[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 69 (Wednesday, April 21, 2021)]
[House]
[Pages H2035-H2036]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 CONGRESSIONAL BLACK CAUCUS CELEBRATES THE LIFE OF THE HONORABLE ALCEE 
                              L. HASTINGS

  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Ms. Manning). Under the Speaker's announced 
policy of January 4, 2021, the gentlewoman from Ohio (Mrs. Beatty) is 
recognized for 60 minutes as the designee of the majority leader.


                             General Leave

  Mrs. BEATTY. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members 
have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include 
any extraneous materials on the subject of this Special Order.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentlewoman from Ohio?
  There was no objection.
  Mrs. BEATTY. Madam Speaker, I rise this evening for the Congressional 
Black Caucus' Special Order hour, the CBC's Celebration of Life of 
Congressman Alcee L. Hastings, and to echo: Our Power, Our Message.
  The Special Order hour is generally regarded as a solemn moment and 
gives the yCBC an opportunity to speak directly to the American people 
and to reflect on ideas and policies critical to our constituents.
  I can't think of a better way to share the life and legacy of our 
friend and colleague. To his family, to Patricia, to his son, Alcee--or 
``Jody,'' as we called him--to his daughter, granddaughters, and all 
watching, we say: Thank you for sharing Alcee with us.

  Lastly, on behalf of the 56 members of the Congressional Black 
Caucus, we say: Thank you, Alcee, for a job well done.
  Because it is without a doubt I can tell you that Alcee left this 
place, the people's House, better than he found it. All of us were 
enriched by his dapper style, his keen intellect, and his larger-than-
life presence. You never had to guess what Alcee thought or believed. 
He made it clear, whether you liked it or not. But he was the same man 
on the United States House floor; in the powerful Rules Committee; or 
in greeting foreign dignitaries under the auspices of the Helsinki 
Commission as he was on the streets of Florida, where he served his 
constituents so well.
  Madam Speaker, to all gathered here today, I say to our brother: You 
will be sorely missed.
  We will miss his smile. We will miss his wise counsel. And as I look 
to my left, in that chair, where he sat faithfully, we salute and honor 
him. Alcee did it his way.
  Madam Speaker, it gives me great pleasure to yield tonight's anchor 
of the Special Order hour paying tribute to a legend, to a friend, to a 
colleague, to the gentlewoman from Texas, Congresswoman Sheila Jackson 
Lee.
  Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee got to know Congressman Alcee 
Hastings in a very special way. Both scholars, both liking to debate, 
both being very clear in their message, both members of the 
Congressional Black Caucus. Oh, how great it was to watch Congresswoman 
Sheila Jackson Lee and Congressman Alcee Hastings take on an issue and 
mentor someone like me.
  Madam Speaker, with great pleasure I turn the microphone over to 
Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee, who will manage the rest of the hour, 
and I yield back the balance of my time.
  Ms. JACKSON LEE. Madam Speaker, with humility, gratitude, and a 
broken heart, I rise to anchor this Congressional Black Caucus Special 
Order in remembrance of Congressman Alcee Hastings, senior member of 
the Committee on Rules, a man who travelled the world leading 
congressional delegations to defend, protect, and strengthen 
democracies while serving as Chair of the Helsinki Commission, a highly 
respected and valued member of the Congressional Black Caucus, one of 
this House's greatest debaters, one of the first three African 
Americans elected to this body from Florida since Reconstruction, a 
member of Congress for 28 years, my mentor, a beloved colleague, and 
dear friend who died Tuesday, April 6, 2021, at the age of 84.
  Madam Speaker, Alcee Hastings, who was affectionately referred to by 
his colleagues and constituents as ``Judge Hastings,'' was a statesman 
and strong supporter of equality, economic and social justice, civil 
rights, Israel, and human dignity for all.
  He took to heart and lived the admonition he received from his father 
as a young child'' ``Be your own boss man,'' who through it all was his 
own man as he blazed trails and pioneered paths to improve the lives 
and life chances of the was so honored to serve.
  Alcee Lamar Hastings was born September 5, 1936, in Altamonte 
Springs, to Julius Hastings, a butler, and Mildred nee Merritt, a maid.
  His parents left Florida to find jobs .to earn money for Alcee's 
education, during which time he was raised by his maternal grandmother 
and attended Crooms Academy in Sanford, Florida, which was founded for 
African-American students, graduating in 1953.
  Five years later, Alcee Hastings graduated from Fisk University with 
dual majors in zoology and botany.
  Alcee Hastings started law school at Howard University before 
transferring to Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University in 
Tallahassee, from which he received his law degree in 1963.
  Always a fighter and foot soldier for justice, Alcee Hastings was 
involved in early civil rights struggles, including the famous sit-ins 
in drugstore lunch-counters in North Carolina in 1959.
  About those times, he later said: ``Those were the early days of the 
civil rights movement, and the people in Walgreens were breaking eggs 
on our heads and throwing

