[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 124 (Thursday, July 15, 2021)]
[Senate]
[Page S4923]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     TRIBUTE TO EDITH RENFROW SMITH

  Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, the other day I read an article in the 
Chicago Sun Times about an incredible Chicagoan named Edith Renfrow 
Smith.
  Yesterday, Edith celebrated her 107th--let me say that again--107th 
birthday. And learning about her life story, it occurred to me that it 
is really the story of America. Edith is the grandchild of two people 
who were born into slavery. When she was 23, she became the first Black 
woman to graduate from Grinnell College in Iowa.
  Think about that. In just two generations, her family went from 
enduring bondage to earning a bachelor's degree.
  After she graduated, Edith traveled east to Chicago in search of job 
opportunities. She spent a few years working for the University of 
Chicago, and she even served as a secretary for the first Black 
Congressman to represent a district north of the Mason-Dixon Line: 
Oscar DePriest.
  Eventually, Edith found her calling as a public school teacher. She 
devoted more than two decades of her life educating our city's 
children. One of her colleagues described her as a ``master teacher.''
  As a resident of Hyde Park, where she raised a family with her 
husband Henry, Edith became close friends with Jazz legend Herbie 
Hancock. And in recent years, she has become something of a living 
legend herself. In 2019, her alma mater, Grinnell College, opened a new 
library named in Edith's honor: the Edith Renfrow Smith `37 Black 
Women's Library.
  Edith is a humble person. She doesn't claim to know all the secrets 
to a long, happy life, like the one she has lived, but she does have a 
few suggestions.
  She says, ``You have to have respect for yourself.''
  ``Don't let anyone disrespect you.''
  ``Listen to what people say to each other.''
  That advice is worth keeping in mind as we work together in this 
Senate to solve the most pressing challenges facing America, like 
rebuilding our infrastructure. This body has a once-in-a-generation 
opportunity to transform our roadways and public transit systems, to 
secure a sustainable future for our children and grandchildren, and to 
bring broadband connectivity and clean drinking water to every 
community in America.
  And while we have a lot of work ahead of us, I am confident that if 
we take Edith's advice--if we listen to one another--we can make real 
progress for the American people.
  Edith, thank you for sharing your inspiring story, and thank you for 
choosing Chicago as your home.
  I wish you the best on your 107th birthday.

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