[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 109 (Thursday, June 22, 2023)]
[Senate]
[Pages S2218-S2219]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      REMEMBERING DR. BILL SPRIGGS

  Mr. BROWN. Mr. President, I rise today to honor a great economist, a 
trailblazer, and a friend of mine: Dr. Bill Spriggs.
  Bill was born here in Washington, DC, to a professor and a 
schoolteacher. He shared his parents' love of learning and went on to 
attend Williams College for his undergraduate degree and the University 
of Wisconsin-Madison for his PhD in economics. Bill began his career in 
academia and brought a new lens to economic policy: calling attention 
to the role of race in our economy.
  Over the years, Bill mentored thousands of students at North Carolina 
Agricultural and Technical College, Norfolk State University, and 
Howard University. Bill was committed to lifting up all voices in his 
classroom and helping all students, especially people of color, advance 
in a field dominated by White men. As Assistant Secretary of Labor 
during the Obama administration, Bill worked on a number of issues from 
trade to minimum wage, to racial disparities in the labor market. Bill 
then transitioned to be chief economist at the AFL-CIO, where he was a 
frequent and outspoken advocate for workers, in particular Black 
workers. Over his career of service, Bill's advocacy and policy 
expertise made a difference for so many. It is simple: Workers are 
better off because of Bill.
  And his impact extends far beyond the impressive roles he held; at 
every step of his career, Bill challenged his colleagues to consider 
how systemic racism in our economy hurts working families of color. In 
the summer of 2020, following the murder of George Floyd, Bill 
published a powerful open letter to his fellow economists where he 
criticized the field's approach to race as a factor in the economy. He 
called on economists to reflect on and rethink how they study race. And 
he asked that they commit to creating policies that uplift workers of 
color and their families. The letter served as a starting point for 
discussion about the Fed's role in economic inequality.
  His work shaped the national conversation. He found that Black 
workers were disproportionately hurt by import shocks to the economy, 
like NAFTA and Permanent Normal Trade Relations with China. His work 
reminded us that just as we were starting to create more jobs that 
support the middle class like manufacturing and make them more open to 
Black workers, our country's trade policy enabled the shipment of those 
jobs overseas. The work that we have to do now to rebuild our country 
with a real pro-American pro-worker industrial strategy that is finally 
inclusive to all stands on his shoulders. It is up to all of us to 
continue that conversation and uphold Bill's legacy.
  On a personal note, I had the privilege of working with Bill a number 
of times over the years. He testified before the Banking Housing and 
Urban Affairs Committee at least four times since I took over as the 
lead Democrat. Each time, Bill testified about policies that would help 
workers. He offered his support for COVID relief packages to get 
families through the pandemic. And he stood up for communities and 
people that have been overlooked by economic policy for far too long.
  Bill offered thoughtful counsel; he took time to talk to my staff and 
share his expertise. He was kind, thoughtful, and a brilliant 
economist. Bill understood that worker rights are intertwined with 
civil rights. And above all, he was committed to fighting for the 
dignity of work; he and I shared a goal that, one day, hard work will 
pay off for everyone no matter who you are or what you do.
  May we all follow Bill's example to dedicate our lives to service, to 
push toward that goal until every worker can count on the dignity of 
work.

[[Page S2219]]

  Our thoughts are with the Spriggs' family and with all those who knew 
and loved Bill.

                          ____________________