[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 30 (Thursday, February 13, 2020)]
[Senate]
[Pages S1070-S1071]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS

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                      REMEMBERING MARIE GREENWOOD

 Mr. BENNET. Mr. President, I rise to honor the life and legacy 
of Marie Greenwood, who passed away late last year at the age of 106 
years old. Marie, a teacher by trade, spent her life dedicated to the 
idea that each child--regardless of their race, gender, or class--
deserves a quality education. Her intellect, compassion, and vigor 
propelled countless children through the Denver Public School system 
and towards lives of purpose. Marie's work as Denver's first tenured 
Black teacher and an integration pioneer increased educational equity 
in our schools and helped shape Denver into the great city that it is 
today.
  An only child, Marie was born in Los Angeles in 1912 before she and 
her family relocated to Denver in 1925. As a Black family in segregated 
Denver, they faced no shortage of obstacles. Despite being a star 
student who time and again overcame the bigotry leveled against her, 
Marie was told by her high school guidance counselor not to apply to 
college because it would be a waste of her parents' money. Thank 
goodness Marie did not heed this wrongheaded advice. She went on to 
graduate third in her class and earned a scholarship to Colorado 
Teachers College. Marie had set out on a path that would eventually 
lead to touching the lives of generations of Colorado's students.
  Marie was a trailblazer in civil rights and the ideal teacher. In 
1938, she earned tenure in the Denver Public Schools, the first Black 
teacher to do so. Throughout the 1940s, Marie was involved in local 
activism that challenged discriminatory policies. In 1955, Marie made 
history again when she became the first African American in Denver to 
teach at a segregated school. In the 1960s, she served on a Denver 
Public Schools committee tasked to study racial inequities in district 
funding and staffing. All the while, she was a kind and determined 
teacher who ensured that her students always tried their hardest.
  In retirement, she authored two books, one outlining her philosophy 
on teaching children facing difficulties and the other her 
autobiography. In 2001, her legacy was further solidified as the school 
district named a new elementary school in her honor. She will continue 
to be remembered by students who participate in the Greenwood Scholars 
program, which teaches the history of Denver through her life story.
  As the former superintendent of Denver Public Schools, I can 
confidently

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say that our students would be well-served if Marie was the lodestar 
for our teachers. Her grace and passion for the profession made a 
tremendous difference in the lives of our young people, and we are all 
in her debt. Thank you, Marie. May she rest in peace.

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