[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 190 (Wednesday, November 15, 2023)]
[House]
[Pages H5859-H5860]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




              HONORING MOTHER SARAH BELLE MINGO STEVENSON

  (Ms. ADAMS asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute.)
  Ms. ADAMS. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor a great leader from 
the Charlotte-Mecklenburg community: Mother Sarah Mingo Stevenson.
  After a lifetime devoted to public service in her community, to her 
church, and, most importantly, family, Sarah Stevenson left us at the 
grand age of 97 on September 26, 2023.
  A Charlotte civil rights pioneer, she played a huge role in the 
creation of an influential forum for political and social dialogue in 
the city. The Tuesday Morning Breakfast Forum continues to this day and 
is a required stop for candidates running for office in Charlotte and 
statewide.
  As the first Black woman to serve on the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Board 
of Education, from 1980 to 1988, she carried on her work of activism 
from the seventies when she effected the desegregation of public 
schools in the district.

[[Page H5860]]

  Her courageous leadership and encouragement of small businesses, 
women, and civil groups over the years have been part of her undying 
legacy. She will be sorely missed.
  I look forward to witnessing the many ways her legacy will continue 
to impact lives to make Charlotte and North Carolina a more just and 
fair place.
  Sarah Stevenson earned the respect of men, women, and little 
children, and she made the world much better than she found it.
  Rest in peace, Ms. Stevenson.

                          ____________________