[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 25 (Monday, February 13, 2017)]
[House]
[Pages H1116-H1117]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                          BLACK HISTORY MONTH

  (Mr. LAWSON of Florida asked and was given permission to address the 
House for 1 minute.)
  Mr. LAWSON of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in honor of Black 
History Month. It is especially meaningful to me this year as I am so 
proud to have the honor to represent the great people of Florida's 
Fifth Congressional District.
  Now, more than ever, it is incumbent upon all of us to work to ensure 
we are protecting our beacons of democracy within our government 
institutions, from maintaining a vigilant and responsive Department of 
Justice, to a robust Department of Health and Human Services, to 
ensuring that our Department of Education is advancing public education 
and protecting our Historically Black Colleges and Universities.
  One African-American who left a lasting legacy in education in 
Florida is John G. Riley, who was born a slave in 1857 and who died as 
a millionaire in 1954. Riley was a schoolteacher in Wakulla County, 
near Tallahassee, and later became the principal of Lincoln Academy in 
Tallahassee, Florida, serving the community as an educator for 49 
years.
  Riley was also the first African-American in Tallahassee to own 
property at the turn of the century. Today, we can all visit the John 
G. Riley Museum for African American History and Culture to learn more 
about his contributions to the fabric of African-American history.

[[Page H1117]]

  In Jacksonville, we celebrate Mary Littlejohn Singleton, who became 
the first Black woman elected to the City Council in Jacksonville, 
Florida, and then elevated herself to be elected to the Florida 
Legislature, the first one since the Reconstruction era. Singleton 
paved the way for other Black women to follow in her footsteps in the 
Florida Legislature, like former Congresswoman Carrie Meek, and our 
colleague, Frederica Wilson, who serves now with us today.
  It is stories like John G. Riley's and Singleton's and countless 
others that remind me to work and lead us ahead in the future. We must 
think differently and act differently to affect change by working 
together to help our fellow men and women.
  I am committed to standing with the Congressional Black Caucus and to 
keep the fight for equality for all Americans.

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