[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 35 (Wednesday, February 24, 2021)]
[Senate]
[Pages S854-S855]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     TRIBUTE TO THE CLEMMONS FAMILY

 Mr. SANDERS. Mr. President, I rise today in recognition of Dr. 
Jack and Lydia Clemmons of Charlotte, VT. The Clemmons family's 
positive impact on Vermont is powerful every single day, but I am 
especially pleased to recognize them during Black History Month. The 
Clemmons family has been instrumental in preserving and promoting 
African-American farm heritage in my home State of Vermont, and for 
that, I am extremely grateful.
  In 1962, Dr. and Mrs. Clemmons moved to Vermont, where Dr. Clemmons 
joined the University of Vermont's department of pathology and became 
the second African-American on the faculty of the College of Medicine. 
Dr. Clemmons is nationally recognized for his ground-breaking work in 
perinatal pathology and cytogenetics. He has long advocated for 
universities to implement recruitment strategies that attract and 
retain more students and faculty of color. Mrs. Clemmons was the first 
African-American nurse anesthetist at the University of Vermont Medical 
Center.
  During the same year that they began their careers in Burlington, VT, 
Dr. and Mrs. Clemmons purchased a historic farm in Charlotte, which was 
in need of significant repair and improvement. They raised five 
children on their farm, while working hard to restore its many 
buildings and working lands. For the Clemmons family, as 1 of only 17 
Black-owned farms in Vermont, the work was always about more than one 
farm; it was about the massive loss of Black-owned farmland in Vermont 
and across the Nation.
  To that end, Dr. and Mrs. Clemmons have worked tirelessly to ensure 
their farm can continue under African-American ownership for 
generations to come. They, along with their family, have also dedicated 
themselves to fighting for racial justice and creating opportunities 
for Vermonters to learn about Black arts, farming, heritage, and 
culture. The arts are a particular passion of Mrs. Clemmons, who ran a

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shop in their town of Charlotte, which featured sculptures and other 
artwork imported from Africa. Additionally, the Clemmons farm is now 1 
of 22 official landmarks on Vermont's African-American Heritage Trail, 
also serving as a multicultural arts center, with a gallery and 
programming for all Vermonters to enjoy.
  I am grateful to Dr. and Mrs. Clemmons for their enormously important 
contribution to Black farming and cultural heritage in our State. I 
wish the entire Clemmons family all the best today, and for generations 
to come.

                          ____________________