[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 212 (Tuesday, December 15, 2020)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1144]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 REMEMBERING REVEREND JAMES L. NETTERS

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. STEVE COHEN

                              of tennessee

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, December 15, 2020

  Mr. COHEN. Madam Speaker, I rise today to remember a giant of the 
Memphis community--the Reverend James LaVirt Netters Sr., who passed on 
Sunday at the age of 93. Reverend Netters served more than 60 years as 
the senior pastor of Mount Vernon Baptist Church in Westwood. Reverend 
Netters graduated from the historic Booker T. Washington High School, 
which produced other noted alumni such as civil rights activist Maxine 
Smith and civil rights attorney Judge Russell B. Sugarmon Jr. He went 
on to graduate from LeMoyne-Owen College, a historically Black college. 
He was a Memphis City Schools teacher when he responded to Dr. Martin 
Luther King Jr.'s clarion call for jobs and freedom and attended the 
1963 March on Washington. He returned to Memphis galvanized to address 
integrated public accommodations, getting arrested, like Rosa Parks, 
and encouraging other ministers to join him, in sitting in whites-only 
sections of buses in demonstrations that resulted in desegregating the 
system. Determined to make a difference in the lives of Black people, 
he turned to electoral politics. He was one of the first three Black 
City Council members sworn into office in January 1968, along with the 
Reverend J.O. Patterson and Fred Davis, and worked tirelessly behind 
the scenes during the Sanitation Workers Strike that led to the 
assassination of Dr. King that year. After his Council service, he was 
an administrative assistant and served as a community liaison for 
Memphis Mayor Wyeth Chandler from 1972 to 1975. He later received a 
master's degree and a doctorate in Divinity from Memphis Theological 
Seminary, where a faculty chair in Rhetoric and African American 
Studies is named in his honor. Reverend Netters was a stand-up pastor 
whose friendships and influence knew no bounds. He was the longest-
serving pastor of a single church in the City of Memphis and was 
respected for his moral authority. Other pastors and ministers held him 
in high regard for his leadership, activism, commitment to ministry and 
the community, and his focus-driven life. Noted for his work outside 
the church as well, Reverend Netters served on the board and as 
chairman of the Memphis Light, Gas and Water Division. MLG&W's business 
center building is named in his honor, as is a portion of Third 
Street--James L. Netters Parkway. An open-minded leader and a man of 
impeccable character, he respected all people; there was not a 
prejudiced bone in his body. He reached across all religious, gender, 
political and racial groups as a respected bridge that brought all of 
Memphis together. I appreciated his friendship and his solid support, 
especially during my early runs for Congress. I was honored to take him 
as my guest to the annual Congressional Prayer Breakfast where he was 
pleased to meet with President Obama. I express my profound condolences 
to his family and to the Mount Vernon Baptist Church community he 
served so well. He led an exemplary life and will be missed.

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