[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 23 (Tuesday, February 6, 2018)]
[House]
[Pages H898-H900]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    IN HONOR OF BLACK HISTORY MONTH

  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Taylor). Under the Speaker's announced 
policy of January 3, 2017, the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Soto) is 
recognized for 60 minutes as the designee of the minority leader.
  Mr. SOTO. Mr. Speaker, in honor of Black History Month, I first would 
like to take a moment to remember a hero of the civil rights movement 
in central Florida.
  Harry T. Moore was born on November 18, 1905. He was an African-
American educator, a pioneer leader of the

[[Page H899]]

civil rights movement, and founder of the first branch of the National 
Association for the Advancement of Colored People, the NAACP, in 
Brevard County, Florida.
  Harry T. Moore and his wife, Harriette Vyda Simms Moore, who was also 
an educator, were the victims of a bombing of their home in Mims, 
Florida. On that fateful Christmas night in 1951, he died in an 
ambulance on the way to the hospital in Seminole County, while she died 
January 3, 1952, at a hospital also in Sanford, Florida.
  Forensic work in 2005 to 2006 resulted in the naming of the probable 
perpetrators as four Ku Klux Klan members, all long dead by the time of 
the investigation.
  The Moores were trailblazers as the first NAACP members to fight for 
civil rights, and, unfortunately, were murdered as a result of their 
activism. Moore has been called the first martyr of the early stages of 
the civil rights movement.

  Mr. Harry T. Moore and Harriette Vyda Simms Moore, we salute and 
honor you.


               Saluting and Honoring Captain Keva Harris

  Mr. SOTO. Mr. Speaker, in honor of Black History Month, I want to 
recognize Captain Keva Harris, born in Bartow, Florida, and raised in 
Haines City, Florida, in a family that stressed community involvement.
  While in high school, Ms. Harris worked with her grandmother to raise 
funds for band instruments and school trips. After her high school 
graduation, she started studying tae kwon do, opening a school for the 
Oakland community with her future husband, Ricky.
  She attended Polk Community College, and was hired as Haines City's 
first African-American female officer in 1993.
  While on the force, Captain Harris attended Warner University, 
graduating with a bachelor's degree and an MBA.
  She also attended the University of Phoenix, graduating with a 
master's in science and criminal justice.
  She is also the first Black woman in the city's history to hold an 
administrative position with the police force, but always coming back 
to community involvement, she became commander of the community service 
division in 2015.
  Harris became a lieutenant in 2006, and later that year was promoted 
to captain.
  In addition to her police duties, Ms. Harris is a longstanding member 
of the Haines City branch of the NAACP, which her mother-in-law served 
as a longtime president.
  Captain Harris is a member of the Northeast Revitalization Group, an 
organization that serves the Oakland community with neighborhood 
cleanup, a Christmas breakfast, a local museum, and the city's annual 
Martin Luther King, Jr., parade.
  She is also part of the Unity in the Community, started by a group of 
local pastors that give back to the community through backpack drives 
for schoolchildren, holiday turkey giveaways, and a health fair.
  She is a member of the New Beulah Missionary Baptist Church.
  Captain Keva Harris, we salute you.


     Saluting and Honoring the Austin Family of Lake Wales, Florida

  Mr. SOTO. Mr. Speaker, in honor of Black History Month, I want to 
recognize the Austin family of Lake Wales, Florida.
  James P. Austin, Jr., was born in 1919. He served in the United 
States Army as a staff sergeant during World War II. Mr. Austin served 
as the Lake Wales NAACP president for over 33 years, founding the 
branch along with his wife, Jeresa Austin, and Reverend W.J.H. Black.
  During his tenure, both Austins were instrumental in the sit-ins and 
swim-ins as far away as Ocala and St. Augustine in the 1960s, as well 
as the integration of the Polk Theatre in Lakeland in 1976.
  Mr. Austin was elected to the Lake Wales City Commission, vice mayor, 
and became the first African-American mayor of Lake Wales in 1987.
  As well as a civil rights leader, Mr. Austin was a major developer in 
Lake Wales, building many of the homes on the northwest part of the 
city, and had a community center named after him.
  Jeresa lived for about 4 years after her husband's death, serving as 
a teacher in Polk County schools.
  James' brother, Reverend Allen Austin, was a longtime pastor of the 
First Institutional Missionary Baptist Church in Lake Wales, and for 
the past 5 years has served as pastor of the First Baptist Hilltop 
Church in Frostproof.
  James' sister, Lula Jones, was born in 1925 in Lake Wales, Florida. 
After graduating, Ms. Jones worked as a housekeeper and, along with her 
brothers, was a member of the Lake Wales branch of the NAACP.
  Ms. Jones is involved with the American Legion Post 71 Auxiliary in 
Lake Wales, supporting veterans in the community.
  Ms. Jones said of her family's service to the community: ``We 
remember how it was back in the day and always worked to make it better 
for our children.''
  Ms. Jones is highly regarded as a pillar of the community. For that, 
we salute the Austin family.


