[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 7 (Tuesday, January 12, 2021)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E30]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 HONORING BENJAMIN CRUMP, AMERICAN CIVIL RIGHTS ATTORNEY AND MEMBER OF 
               THE 5000 ROLE MODELS OF EXCELLENCE PROJECT

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. FREDERICA S. WILSON

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, January 12, 2021

  Ms. WILSON of Florida. Madam Speaker, I rise to congratulate Benjamin 
Crump, a nationally recognized civil rights attorney who seeks justice 
for families who've lost a loved one to police and racially charged 
violence, and a member of the 5000 Role Models of Excellence Project.
  In 2012, Mr. Crump represented the family of my constituent, Trayvon 
Martin, 17, who was killed by neighborhood watch vigilante George 
Zimmerman. He also has represented the families of 12-year-old Tamir 
Rice, who was killed by a Cleveland Police officer while holding a toy 
gun; and Michael Brown, 18, who was shot dead by a police officer in 
Ferguson, Missouri. He is currently representing the family of George 
Floyd, who was killed by a police officer in Minneapolis, and Jacob 
Blake, who was left paralyzed after being shot by a police officer in 
Kenosha, Wisconsin. Mr. Crump has collected millions of dollars for 
more than 200 victims and their families and his advocacy has 
significantly raised awareness of the racial inequities embedded in our 
nation's judicial system.
  Mr. Crump, who has been described as ``the hardest working attorney 
in the country,'' earned his bachelor's and law degrees from Florida 
State University. His grandmother, who helped raise him, once said, 
``When you get a chance to speak truth to power, you do it.'' He 
remembers those words everyday no matter where he is and uses them as a 
guide.
  I have the utmost confidence that Mr. Crump will continue to serve 
underserved communities. He has exemplified his selflessness by 
dedicating a large part of his practice to pro bono cases, leaving low-
income clients without debt. Because he is such an inspirational role 
model, Mr. Crump will be inducted into the 5000 Role Models of 
Excellence Project at its 28th Annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. 
Scholarship Breakfast on Monday, January 18, 2021.

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