[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 19 (Monday, January 29, 2018)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E106]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         HONORING JULIUS LESTER

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. BENNIE G. THOMPSON

                             of mississippi

                    in the house of representatives

                        Monday, January 29, 2018

  Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor a 
remarkable person, Mr. Julius Lester.
  In the summer of 1964, better known as the Freedom Summer of 1964, 
Julius Lester traveled to Mississippi to register African-Americans to 
vote, while documenting the Civil Rights Movement through photographs. 
Lester also is known for assembling Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s notes 
while he was imprisoned in the Birmingham jail that became the famous 
``Letter from Birmingham Jail.'' His work to inform the public of the 
Civil Rights Movement is appreciated and admired to this very day.
  In 1961, Lester went on to serve as the executive director of the 
Southern Christian Leadership Conference until 1964. He authored over 
40 books during his lifetime and received prestigious honors for his 
work; such as the New York Times Outstanding Book Award, the Boston 
Globe-Horn Book Award and many others. Lester also served as a 
professor at the University of Massachusetts for over 30 years.
  Today, we mourn the death of Julius Lester. As a prominent figure, he 
managed to provoke thought in all of those who he came in contact with 
either in person or through his work.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in recognizing the life 
and legacy of Mr. Julius Lester.

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