[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 22 (Wednesday, February 7, 2024)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E121]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




        BLACK HISTORY MONTH 2024: HONORING ELSIE McPHERSON-BROWN

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. ELISSA SLOTKIN

                              of michigan

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, February 7, 2024

  Ms. SLOTKIN. Mr. Speaker, today I honor the groundbreaking service of 
a Livingston County woman who never even planned to live in the area, 
much less to make history there. Fortunately, life had its own plans 
for Elsie McPherson-Brown, and the community is so much better for it.
  Livingston County sits at the crossroads of several major highways, 
and when Elsie McPherson-Brown, was driving one of them to visit 
friends, she took a wrong turn and ended up in the northern community 
of Hartland. Elsie liked what she saw on that unexpected outing, and 
after further investigation, including meeting with the superintendent 
and school principals, she convinced her husband to relocate to 
Hartland from Detroit with their two elementary school-aged boys.
  It's worth noting that Livingston County was, and remains to this 
day, an overwhelmingly white community, but Elsie and her family were 
undeterred. From the beginning of their time in Hartland, Elsie dove 
into community service, volunteering in her kids' classrooms, 
organizing fundraisers, chairing Teacher Appreciation Day events, and 
serving on the PTO. In 2003, Elsie took her service to a new and 
historic level, when she successfully ran for the Board of Education of 
Hartland Consolidated Schools, becoming the first African-American 
woman and only the second African-American in modern history to be 
elected to public office in Livingston County.
  Her story is not without its challenges, particularly when it comes 
to race relations. She often shares how a grocery store manager 
insisted her personal check was fraudulent because he refused to 
believe that a Black woman lived in Livingston County as the address 
stated. Or the local police officers who questioned her younger son and 
refused to believe he was simply heading home for the same reason. But 
Elsie chose to rise above, and set her focus and her intentions on the 
things she loved about the community and the commonalities she shared 
with her friends and neighbors.
  Supported by the voters, Elsie served ten years on the school board 
and fulfilled her goal of having a voice in shaping the education of 
the next generation. She was known for her calm demeanor, her colorful 
outfits, and the many hats she wore about town, perhaps representative 
of the different hats she wore in life: wife, mother, advocate, and 
trailblazer. While she has stepped down from public office, today she 
continues her life of quiet service to the community in her work with 
the Livingston County Sheriffs Office.
  Elsie McPherson-Brown may have stumbled upon Hartland accidentally, 
but it's no accident that she changed the course of Hartland's history. 
Her story deserves to be told, uplifted, and forever preserved.

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