[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 147 (Wednesday, September 28, 2016)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1395]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




         A TRIBUTE TO CIVIL RIGHTS LEGEND FRANKIE MUSE FREEMAN

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                           HON. WM. LACY CLAY

                              of missouri

                    in the house of representatives

                     Wednesday, September 28, 2016

  Mr. CLAY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to Frankie Muse 
Freeman, a remarkable American who will soon celebrate her 100th 
birthday on November 24, 2016. As an exceptional and groundbreaking 
attorney, Frankie Freeman is a long-time civil rights icon who has set 
a standard of excellence in the law, housing reform, social justice, 
protecting the right to vote and personal courage.
  Attorney Frankie Muse Freeman is a trailblazer who has been making 
history for decades. A brilliant, public service-oriented lawyer, she 
has devoted her life to opening up the doors of equal opportunity for 
all.
  Her career has been exceptional in many ways. It includes her 
dedicated service as a member of the U.S. Civil Rights Commission and 
Inspector General of the Community Services Administration, as well as 
her long time service as an attorney for the St. Louis Housing 
Authority.
  Mrs. Freeman's extraordinary work has been recognized across 
generations and across this nation. This living legend was instrumental 
in creating the Citizens Commission on Civil Rights in 1982, inducted 
into the International Civil Rights Walk of Fame at the Martin Luther 
King, Jr. National Historic Site in 2007, and appointed by President 
Barack Obama to serve as a Member of the Commission on Presidential 
Scholars in 2015.
  In addition, she has been the recipient of numerous awards such as 
the Spingarn Medal from the NAACP and the Spirit of Excellence Award 
from the American Bar Association's Commission on Racial and Ethnic 
Diversity in the Profession.
  I have known Mrs. Freeman since my earliest days growing up in St. 
Louis. She stood shoulder-to-shoulder with my father, former 
Congressman Bill Clay, and other national leaders to help break down 
the walls of segregation. A grand and gracious lady, and a person of 
total integrity, she has truly been a mentor to me, whose learned 
opinion I still seek out on a regular basis.
  A noted author, she published her memoir, ``A Song of Faith and 
Hope,'' to critical acclaim in 2003. She is also a Past President of 
the Delta Sigma Theta Sorority.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge Members of Congress to join me in honoring 
Frankie Muse Freeman on her centennial, she has helped so many and 
continues to inspire us to have courage, to work towards transformative 
change, and to confront injustice and inequality wherever it exists.

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