[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 62 (Tuesday, April 17, 2018)]
[House]
[Pages H3348-H3349]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




         HONORING THE LIFE OF REV. DR. FREDERICK DOUGLAS REESE

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from 
Alabama (Ms. Sewell) for 5 minutes.
  Ms. SEWELL of Alabama. Mr. Speaker, today I rise to honor a mentor, a 
fellow Selma, Alabama, native, voting rights activist, and an American 
hero, Rev. Dr. Frederick Douglas Reese, who passed away on April 5, 
2018, at the age of 88. Dr. Reese is best known for the pivotal role he 
played in the Selma to Montgomery march that led to the passage of the 
Voting Rights Act of 1965.
  It was Dr. Reese, as president of the Dallas County Voters League, 
who invited Dr. King and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference 
to Selma to organize and support their local voting rights campaign. As 
a longtime educator, pastor, and civil rights activist, Dr. Reese's 
life and legacy stands as a testament to the power of one man's ability 
to change the world.
  Dr. Reese was born in Selma, Alabama, on November 28, 1929, the only 
son of a strong, matriarchal family led by his mother, Ellie R. Reese, 
and that included his older sister siblings, Doris Reese and Annie 
Ratliff. His strong educational and spiritual home environment, coupled 
with the Christian education training he received, was the solid 
foundation of his success.
  An outstanding student, Dr. Reese graduated from Alabama State 
University and Livingston University with a degree in mathematics and 
continued his education at the University of Alabama, Southern 
University, and Auburn University before receiving his doctorate of 
divinity from Selma University.

                              {time}  1030

  Dr. Reese's teaching career began in Wilcox County, Alabama, where he 
taught science for 9 years and, most significantly, met his future 
bride, Alline, a fellow teacher. The two were married on June 28, 1953, 
and she remained his lifelong companion for 64 years.
  By the mid-1960s, Dr. Reese had returned to teach in Selma, Alabama, 
where he became the president of the Dallas County Voters League and 
president of the Selma Teachers Association. He used both leadership 
positions to actively educate Blacks in Selma about the right to vote. 
With courage and tenacity, Dr. Reese led the first-ever teachers march 
to the Selma Dallas County Courthouse in which over 100 Black teachers 
demanded the right to vote. He challenged his fellow teachers to 
exercise their right of citizenship by saying: ``How can we teach 
American civics if we ourselves cannot vote?''
  As the president of the Dallas County Voters League, he invited Dr. 
King to Selma to support their local efforts. With the help of Dr. King 
and SCLC, Dr. Reese organized a voting rights march on March 7, 1965, a 
day that will live in infamy as Bloody Sunday. During the march, 
protesters were brutally beaten and sprayed with tear gas simply for 
speaking out for their right to vote.
  The sacrifices made that day by foot soldiers like Dr. Reese were 
captured on national outlets and led to the rise of so many Americans 
who came to Alabama to support their efforts. The Selma to Montgomery 
marches which Dr. Reese set in motion led to the passage of the Voting 
Rights Act of 1965. While many minority Americans continue to face 
barriers to the polls today, our progress as a nation is unmistakable. 
We have Dr. Reese to thank for that progress.
  On a personal note, I know that I would not be here today as 
Alabama's first Black Congresswoman were it not for the work of Dr. 
Reese and so many foot soldiers who led the way, who looked our 
democracy in the eye and made us hold up to those ideals. It was my 
greatest honor as a Member of Congress to present to my fellow Selma 
native Dr. Reese the Congressional Gold Medal for his work in the 
voting rights movement on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the 
Selma to Montgomery march.
  Dr. Reese and others helped to change the course of American history 
and open the doors of opportunities for African Americans all across 
this Nation. We shall never forget the sacrifices that they made to our 
country.
  Mr. Speaker, on behalf of the Seventh Congressional District of 
Alabama; a great, grateful nation; and the State of Alabama, I ask my 
colleagues to join me in celebrating the life and contributions of 
Reverend Dr. Frederick Douglas Reese.
  Dr. Reese was an American hero, a national treasure, a beloved Selma 
native whose life's fight for voting rights will forever change the 
fabric of American history. May we all recommit ourselves to the cause 
he fought for by voting in every election: local, State, and Federal.

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