[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 68 (Tuesday, April 26, 2022)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E412]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]





                     TRIBUTE TO HATTIE DANIELS RUSH

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. GWEN MOORE

                              of wisconsin

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, April 26, 2022

  Ms. MOORE of Wisconsin. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize the 
life and service of Commissioner Hattie Daniels Rush, an innovator, 
entrepreneur, business consultant and former White House appointed 
Commissioner to the Commission on Presidential Scholars. It saddens me 
to say that this amazing community leader passed away on April 17, 
2022.
  Commissioner Rush started her journey as a trailblazer when she was 
just a child. She was one of the first African American children to 
attend 35th Street School and began to desegregate the Milwaukee Public 
School System. She did encounter racism and learned to confront and 
mediate such situations. The early lessons she experienced as a child 
helped mold her into the strong and inspirational woman she became as 
an adult.
  Commissioner Rush was a graduate of the HBCU Lincoln University in 
Jefferson City, Missouri. She always understood the importance of 
education. Commissioner Rush committed her life to public service, 
serving as a cheerful educator and licensed family therapist in the 
City of Milwaukee for many years. She also had a deep commitment to her 
faith in God and served in many roles with her church, Holy Redeemer. 
Her combination of skill sets from being a trained teacher and her work 
with the church put her in the perfect position to help Holy Redeemer 
open the first African American Christian school in the city, Holy 
Redeemer Christian Academy, where she served as the school's Program 
Director. Under the leadership of Commissioner Rush, the Holy Redeemer 
campus expanded to five separate schools and a range of social service 
institutions providing impoverished children with educational 
opportunities across Milwaukee.
  One of her greatest contributions to this community was to cultivate 
the minds of young Black people by teaching them how to break down 
barriers and obstacles to achieving their goals. President Bush was so 
impressed with Commissioner Rush's work that he offered her a position 
in his administration. Commissioner Rush accepted a part-time 
appointment to the Commission on Presidential Scholars so she could 
continue her work as the Program Director for Holy Redeemer Schools.
  Hattie Daniels Rush has been my friend since kindergarten and a close 
friend of my family. My sister Brenda and I often debated who Hattie 
was most fond of and I had the privilege of visiting her before her 
transition. Hattie had a true loving and giving spirit; she accepted 
people as they were and encouraged them to be the best they could be. I 
count it all joy to have celebrated 65 years of friendship with Hattie 
Daniels Rush. I will truly miss her, and the people of the 4th 
Congressional District and the State of Wisconsin will miss this 
incredible woman.
  She leaves behind her beloved husband and daughter, Robert Rush and 
Ericka Rush, siblings that include Attorney John Daniels, Bishop 
Sedgwick Daniels, Valerie Daniels-Carter and a host of other relatives 
and friends to celebrate her life and enormous legacy of strength and 
determination.
  Madam Speaker, for these reasons, I am honored to pay tribute to 
Commissioner Hattie Daniels Rush. She has helped transform the lives of 
so many people. May she rest in peace.