[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 206 (Tuesday, November 30, 2021)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1277]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  HONORING DEACONESS EASTER MAE GREEN

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. BARBARA LEE

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, November 30, 2021

  Ms. LEE of California. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the life 
of Deaconess Easter Mae Green and her decades of service in our Bay 
Area community.
  Deaconess Green was born in Waterproof, Louisiana on October 17, 
1926. She was one of many African Americans to migrate West from the 
Jim Crow South, hoping to find a better life for her family. She 
arrived in the Bay Area in 1952 and began working in Oakland's 
manufacturing industry, eventually gaining the ability to move her 
brothers and her mother to California.
  Deaconess Green understood the importance of establishing financial 
stability as a single mother, and thus became an entrepreneur in the 
Oakland community. She opened Easter's Beauty Salon in East Oakland, 
which operated for more than 30 years. The salon provided many services 
to the community and became a strong pathway of entrepreneurship for 
other female cosmetologists in the Oakland area.
  Deaconess Green's good works in the community were truly remarkable. 
In addition to raising four biological children, she provided a safe 
and secure home to more than 158 foster children. She became a mentor 
for other young and single mothers and helped raise scholarship funds 
for students. Her service was recognized by Alameda County, and she 
would later publish her reflections in ``The Value of Motherhood'' in 
the Woman of Color Study Bible in 1999.
  Deaconess Green was strongly devoted to faith as a 38-year member of 
the Allen Temple Baptist Church, where her daughter, Rev. Dr. 
Jacqueline A. Thompson, now serves as senior pastor. She later became a 
Deaconess to provide physical and spiritual support to anyone in need.
  She lived her life as a reflection of her values--equal opportunity 
for women, care for children, and protection of the most vulnerable 
around us. She will be missed.
  My deepest condolences and prayers go to her family friends and loved 
ones, and my great respect and sympathies go to my dear friend and 
pastor, Reverend Thompson, who was a supportive and loving caregiver of 
her mother until the very end.
  Today, on behalf of California's 13th Congressional District, I 
commend Deaconess Green for her lifelong work as an entrepreneur, a 
mentor, and spiritual leader. As she returns to her maker, may this 
beautiful woman of God, Deaconess Easter Mae Green, rest in peace and 
power.

                          ____________________