              Saluting and Honoring Dr. Barbara M. Jenkins

  Mr. SOTO. Mr. Speaker, in honor of Black History Month, I want to 
recognize Dr. Barbara Jenkins.
  Dr. Jenkins is the superintendent of Orange County Public Schools. 
She is a recognized education leader, who has been dedicated to serving 
the needs of students for over 30 years.
  In January 2017, she received a presidential appointment as director 
of the National Board of Education Sciences. She serves on the 
executive board of directors of multiple councils in the central 
Florida area.
  Also in 2017, she was named the Florida Superintendent of the Year, 
and she was one of four finalists for the national title. The 
Association of Latino Administrators and Superintendents named her 
Hispanic-Serving School District Superintendent of the Year. The 
Florida Association for Career and Technical Education named her CTE 
Superintendent of the Year.
  Under Dr. Jenkins' leadership, the district won the prestigious 2014 
Broad Prize for Urban Education, which earned a half a million dollars 
for student scholarships.
  The district also received the Governor's Sterling Award in 2014 and 
2015, and the Sustained Excellence Award in 2017.
  Deeply engaged in the community, Dr. Jenkins serves on the board of 
directors of United Arts of Central Florida, Orlando Economic 
Partnership, Florida Hospital, Central Florida Commission on 
Homelessness, and the Orange County Youth Mental Health Commission.
  For that, Dr. Barbara Jenkins, we salute you.

                              {time}  1930


                  Saluting and Honoring Lawrence Epps

  Mr. SOTO. Mr. Speaker, in honor of Black History Month, I want to 
recognize Lawrence Epps.
  Lawrence Epps moved to Lake Wales with his grandmother when he was 12 
years old. As a Boy Scout, he and his troop shoveled out the graves, 
quickly changed into their uniforms during the funerals, then changed 
again and dashed back to the cemetery to cover the graves back up, just 
as a young boy.
  About 4 years ago, he began driving the ambulance on calls while also 
working for James P. Austin Construction Company, preparing the newly 
built homes for occupancy. An alumnus of Roosevelt High School, he 
transferred to Lake Wales High School in his senior year in 1969, the 
first year that the schools in Polk County were integrated.
  Epps completed his associate's degree in mortuary science at Miami-
Dade Junior College in 1973, and returned to Polk County serving as a 
special deputy with the Polk County Sheriff's Office from 1974 to 1980. 
Epps, who was barely 26 when he began Epps Memorial Funeral Home in 
1976, has served the bereaved of the community for over four decades.
  In 2013, the State organization named him Mortician of the Year, 
which Tommy L. Hayes, president of the Florida Morticians Association, 
says is an honor bestowed by Epps' peers.
  Two decades later in 1996, Epps achieved a personal goal when he was 
ordained a minister through the Progressive Missionary & Educational 
Baptist State Convention.
  Mr. Epps has been president of the Roosevelt Alumni Association since 
1978, an organization that helps raise money through scholarships and 
school

[[Page H900]]

supplies for students of Lake Wales. He also is a member of the Lake 
Wales Chamber of Commerce and has been a member of the board since 
1998.
  Epps has said that the mortuary business is a lot of hard work and 
dedication, but the rewards that come with helping people get through a 
difficult time are great. He is a firm believer in the adage, ``The 
village raises the child,'' and plans to continue giving back to his 
adopted home for many years to come.
  And for that, Mr. Epps, we salute you.


