[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 151 (Thursday, September 19, 2019)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1184]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  HONORING ANNIE ``ANNA'' MAE STEWART

                                 ______
                                 

                       HON. DONALD M. PAYNE, JR.

                             of new jersey

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, September 19, 2019

  Mr. PAYNE. Madam Speaker, I ask my colleagues in the U.S. House of 
Representatives to join me as I rise to pay tribute to Annie ``Anna'' 
Mae Stewart after her passing on August 3, 2019.
  On April 9, 1917, Anna Mae Johnson entered the world as the eldest 
child born to Elder Allen Waters and Elizabeth Johnson in Washington, 
DC.
  She met and married Charles Earl Stewart on Oct 8, 1937 at St 
Augustine's Catholic Church. She chose to follow her husband in his 
faith and converted to Catholicism in 1951 at Our Lady of Perpetual 
Help Catholic Church (OLPH).
  Anna began working at St Teresa's convent and later worked at the 
OLPH rectory, a career that would last for more than 20 years. There 
she fostered close relationships with many priests and seminarians, 
such as George Leary, Jr., a man who would become a surrogate son.
  She was actively involved in parent, school and church organizations, 
including Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Baptism and Confirmation 
prep, catechist and a passionate Catholic Youth Organization advisor. 
She was an active member of other organizations, such as St Joseph's 
Ladies' Auxiliary No. 213 KOSJI Sodality, Legion of Mary, Catholic 
Charities, Cursillistas, OLPH Hilltoppers, OLPH Women's' Ministry, and 
her two favorites, Eucharistic Ministry and Lector. She enjoyed being 
of service to her church community in every way possible.
  Anna was also a dedicated community activist. She joined her local 
Orange Hat Coalition and helped rid her neighborhood of drug dealers at 
the height of the crack cocaine epidemic. She was instrumental in 
getting the Eastover Shopping Center integrated, which led to her 
recognition for her commitment to the civil rights movement. She was 
acknowledged by Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc as a Village Keeper for 
that effort and received other honors, including Mother of the Year 
1960 and 1963 by the Afro American newspaper. She participated in the 
March on Washington in 1967 and took much pride in voting for the first 
Black President in 2008.
  Madam Speaker, I know my fellow members of the U.S. House of 
Representatives agree that Anna Mae Stewart deserves to be recognized 
at the time of her passing for her dedication to her church, her 
family, and her community.

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