[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 60 (Monday, April 5, 2021)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E340]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




         HONORING THE LIFE AND SERVICE OF FLONZIE BROWN-WRIGHT

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. BENNIE G. THOMPSON

                             of mississippi

                    in the house of representatives

                         Monday, April 5, 2021

  Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the 
life and service of a remarkable individual, retired Flonzie Brown-
Wright.
  Flonzie, a native of rural Farmhaven, Mississippi, is the only 
daughter of the late Mr. and Mrs. Frank and Littie Brown, Sr. She and 
her brothers, the late Sydney and the late Frank Jr. grew up in Canton, 
MS. She attended both public and private schools of Farmhaven and 
Canton, Mississippi. Flonzie received a Fain Fellowship and attended 
Tougaloo College, where her concentration was Political Science, 
PreLaw, and Black History. She graduated from the Institute of Politics 
at Millsaps College in Jackson and served the college as Vice-President 
of the Institute where she taught, ``Grass-roots Organizing and 
Campaign Management.'' She is the recipient of one honorary degree, 
Doctor of Humane Letters from Tougaloo College in 2018, and a Special 
Presidential Honors Award from LeMoyne College of Syracuse, New York.
  Flonzie's employment and professional career has spread from the 
dusty roads of Mississippi to the White House as she interacted with 
many individuals of national prominence. She was inspired to become 
involved in the civil rights movement in 1963, just after the 
assassination of Medgar Evers. Her inspiration continues in a myriad of 
creative community initiatives across the country where she lectures 
and provides motivational opportunities to a cross section of 
audiences. She continues to be a much sought-after speaker.
  On November 5th, 1968, Flonzie was the first African American female 
elected to public office in a bi-racial Mississippi town. She 
celebrated the 50th anniversary of her historic election in 2018. The 
position of Election Commissioner in Canton, MS, allowed her to correct 
many voting rights injustices throughout the state.
  She authored and published her first book, ``Looking Back to Move 
Ahead,'' in 1994. In 1999, the book became a Best Seller for an 
Independent Author. This memoir chronicles her growing up years in a 
small rural Mississippi town and salutes the involvement of scores of 
unsung heroes and sheroes who were similarly involved in the civil 
rights movement in the 1960's and 1970's in Madison County and Jackson, 
Mississippi. Flonzie worked with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Ambassador 
Andrew Young, Marian Wright Edelman, Constance Slaughter Harvey, Alice 
Walker, Judge Reuben Anderson and many other humanitarian activists, 
locally and nationally.
  Flonzie is the recipient of more than 400 national, state, church, 
and community service awards including the National FBI Citizens Award 
presented by former FBI Director James Camey in 2017 in Washington D.C. 
She is a member of the National Association of Female Executives, 
NAACP, SCLC, NCNW, and Women for Progress, Inc., among other 
organizations.
  She is president and CEO of FBW & Associates, Inc., a marketing 
consulting firm and is the founder of the Flonzie B. Wright Scholarship 
Foundation, a foundation designed to encourage students to stay in 
school. This foundation has provided more than $45,000.00 in 
scholarship dollars and other enhancements to many students.
  Flonzie is featured in the documentary, ``Standing on My Sisters' 
Shoulders.'' This award-winning film honors African American and 
Caucasian women, who were involved in the Southern Civil Rights 
Movement, including Annie Devine, Unita Blackwell, and Joan Trumpauer 
Mulholland, to name a few. They were honored for their work at the John 
F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington D.C. She has 
been featured in Purpose Magazine, Tomorrow's South, ``Black America 
Series, Madison County, MS,'' ``The Sip'' and has self-produced two 
documentaries, ``Standing Tall in Tough Times'' and ``Before I'll Be 
Your Slave.'' She has been featured in many other publications and 
documentaries. Flonzie gave the Keynote Speech in Dayton, Ohio the 
night Barack Obama accepted the Democratic Party's Presidential 
Nomination, August 2008. Most recently, Flonzie was featured on the 
cover of the January 2018 issue of the Metro Christian Magazine.
  Before relocating to Mississippi, Flonzie served the Miami University 
in Middletown, Ohio as Student Affairs Scholar in Residence where she 
co-wrote a new curriculum, ``Black Issues in Higher Education.'' Even 
though her travels have been extensive and her achievements many, she 
simply refers to herself as, ``Just a Country Girl from Mississippi who 
loves the Lord and ALL people.''
  She is a member of the New Hope Baptist Church in Jackson, and is the 
mother of three children: Cynthia, Edward (deceased), and Darrell.
  Madam Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in honoring the life, 
legacy, and service of Flonzie Brown-Wright.

                          ____________________