[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 129 (Thursday, July 22, 2021)]
[House]
[Page H3825]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




       HONORING HAZEL ERBY, BETTY THOMPSON, AND HENRY GIVENS, JR.

  (Ms. BUSH asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute.)
  Ms. BUSH. Mr. Speaker, St. Louis and I rise today with heavy hearts. 
Since the beginning of July, we have lost three civil rights giants in 
our community: Ms. Hazel Erby, Ms. Betty Thompson, and Dr. Henry 
Givens, Jr.
  Mama Hazel and Mama Betty were trailblazers, breaking down barriers 
for Black women and all Black people to be leaders in St. Louis and 
beyond. I would not be Missouri's first Black Congresswoman without the 
doors that they opened up for me.
  Dr. Henry Givens, Jr., led Harris-Stowe State University for 32 
years. His leadership transformed Harris-Stowe, the university I 
attended, from a small college with just one building into the 
nationally acclaimed HBCU that it is today.
  We will miss them all dearly, but together, we are St. Louis strong. 
We will carry their work forward to build a more just future for all of 
us.

                          ____________________