[[Page H2036]]

mustard and ketchup and salt at us. We sat there taking all of that.''
  ``After graduating from Florida A&M law school, Alcee Hastings went 
into private practice as a civil rights lawyer in Fort Lauderdale, but 
when he first arrived a motel refused to rent him a room; a humiliating 
experience inflicted on African Americans whenever they traveled in the 
United States before passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
  As a civil rights lawyer, Alcee Hastings successfully filed lawsuits 
to desegregate the public schools in Broward County, Florida, as well 
as the Cat's Meow, a restaurant that was popular with white lawyers and 
judges but would not serve African Americans.
  It was poetic justice indeed when then Florida Governor Reuben Askew 
appointed Alcee Hastings to the circuit court of Broward County in 1977 
and held the investiture ceremony at a high school he had helped 
desegregate.
  In 1979, Alcee Hastings was nominated by President Jimmy Carter to 
serve as United States District Judge on the United States District 
Court for the Southern District of Florida, becoming the first African 
American federal judge in Florida; he was confirmed by the U.S. Senate 
on October 31, 1979, sworn in on November 2, 1979, and served for a 
decade until leaving the bench in October 1989.
  As a judge, Alcee Hastings established his own style, eschewing the 
typical judicial mien of grave reserve; he cracked jokes from the 
bench, dropped slang in rulings and interviews, and was unflinching in 
his support for the poor and the dispossessed.
  In 1981, Judge Hastings exasperated the Department of Justice when he 
extended a court order blocking the deportation of 76 Haitians after 
the Immigration and Naturalization Service had stepped up removals.
  Many thought that with his departure from the federal bench, Alcee 
Hastings's career in public service had come to end but they 
underestimated this irrepressible and indomitable human being, who 
never forgot the lesson taught him years ago by his father: ``Be your 
own boss man!''
  So three years later, in 1992, Alcee Hastings ran for Congress from 
the newly created 23rd Congressional District of Florida and won 
election in November of that year and, along with Congresswomen-elect 
Carrie Meek and Corrine Brown, became the first African Americans 
elected to Congress since Reconstruction, where he would go to be a 
productive and constructive member as Dean of the Florida Congressional 
Delegation, Vice-Chair of the Committee on Rules, and Vice-Chair and 
senior member of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence.
  One of the great joys of my life was serving with Alcee Hastings when 
he chaired the Helsinki Commission, the Organization for Cooperation 
and Security in Europe, and we traveled often to distant capitals to 
meet with our counter-parts in Europe and work on ways to strengthen 
economic and political ties and support their democratic aspirations.
  Alcee Hastings was held in such high esteem by international 
legislators that he was elected the first African American president of 
the 323-member OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, an institution of the 
Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe charged with 
facilitating inter-parliamentary dialogue, an important aspect of the 
overall effort to meet the challenges of democracy throughout the OSCE 
area.
  Madam Speaker, in these days of trial and challenge, I am reminded 
that our dear departed colleague Alcee Hastings always counseled us to 
remain steadfast, saying:
  ``Continuing to do nothing in the face of continued threats to our 
people and our way of life is hardly what the American people elected 
us to do.''
  Alcee Hastings, the recipient of numerous honors and awards bestowed 
on him from organizations both at home and abroad, firmly believed that 
progress and change can be achieved through mutual respect and 
appreciation, and that individuals and communities can see beyond the 
limits of parochialism, enabling them to better understand each other.
  And we all know how proud he was to be a Nupe, a member of Kappa 
Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc., and a member of the National Bar 
Association.
  Alcee Hastings' commanding presence will forever be missed; we all 
mourn his loss and extend our deepest sympathies to his wife Patricia 
