[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 15 (Friday, January 24, 2020)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E76]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  IN RECOGNITION OF CONGRESSMAN JOHN CONYERS, JR. AS HE RECEIVES THE 
                              LEGACY AWARD

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                          HON. DEBBIE DINGELL

                              of michigan

                    in the house of representatives

                        Friday, January 24, 2020

  Mrs. DINGELL. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor Congressman John 
Conyers' distinguished life as he receives the inaugural Legacy Award 
from Rainbow PUSH. After a remarkable political career, Congressman 
Conyers died on October 27, 2019. His passing is a loss for our entire 
community, but his legacy will be remembered for generations to come.
  John James Conyers, Jr. was born in Detroit on May 16, 1929. After 
enlisting in the army in 1950 and serving in Korea as a second 
lieutenant, Conyers returned home to Michigan and enrolled in Wayne 
State University, where he earned his bachelor's degree in 1957 and a 
law degree in 1958. Upon graduation, Conyers began his political career 
as a legislative aide to Representative John D. Dingell, Jr. and 
continued working in state government and as a lawyer until running for 
Congress himself.
  Representative John Conyers, Jr. was the longest-serving African 
American in the history of Congress. Elected in 1964, Conyers 
represented Michigan in Congress for more than five decades. Throughout 
his tenure, Conyers was a fierce champion for civil rights, social 
justice, and economic equality. Conyers was an outspoken leader who 
took strong stands on some of our nation's most challenging issues. 
Days after the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Conyers 
became the leading voice in the fight to enshrine Dr. Martin Luther 
King, Jr.'s birthday as a national holiday. On April 8, 1968, Conyers 
first introduced the legislation, but the bill stalled. Yet, thanks to 
Conyers' unrelenting persistence and painstaking efforts to recognize 
the civil rights icon, Congress passed the bill nearly twenty years 
later. On November 3, 1983, President Ronald Reagan signed the bill, 
formally designating the third Monday of January as Martin Luther King, 
Jr. Day.
  Madam Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in honoring the life of 
Congressman John Conyers. Conyers will forever be remembered as a 
trailblazer on issues of equality, civil rights, and social justice. He 
passionately worked to make his Michigan community a better place, and 
his legacy provides a lasting example of what we all should strive to 
accomplish.

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