[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 172 (Friday, October 19, 2018)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1430-E1431]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               IN RECOGNITION OF MS. IRENE WHITLEY MARCUS

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. EMANUEL CLEAVER

                              of missouri

                    in the house of representatives

                        Friday, October 19, 2018

  Mr. CLEAVER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor a civil rights hero 
in the greater Kansas City area for her dedication and determination to 
ensuring the success of the African American community through equality 
and opportunity. Since the mid-twentieth century, Ms. Irene Whitley 
Marcus has worked feverishly to demolish anti-Black sentiments and 
discriminatory policies, in order to create accessible housing in the 
Kansas City community. During a time when segregation laws 
disproportionately afflicted Black Americans and civil unrest 
persisted, Ms. Marcus held firm to her belief that all of America's 
children were deserving of the liberties and rights guaranteed under 
the constitution, regardless of their skin tone.
  Through her memories and experiences, the history of the Black 
community in Kansas City is preserved and respected. World War II 
provided many Black families an opportunity for upward social mobility 
in the workforce and created the opportunity for minorities to purchase 
homes. Ms. Marcus tells of a time when Black businesses were rare and 
social life existed only in Black American homes due to

[[Page E1431]]

segregation laws that prohibited Blacks from eating at restaurants, 
attending clubs, and seeing movies in theatres.
  In an era when Black Americans worked twice as hard for subpar 
housing and employment, Ms. Marcus never gave up the fight for equality 
and opportunity. After a long day of work in 1958, she could be found 
amongst protesters, picketing the racist segregation policies that were 
commonplace during the time. For two months, she continued to challenge 
the current system as a member of the Twin Citians Social Club 
alongside the Community Committee for Social Action, until three 
establishments caved into their demands and banned segregation. The 
butterfly effect of this united front had begun. Many more 
establishments followed suit to remove such policies, and in 1963 Black 
activists in the city pushed to pass an ordinance effectively banning 
discrimination practices in all establishments available to the public.
  Ms. Marcus's vigilance opened doors for job-seeking Black Americans 
and allowed her to build the home she still lives in to this day. The 
Kansas City ordinance banning discrimination predated the Civil Rights 
Act, though it was not until the Act was passed that hundreds of Black 
Americans truly began to exercise their newly granted rights.
  She has seen her neighborhood, community, and city progress and 
continues to provide first-hand knowledge of the hardships many Black 
Americans endured and continue to face. Currently, Ms. Marcus is in 
possession of the largest photo collection of historic Black Kansas 
City. Her noteworthy contributions to establishments such as The Black 
Archives of Mid-America, the Kansas City Star, and the State Historical 
Society of Missouri have immortalized the hard work of countless Black 
civil rights activists. The entire district, myself included, is 
grateful to have such a devoted and determined social justice advocate 
in our community.
  Mr. Speaker, please join me and all of Missouri's Fifth Congressional 
District in honoring Ms. Irene Whitley Marcus for her commitment to 
social justice and her historic contributions to the Black community 
both in Kansas City and nationwide. It is with great respect that I 
urge all my colleagues and fellow citizens across the country to join 
me in showing our appreciation to Ms. Marcus for her unwavering 
dedication to protect Black history and civil rights.

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