[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 84 (Friday, May 14, 2021)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E525]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




             HONORING GARY NATIVE AND OSCAR WINNER MIA NEAL

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                          HON. FRANK J. MRVAN

                               of indiana

                    in the house of representatives

                          Friday, May 14, 2021

  Mr. MRVAN. Madam Speaker, it is with great pleasure and admiration 
that I congratulate Gary, Indiana, native Mia Neal, and celebrate her 
noteworthy achievement of winning an Oscar at the 93rd Academy Awards 
ceremony on April 25, 2021. Presented with the Oscar for Best Makeup 
and Hairstyling for her work in the film Ma Rainey's Black Bottom, Mia, 
along with Jamika Wilson, have become the first African American women 
to win in this category. For this historic and extraordinary 
accomplishment, Mia is worthy of the highest praise.
  Mia attended Horace Mann High School in Gary, where she participated 
in theater and was a member of the school's talented dance troop. After 
graduating in 1997, Mia's interest in hairstyling and makeup blossomed 
as she attended Merrillville Beauty College and Columbia College in 
Chicago before enrolling at Jackson State University in Jackson, 
Mississippi. After graduating from Jackson State University, Mia 
completed a Professional Internship for Wigs and Makeup at the famed 
Juilliard School in New York City where she honed her craft. After 
completing her studies, Mia remained in New York and has amassed an 
impressive career in her field, designing hair and makeup for many 
stage productions and feature films.
  While Mia has certainly had a successful career, her greatest 
accomplishment is being a mother to her son, James G. Deacon. Mia is 
daughter of Dena Holland Neal, a longtime active community member in 
Gary and Pastor at Peace United Church in Merrillville, Indiana, and 
the sister of Nia and Thamian Neal, as well as the cherished aunt of 
DeWayne, Jordan, and Karren. Mia's grandparents, James and Dorothy 
Holland, also hold deep roots in Gary. James taught at Roosevelt High 
School for more than fifteen years and served as Gary's first Deputy 
Mayor from 1976 to 1988.
  Madam Speaker, I ask that you and my distinguished colleagues join me 
in recognizing Mia Neal on her historic Oscar award and congratulate 
her for this outstanding accomplishment. She has made her family, the 
entire Gary community, and all of Northwest Indiana so very proud.

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