[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 198 (Tuesday, December 20, 2022)]
[Senate]
[Pages S9618-S9619]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                            MORNING BUSINESS

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                     REMEMBERING BILLIE JEAN PAIGE

  Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, chairing the recent Supreme Court 
confirmation hearing for Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson was a highlight of 
my Senate career. I was impressed by Judge Jackson's dignity and grace, 
her intellect and courage, and her dedication to the Constitution. I 
was also happy that

[[Page S9619]]

every Senator was able to invite guests to attend the hearing. It was 
the first time the Senate welcomed visitors since the pandemic closed 
the Capitol building 2 years earlier. Among my guests were two women 
who drove 11 hours from Chicago, with four other people in the car, 
just to be in the room for the historic occasion.
  One of the women was in her 70s and had worked for civil rights 
causes for 50 years. She said that as she watched Judge Jackson make 
history, she thought of all the strong Black women who came before and 
helped make that moment possible. Leaders like Sojourner Truth, Harriet 
Tubman, Ida B. Wells, my old friend, the Rev. Willie Barrow, a Black 
woman minister from Chicago who worked alongside Dr. Martin Luther 
King, Jr.
  Another name she could have added to that list of history-shaping 
women is Billie Jean Paige. Billie was a legend and an inspiration in 
politics in Chicago and Springfield. And my wife Loretta and I were 
fortunate to be able to count her as a good friend of many years. She 
passed away earlier this year.
  Her last name was spelled P-A-I-G-E. If that sounds familiar, it 
could be because it is the same spelling as the legendary baseball 
player Satchel Paige. And that is no coincidence. Satchel Paige was the 
stepfather of Billie's husband of 65 years, George Paige.
  Billie was a patriot and a force for progress. She came to lobbying 
almost by accident. As her husband George recalls it, Billie was 
working for State Representative Gerald Shea in his Chicago office as a 
100-word-per-minute typist, back when Jerry Shea was the first Mayor 
Daley's go-to man in Springfield. One day, Jerry Shea needed someone to 
drive to Springfield and file an amendment. But the office was short-
handed so he asked Billie to do it. She protested that she wasn't a 
lawyer. Jerry replied, ``You don't have to be a lawyer to do this. You 
just have to be smart''--and was she ever.
  Billie graduated from an all-girls Catholic high school at 15, and 
she graduated from Roosevelt University at 19. But her intellect alone 
is not what made her such a powerful advocate for her clients and the 
causes she cared about. Billie had a rare ability to make people feel 
heard, seen, and respected. She understood that the best way to make 
lasting progress was to allow people to speak their minds--and discover 
common interests. She was always concise, constructive, and 
respectful--even if she disagreed with you. Our democracy would be 
healthier today if more people believed, as Billie did, that none of us 
have a monopoly on political wisdom, and there can be more than one way 
to achieve one's goals.
  Twenty years ago, Billie, my wife Loretta, Dawn Clarke Netsch, and a 
group of other strong, like-minded women set out to pass along their 
knowledge about how to make political change. They created a project 
called IWIL, the Illinois Women's Institute for Leadership Training 
Academy. Billie was a founding member and an indispensable part of 
IWIL. Over the years, IWIL has trained nearly 250 women to be leaders 
in politics, law, government, business, and civil society.
  A true trailblazer, Billie was the first Black woman lobbyist in 
Springfield and the first Black woman in America to head a State 
unemployment program. And well into her 80s, Billie was still lobbying 
to shape laws and make her mark on history in Springfield.
  Loretta and I are grateful to have had the benefit of Billie's 
friendship and wisdom for so many years. We offer our sincere 
condolences to all those who loved and admired her--especially her 
husband George and their son Gary, Billie's daughter-in-law, Apryl and 
Jacinta, and her granddaughter Daria.

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