[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 152 (Thursday, September 21, 2017)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1245-E1246]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       HONORING CHARLIE MAE DAVIS

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. BARBARA LEE

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, September 21, 2017

  Ms. LEE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor an extraordinary mother, 
grandmother, activist, and public servant, Charlie Mae Davis. With her 
passing on September 9, 2017 the East Bay lost a champion for justice, 
and many of us lost a life-long friend.
  Charlie Mae was a Texas transplant to California. She was born in 
Rockdale, and graduated from high school in Waco. In 1950, she moved to 
California where she met her future husband, Arthur Lee Davis. Charlie 
Mae and Arthur Lee were married in 1964, and raised a wonderful family 
together.
  During this period when she was raising her family, Charlie Mae was 
very active in her community, and eventually went to work at Brookfield 
Elementary, where she would later retire after working as an assistant 
to the principal.
  Charlie Mae gave selflessly of her time to help improve her 
community, and was passionate about improving the lives of her 
neighbors in Oakland. In 1992, she, along with a core group of 
activists, worked to establish the Martin Luther King, Jr. March and 
Rally, which is the longest continuously held celebration in Oakland to 
honor the life and legacy of Dr. King. I was grateful to participate in 
this past year's Oakland MLK Day rally, marking the event's 25th 
anniversary. This wonderful event's continuation for future generations 
is a great legacy for Charlie Mae.

[[Page E1246]]

  Charlie Mae was also instrumental in the establishment of the Martin 
Luther King, Jr. Freedom Center in Oakland, an organization that I 
helped found and am particularly proud of. In the mid-1990's, we had 
this idea to create a leadership academy for students, inspired by the 
teachings of Dr. King.
  I was in the state legislature in California at the time, and I 
proposed a bill to establish a memorandum of understanding between the 
City of Oakland, the East Bay Park District and several other local 
agencies in order to provide the resources for the MLK Freedom Center 
to exist. Charlie Mae, who was one of the principal founders of the 
center, helped organize busloads of my constituents from Oakland up to 
Sacramento to testify on the importance of the project, and why the 
bill was so important.
  That effort was essential to the passage of the bill and the formal 
creation of the center, which now has taught hundreds of young people 
from the East Bay about leadership, conflict resolution, violence 
prevention and civic engagement and is really helping to create the 
next generation of social activist leaders.
  On a personal note, I was proud to call Charlie Mae my friend for 
decades, and am indebted to her for her leadership in empowering 
Oakland residents to work together to create a better city and world 
for themselves, their neighbors, and future generations. It was such an 
honor this past May to present Charlie Mae with the first Mildred 
Parish Massey Legacy Award, named after my late mother. It was a happy 
moment for Charlie Mae, and inspiring for me to know that I had the 
chance to say thank you to her for her service, her friendship, her 
leadership and her love.
  Today, California's 13th Congressional District honors Charlie Mae 
Davis' memory, and her lifetime of service working on behalf of social 
justice and equality. I join her loved ones in celebrating her 
incredible life with a promise to honor her tremendous legacy.

                          ____________________