[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 146 (Thursday, September 12, 2019)]
[House]
[Page H7670]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




             HONORING THE LIFE AND SERVICE OF MARCA BRISTO

  (Mr. GARCIA of Illinois asked and was given permission to address the 
House for 1 minute.)
  Mr. GARCIA of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, this past weekend, we lost my 
dear friend, Marca Bristo, an inspiring civil rights activist from 
Chicago.
  Marca had a diving accident when she was young that left her 
paralyzed from the chest down. She never allowed her disability to 
define her. Instead, her disability became her superpower.
  Marca dedicated her life to changing laws and bringing attention to 
the disparities faced by people with disabilities in the most basic 
services. She was instrumental in bringing wheelchair ramps to Chicago 
public buses.
  She didn't do this by just writing letters or holding meetings. Marca 
went as far as chaining herself to a bus to force the Chicago Transit 
Authority to make mass transit more accessible.
  She worked with the broader civil rights communities to pass key 
legislation like the Americans with Disabilities Act. The organization 
she founded, Access Living of Metropolitan Chicago, will carry on with 
her legacy.
  I send our heartfelt thoughts to her son and her daughter.
  Rest in power, Marca Bristol.

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