[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 77 (Thursday, April 23, 2020)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E383]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]





                 HONORING THE LIFE OF BISHOP Z.L. GRADY

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. JAMES E. CLYBURN

                           of south carolina

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, April 23, 2020

  Mr. CLYBURN. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor and pay tribute to 
the life and legacy of a great leader in the African Methodist 
Episcopal (AME) Church, Bishop Zedekiah LaZett (Z.L.) Grady who 
transitioned on Sunday, April 19th. Bishop Grady was one of my 
spiritual and political mentors and--like many others--I will always 
cherish his memory.
  Z.L. Grady was born the son of Walter and Sylvira Bynum Grady in 
Loughman, Florida. Education was extremely important to him, and he was 
a life-long learner. He was educated in Sanford, Florida public schools 
and graduated from Crooms Academy. He attended Florida's Edward Waters 
College and the B.F. Lee Theological Seminary, where he earned A.A. and 
B.Th. degrees before earning a B.A. degree from Allen University, in 
Columbia, South Carolina, and a M.Div. degree from Dickerson 
Theological Seminary. He continued his theological studies at the Union 
Theological Seminary in New York and the Urban Training Center in 
Chicago, Illinois. Bishop Grady was awarded honorary doctorate degrees 
from Kittrell College, Allen University and Edward Waters College.
  While Bishop Grady was a highly respected AME church leader, his 
influence spread far beyond the church walls. He was a pastor and an 
astute administrator who excelled and had many great successes in both 
roles. He also wore the mantle of civic organizer, social reformer, and 
teacher. These roles enabled him to make indelible marks on many 
communities.
  I met Bishop Grady when I was a young public-school teacher in 
Charleston, South Carolina. Although I was born and had grown up in a 
Church of God parsonage, and my wife, Emily, had been born and grew up 
in a United Methodist Church family, we were drawn to and often 
attended Morris Brown AME Church where Z.L. Grady was pastoring at the 
time. It was under his influence and tutelage that we became AMEs.
  He demonstrated to us what the Bible means by ``faith without works 
is dead.'' Not only did he preach the Word on Sundays, he often played 
instrumental roles in civic and community activities throughout the 
week. His role in the infamous 1969 Charleston Hospital Workers strike 
was pivotal. He joined with ministers at Emanuel and Ebenezer AME 
churches to build affordable housing on Johns Island, a sea island near 
Charleston. He instituted a daycare center and kindergarten at Morris 
Brown and our first-born began her formal education in that 
kindergarten. He began a radio broadcast of the church services.
  During his time in South Carolina, he served as Chairman and Vice 
Chairman of the South Carolina Juvenile Parole Board, Chairman of the 
Charleston Community Race Relations Committee, Member of the Charleston 
Housing Authority, and a Board Member of C&S National Bank and 
NationsBank. And he served as an advisor to elected officials on the 
municipal, state and federal levels.
  As he rose in church and civic leadership, Bishop Grady's work took 
him outside South Carolina to share his talents with the world. He was 
elected the 111th Bishop of the AME Church in 1992, and served in the 
16th, 9th and 1st Episcopal Districts.
  One of my most memorable experiences was arriving at the AME 
University in Monrovia, Liberia with the Speaker of the United States 
House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi, and us being greeted by Bishop 
Grady. He wanted it to be a surprise and it was.
  Bishop Grady retired from his official role at the AME General 
Conference. His civic memberships included being a life member of the 
Beta Mu Sigma Chapter of the Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc. and a life 
member of the NAACP.
  Bishop Grady leaves to cherish his memory his wife Carrie Etta 
Robertson Grady, a native of Winnsboro, South Carolina, who served 
admirably at his side throughout their leadership journey with the AME 
Church. The two were parents of four children and five grandchildren, 
one of whom Carey has followed him into the ministry and was my first 
Congressional Intern.
  Madam Speaker, l ask you and my colleagues to join me in honoring the 
life of this religious and community leader and recognizing the 
tremendous positive impact Bishop Z.L. Grady made in South Carolina and 
around the world. Although he will be sorely missed, we are all better 
for his service among us.

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