Williams; his children, Alcee Hastings II, Chelsea Hastings and Leigh 
Hastings; his stepdaughter, Maisha; and all the relatives and friends 
who loved him so dearly.
  My deepest sympathies go out to them, and I pray they find 
consolation in the certain knowledge that the Judge is now resting in 
the Heavenly Chorus.
  Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Madam Speaker, I rise today to join my 
colleagues in honoring the life and legacy of our dearly departed 
friend and colleague Congressman Alcee Hastings, who passed away 
earlier this month.
  Alcee and I were both elected to Congress in 1992. We were part of a 
historic class of new African American lawmakers from the South. Few 
would make such a tremendous and impactful mark on this institution 
than Alcee Hastings. He was one of Congress' most steadfast advocates 
for civil and human rights, working families, and the most vulnerable 
in our society.
  He bravely battled pancreatic cancer for the last year and a half. 
And despite this devastating diagnosis, Alcee remained a powerful and 
active voice for his constituents and the state of Florida.
  I will miss seeing him on the House floor. I will miss his sharp-
witted questioning in the House Rules Committee. I will miss his 
friendship.
  Madam Speaker, our nation lost one of its most dedicated public 
servants. And in Alcee Hastings, we lost one of our most unique, 
friendly and hardest working colleagues. My thoughts and prayers are 
with his wife Patricia, children, staff, constituents and many, many 
friends.
  Ms. ADAMS. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor our friend and 
colleague, Alcee Hastings--a pillar of our Congressional Black Caucus.
  Congressman Hastings was a compassionate leader who always spoke his 
mind and served his constituents with purpose.
  For nearly thirty years, he used his position in Congress to speak 
truth to power and advocate for our country's most vulnerable.
  I admired both his courage and his unique ability to bring reason and 
deep thought to the many conversations we had together. He was a friend 
and mentor we all respected.
  One thing I'll never forget about Congressman Hastings is his 
wonderful sense of style, his fun, colorful socks, and--I have to say--
his great taste in hats.
  And, while he will be deeply missed here in Congress and within our 
Caucus, we will carry on in his memory by advocating for the causes he 
dedicated his life to--supporting working families, communities of 
color, children, immigrants and all those in need.
  His legacy as a civil rights activist, judge, and powerful, 
passionate leader in Congress will live on, and be a model for us all.
  Mr. PAYNE. Madam Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to Congressman 
Alcee Hastings.
  Congressman Hastings spent more than 30 years in Congress and fought 
for racial equality during his storied and historic life. At the time 
of his passing, he was the Dean of the Florida Congressional delegation 
as the Representative from Florida's 20th District. Before that, he was 
Florida's first African-American federal judge and a strong civil 
rights advocate. Congressman Hastings died on April 6, 2021 after a 
long bout with pancreatic cancer.
  Congressman Hastings was a life-long public servant. He served as a 
Circuit Court Judge in Broward County, Florida and then became a U.S. 
District Court Judge for the Southern District of Florida. After his 
election to Congress in 1992, Congressman Hastings was a leading member 
of the Congressional Black Caucus and a senior Democratic whip. He 
served as a member of the House Rules Committee and a senior member of 
the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, where he was 
chairman of the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations. He was an 
esteemed member of Congress throughout his time there.
  Personally, I am devastated at the loss of my colleague and mentor, 
the Honorable Alcee Hastings. We would talk about his time spent in 
Newark as a child and his fond memories of growing up there. While 
voting, I would spend many days sitting next to him and listening to 
the wisdom he imparted on me. His blunt honesty and brilliance as a 
legislator were second to none. We even shared our love of colorful 
socks. The Lord has another one of my Fathers on the Floor of Congress 
with him no and I will miss him dearly.

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