dallas County. The county had an African American majority,
but only about 2.1 percent of African Americans of voting age were
registered to vote. People had to stand in lines. On occasion, they
were asked to count the number of bubbles on a bar of soap, the number
of jelly beans in a jar. Occasionally, people had to pass a so-called
literacy test.
Time after time, she stood up to brutality and injustice. I remember
her very well on Bloody Sunday. Mrs. Boynton was knocked down by
Alabama State Troopers and trampled by horses and tear-gassed, but she
never gave up. She kept her faith. She kept her eyes on the prize. Mrs.
Boynton's vision, determination, and commitment helped to pave the way
for the passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
Last year, when she passed away, at the age of 104, I mourned with
the rest of the Nation. I was happy that during her long life she had
an opportunity to see the impact of her work.
So I think, Mr. Speaker, it is so fitting for a post office to be
named in her honor. Her work has changed not just Selma, but the entire
State of Alabama, the South, our Nation, and inspired people all around
our world. I hope that all of my colleagues will support this important
bill.
Mrs. LAWRENCE. Mr. Speaker, I have no further speakers to bring forth
today.
I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. BLUM. Mr. Speaker, I urge adoption of the bill.
I yield back the balance of my time.
Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to support H.R. 4777,
which designates the facility of the United States Postal Service
located at 1301 Alabama Avenue in Selma, Alabama as the ``Amelia
Boynton Robinson Post Office Building.''
I support this legislation, because it commemorates Amelia Boynton
Robinson's historic role during the Civil Rights Movement.
Not only was Amelia a courageous activist in Selma, Alabama during
the height of the Civil Rights Movement, she also taught in Georgia
before starting with the U.S. Department of Agriculture in Selma as the
home demonstration agent for Dallas County.
She educated the county's largely rural population about food
production and processing, nutrition, healthcare, and other subjects
related to agriculture and homemaking.
We celebrate Amelia for her invaluable contributions to her community
and her country.
Amelia worked for the promotion of civil rights for all and protested
the continued segregation and disenfranchisement of African Americans.
Amelia registered to vote, which was extremely difficult for African
Americans to accomplish in Alabama due to discriminatory practices
under the state's reactionary constitution passed at the turn of the
century.
Amelia Boynton Robinson made her home and office in Selma a center
for strategy sessions for Selma's civil rights battles, including its
voting rights campaign.
In 1964, Amelia ran for the Congress from Alabama, with the intent to
encourage African Americans to register and vote.
This made Amelia the first female African American to run for office
in Alabama and the first woman of any race to run for office as a
candidate of the Democratic party in the state of Alabama.
Amelia is also known for her role in Selma to Montgomery marches,
where she worked alongside Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Coretta Scott
King, our beloved colleague Congressman John Lewis, and other
monumental figures in the epochal struggle to secure the right to vote
for all Americans.
Amelia helped organize a march to the state capital of Montgomery,
which became known
[[Page H3996]]
as ``Bloody Sunday'' when county and state police stopped the march and
beat demonstrators.
Amelia was beaten unconscious and a newspaper of her lying bloody and
beaten drew national attention to the cause.
Men and women like Amelia marched because they believed that all
persons have dignity and the right to equal treatment under the law,
and in the making of the laws, which is the fundamental essence of the
right to vote.
Bloody Sunday led to the passage of the landmark Voting Rights Act of
1965, which was signed by President Lyndon Johnson on August 6, 1965,
in the presence of Amelia Boynton Robinson, with Boynton attending as
the landmark event's guest of honor.
Amelia was awarded the Martin Luther King Jr. Medal of Freedom and
toured the United States on behalf of the Schiller Institute until
2009.
Mr. Speaker, naming the post office in honor of Amelia Boynton
Robinson is a special and deserved commemoration of her life of
service.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the
gentleman from Iowa (Mr. Blum) that the House suspend the rules and
pass the bill, H.R. 4777.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the
rules were suspended and the bill was passed.
A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.
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