[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 142 (Friday, September 6, 2019)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1104]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               RECOGNIZING DOROTHY LOUISE STRONG JOHNSON

                                 ______
                                 

                       HON. ELEANOR HOLMES NORTON

                      of the district of columbia

                    in the house of representatives

                       Friday, September 6, 2019

  Ms. NORTON. Madam Speaker, I rise today to ask the House of 
Representatives to join me in recognizing the life and work of Dorothy 
Louise Strong Johnson on the occasion of her 100th birthday.
  Dorothy Louise Strong Johnson, daughter of Willie M. Strong and Mary 
Lucilla Smith Strong, moved to the District of Columbia from North 
Carolina on July 15, 1937. Her parents put her on a Seaboard Air Line 
Railroad coach bound for Union Station to live with her Aunt, Nora 
Roxanne, on 32 K Street NW.
  Mrs. Johnson was born in Newport News, Virginia but spent her 
childhood in Hamlet, North Carolina. In school, she was known as an 
inquisitive student and an active member of the girls' basketball team. 
During her last year of high school, Mrs. Johnson was unable to return 
to school until November. Instead, she picked cotton and did other jobs 
so that she could save money. Not only did she pick cotton in the 
Hamlet area, she picked cotton as far away as Bennettsville and McColl 
in South Carolina.
  After moving to D.C., Mrs. Johnson worked for the United States 
Bureau of Printing and Engraving from 1942 until 1974. She retired as 
an assistant supervisor printing money for the Department of the 
Treasury. During her tenure, she also served as an acting supervisor.
  Mrs. Johnson married Ivory Johnson, and they had eight children 
(Dorothy, Gwendolyn, Reginald, Wanda, William, Dora, Wesley and 
Sheldon). She raised them mostly as a single parent. All of her 
children finished high school, some attended and completed college, 
three served in the United States Army and all were employed in civil 
service occupations. During Mrs. Johnson's residency in D.C., she 
maintained homes in Northwest, Northeast and Southeast. She is still 
the owner of two of these homes.
  When Mrs. Johnson arrived in D.C., her aunt introduced her to the 
members of the 10th Street Missionary Baptist Church. After worshipping 
with this congregation, Mrs. Johnson joined and became an active 
member. Her activism includes being a member of the Prayer Band, 
serving as a Sunday School teacher, engaging with others in Bible study 
at her home and serving as an outreach evangelist. She engaged with 
others in the North Carolina Club, and in later years, was named a 
Mother of the Church. Upon the death of the church's pastor, she served 
as the vice chairman of the search committee, which invited the 
Reverend A. Michael Charles Durant to the pulpit as its present leader. 
Mrs. Johnson is highly respected for her Christian walk and passion. 
She remains supportive of the ministries at the 10th Street Missionary 
Baptist Church.
  For many decades, Mrs. Johnson volunteered at the Washington, DC VA 
Medical Center every Monday. As a mother of three veterans, she was 
fully aware of the needs of these men and women. When she was not 
serving coffee, she could be found engaged in conversation. In her 
words, ``They just needed someone to talk with and know that someone 
cared.''
  Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize the life and work of Dorothy 
Louise Strong Johnson on the occasion of her 100th birthday. We 
recognize her for the profound impact her life has had on others and 
for the love and affection she generously shares.