[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 36 (Thursday, February 25, 2021)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E167-E168]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




           IN RECOGNITION OF THE LIFE AND LEGACY OF CAROL COE

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. EMANUEL CLEAVER

                              of missouri

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, February 25, 2021

  Mr. CLEAVER. Madam Speaker, it is with a heavy but grateful heart 
that I rise today to

[[Page E168]]

honor the life and legacy of a formidable force from the place I call 
home. On Sunday, February 14, 2021, Kansas City lost one of its 
fiercest warriors. A trailblazer, a local civil rights icon, and a 
leader of the highest caliber, Carol Coe dedicated her every breath to 
speaking the truth and serving her community.
  Born in Houston, Texas in 1947, the same year Jackie Robinson broke 
the color barrier in Major League Baseball, Carol would spend her 
entire life shattering barriers of her own and inspiring generations of 
local Black leadership. After moving to Kansas City in the mid-1960s 
and gaining a juris doctorate from the University of Missouri--Kansas 
City School of Law, she served as the City's first Black assistant city 
attorney. Carol brought an indisputable talent and unmistakable 
tenacity to the role, and her community noticed. She went on to serve 
in the Jackson County Legislature and eventually ran for, and won, a 
position on City Council in 1991.
  While serving as Councilwoman for the 3rd District of Kansas City, 
Carol was appointed to the Finance Committee and the Convention and 
Visitors Bureau Board of Directors. During her time on the Board, Coe 
was dedicated to the revitalization of Kansas City's historic 18th & 
Vine district, pushing funding initiatives and supporting the use of 
Black contractors for various projects in the area. However, Carol's 
dedication to 18th & Vine was more than an administrative project; it 
was a lifelong labor of love. One never had to walk far to feel her 
presence in that historic place, but in October of last year, Kansas 
City's City Council formally recognized her immense impact on the 
historic district, naming a bridge at East 19th and Vine the ``Carol 
Coe Bridge of Opportunity.''
  Besides our shared devotion to 18th & Vine, Carol and I also had in 
common a passion for improving public housing. I vividly remember the 
time she invited her City Council colleagues to spend the night with 
her in an apartment in the T.B. Watkins public housing project. The 
move sought to showcase what were, at the time, dangerous and unsafe 
living conditions endured by Kansas City residents. While there is 
still much work to be done, Kansas City has made great strides in 
public housing since that time, in large part because of Carol's 
advocacy. And while her work--the work of justice--was constant and 
unremitting, Carol accomplished these feats while balancing her 
responsibility of being a loving and devoted mother to her two 
children.
  Carol's career is a story not of chapters but of volumes. She was 
involved with Freedom, Inc., a political club in Kansas City that has 
spent decades ensuring that the voices of Kansas City's Black community 
are heard in the halls of government. She helped establish Kansas City 
Friends of Alvin Ailey, a renowned local dance program. And then, of 
course, there is the Green Acres Urban Farm and Research Bio-Park, 
which she founded in 2010. Green Acres is an innovative aquaponics 
system, designed with a sustainable structure to address the impacts of 
climate change and local food insecurity. While urban farming may have 
seemed like an unlikely endeavor for Carol, the ambitious project was 
truly a perfect representation of who she had always been. Whether she 
was debating in the Jackson County Legislature, advocating for those 
she represented on the City Council, or building and operating an urban 
farm, Carol was committed to community-first, community-focused change. 
Embodying the spirit of servant leadership in all that she did, Carol 
Coe provided resources and opportunities to marginalized people to help 
improve their lives. With every vote she cast, Carol stood out as a 
servant of the people.
  ``The mouths of the righteous utter wisdom, / and their tongues speak 
what is just. The law of their God is in their heart, / their feet do 
not slip,'' says the holy scripture in Psalm 37:30-31. Carol Coe was a 
fighter. She fought not for herself, not for power or influence, but 
for her community. In her seventy-four years, I would venture to guess 
that Carol never once said anything but what she meant and believed to 
be true. She pushed and challenged me when I was Mayor of Kansas City, 
and I am a better public servant because of it. Her candor laid bricks; 
her tenacity moved legislation; and her tireless work in Kansas City 
has left an indelible footprint that will outlast us all.
  My thoughts and prayers are with Carol's family, friends, and 
community. Madam Speaker, please join me and Missouri's Fifth 
Congressional District in recognizing and honoring Carol Coe's 
incredible life and the legacy that she leaves behind. The Kansas City 
community will forever remember Carol Coe as a vigorous and determined 
champion for those in need. Her righteous spirit brought wisdom to 
those who needed it, even when they did not want it. Her tongue lifted 
justice into being, even when the strongest of arms could not raise it. 
And never, not once, did her feet slip. Carol was Kansas City's anchor 
to the truth, and she held us in place for many, many years. I am 
heartened to know that she has now, at long last, found eternal rest. I 
hope she found peace in knowing that her fight for a more just 
community will continue through of the legions of righteous warriors 
she inspired. Madam Speaker, in our ongoing struggle for a better 
country and a better world, let us seek to emulate the example of Carol 
Coe. Let our feet not slip. Not for one second.

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