                  Saluting and Honoring Russell Drake

  Mr. SOTO. Mr. Speaker, in honor of Black History Month, I want to 
recognize Russell Drake.
  Russell Drake is the president of the Orange County Democratic Black 
Caucus. He is a Christian man, community activist, engineering 
professional; and he attended Howard University with a focus in systems 
and computer science.
  Upon finishing school, he moved to Orlando, Florida, where he has 
worked as a systems engineer at two Fortune 500 corporations over the 
last 15 years.
  Outside of work, Russell has a focus and passion for uplifting the 
community, leading him to be a very active member in the Orlando 
metropolitan area through individual and group efforts of service.
  On his own accord, Russell is a supporter of various youth programs, 
mentoring activities, food drives, homeless empowerment initiatives, 
voter action rallies, and civic and political awareness causes.
  Mr. Drake is part of the African American Chamber of Commerce of 
Central Florida, Central Florida Urban League Young Professionals, 
National Pan-Hellenic Council of Metro Orlando, NPHC, the NAACP Orange 
County Branch, the National Society of Black Engineers, the Omega Psi 
Phi Fraternity, and the Democratic Black Caucus of Florida.
  Mr. Drake's active nature has earned him appointments to the African 
American Advisory Board of WESH 2 News Orlando and to the Boy Scouts of 
America, Whitney M. Young Council.
  In spiritual life, Mr. Drake is a member of the Saint Mark African 
Methodist Episcopal Church where he serves on the trustee board, usher 
board, praise and dance team, and men's choir.
  Last but not least, Mr. Drake regards his lovely family to always 
come first. For that, Mr. Drake, we salute you.


                    Honoring the Life of Recy Taylor

  Mr. SOTO. Mr. Speaker, in honor of Black History Month, I want to 
recognize Recy Taylor.
  Recy Taylor was a 24-year-old African American in 1944 when she was 
kidnapped and raped maliciously by six White men in Abbeville, Alabama.
  The NAACP sent a young activist, Rosa Parks, to investigate this 
travesty. Like so many other crimes involving African-American victims 
in this era, this crime was never brought to trial.
  After reporting the crime to local officials, Mrs. Taylor was 
intimidated to recant by vigilantes, but she did not. Even after an 
all-White, all-male jury dismissed the first case after 5 minutes of 
deliberation, Recy Taylor, with the help of Rosa Parks and the NAACP, 
continued to organize and form the Committee for Equal Justice for the 
Rights of Mrs. Recy Taylor.
  This committee had 18 chapters across the Nation and included 
activists such as W.E.B. Du Bois, Mary Church Terrell, and Langston 
Hughes. The committee lobbied Alabama Governor Chauncey Sparks until he 
called for another investigation.
  In the documentary, ``The Rape of Recy Taylor,'' Mrs. Taylor said: `` 
. . . they didn't try and do nothing about it. I can't help but tell 
the truth of what they done to me.''
  Mrs. Taylor's acts of courage were one of the catalysts that led to 
the modern-day civil rights movement. She was also recently referenced 
by the famous and world-renowned Oprah Winfrey in her ``Time's Up'' 
speech and will forever be memorialized as a result.
  Many of the members of the committee went on to plan and lead the 
Montgomery Bus Boycott as well.
  Today, I posthumously honor this long-term Winter Haven resident in 
my district, Recy Taylor, for her act of courage and bravery, and for 
that I recognize you, Mrs. Taylor.


                         Honoring Desmond Meade

  Mr. SOTO. Mr. Speaker, in honor of Black History Month, I want to 
recognize Desmond Meade.

  Desmond Meade is a formerly homeless returning citizen who overcame 
many obstacles to eventually be the current executive director of the 
Florida Rights Restoration Coalition, chair of the Floridians for Fair 
Democracy, chair of the Florida Coalition on Black Civic Participation, 
and Black Men's Roundtable.
  Desmond is a graduate of the Florida International University College 
of Law. As president of the FRRC, which is recognized for its work on 
felon disenfranchisement issues, Desmond led the citizen's initiative 
to allow Florida voters to decide to end the disenfranchisement and 
discrimination against people with felony convictions, create a more 
human reentry system that will enhance successful reentry, reduce mass 
incarceration, and increase public safety by empowering those impacted 
by our criminal justice system.
  Desmond spoke before national organizations, such as the United 
States Conference of Catholic Bishops and Bread for the World, on the 
challenges of returning citizens as well.
  Desmond recently orchestrated a historic meeting at the White House 
between returning citizens and the President's administration. He was 
recognized as a foot soldier on the Melissa Harris-Perry show on MSNBC.
  Desmond recently successfully got a restoration of rights amendment 
onto the ballot which gives Floridians the right to vote to end this 
legacy of Jim Crow laws in the South that bar felons from restoring 
their rights after they have fulfilled their sentences and met their 
debt to society. We are one of only four States left with this terribly 
discriminatory law.
  Desmond is married and also has five beautiful children, and for 
that, Mr. Meade, we honor you.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

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