[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 172 (Wednesday, October 30, 2019)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1373-E1374]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         HONORING HARRIET SMITH

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. BENNIE G. THOMPSON

                             of mississippi

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, October 30, 2019

  Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor a 
resourceful and ambitious woman, Ms. Harriet Smith. Harriet has shown 
what can be done through hard work, dedication and a desire to serve 
others.
  Ms. Harriet Smith, a Yazoo City native, is the daughter of Derrick 
and Beverly Young and great granddaughter of the late Harry Young, who 
she was named after.
  Smith grew up in Yazoo City but moved to Jackson during her third-
grade year. After graduating from Ridgeland High School, she joined the 
Air Force Reserves and trained on the weekends while attending Hinds 
Community College. She later attended Jackson State University, where 
she earned a bachelor's degree in English with a concentration in 
Education in 2015.
  As a teacher, Smith trained at Murrah High School, learning from the 
teachers who educated her while she was a student there. She also 
taught in Memphis before realizing that there was another calling in 
her life; to promote community literacy with library programs. She 
became the children's librarian at Ricks Memorial Library in Yazoo City 
on March 14, 2019.
  While this is Smith's first year working in a library setting, she 
plans to use her knowledge and techniques from the classroom to pursue 
her dream. Her goals during her first year are to make reading a 
priority at home for children

[[Page E1374]]

in the community, to enable more students to borrow books from the 
library and to collaborate with class room teachers on how to improve 
literacy among their students.
  She has already established new reading programs at Ricks Library 
such as preschool reading times in the morning, and story times and 
other children's activities in the afternoon. She is also planning to 
make visits to many child care centers and schools to promote literacy.
  Madam Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in recognizing Ms. 
Harriet Smith for her passion and dedication to serving our great 
Country, desiring to make a difference in the community and preparing 
children for the future.

                          ____________________