[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 22 (Wednesday, February 7, 2024)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E123]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




       BLACK HISTORY MONTH 2024: HONORING ORRIN AND LUVINA WILSON

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. ELISSA SLOTKIN

                              of michigan

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, February 7, 2024

  Ms. SLOTKIN. Mr. Speaker, today I pay tribute to two of the most 
beloved residents to ever call the St. Johns, Michigan, community home: 
Orrin and Luvina Wilson. Settling in Clinton County post-Civil War, the 
Wilsons were a ``power couple'' before such a term existed, but it was 
never about seeking power for themselves. Rather, the Wilsons lived 
their lives in quiet but devoted and groundbreaking service to their 
nation and to their neighbors, and forever changed the face of St. 
Johns.
  Orrin was just 16 years old in 1864 when he enlisted in Michigan's 
all-Black regiment, the 102nd United States Colored Infantry. Company 
K, out of Kalamazoo. He served until the war's end, and returned to 
Michigan where he met and married his bride. The two would soon settle 
in St. Johns, where they lived out the next 60 years of their lives.
  In addition to his military service, Orrin was a trailblazer in so 
many ways. First. he took up the trade of barbering and owned his own 
shop for nearly 50 years, serving a mostly white clientele out of the 
old Steel Hotel in downtown St. Johns. He was also a founding member of 
the local chapter of the Grand Army of the Republic, a national union 
of Civil War veterans, and served as its post commander for a time. Not 
only was he the only Black member of the St. Johns Charles Grisson Post 
of the GAR, it's believed he was the only Black man in the state to 
hold such a leadership position outside of the all-Black posts in 
cities like Detroit.
  Luvina was a trailblazer in her own right, serving as president of 
the local chapter of the Women's Relief Corps, the auxiliary 
organization to the Grand Army of the Republic. The WRC not only 
supported the mission to aid Union veterans, but also assisted former 
Army nurses and promoted patriotism through education. And just like 
her husband, Luvina is believed to be the only Black woman in the state 
to have led an all-white post.
  Orrin and Luvina raised two sons together: George and Arthur, who 
continued the family barbering trade. The family was active in the St. 
Johns United Methodist Church, where Orrin served as a trustee and 
treasurer for three decades. They were married for 58 years, and linked 
in their common goal of creating a better, more just community and 
nation. And united they also were in death, leaving this world just one 
day apart in late December of 1928. The two were buried together in the 
veterans' section of Mt. Rest Cemetery, with flags flown at half-mast 
and a large funeral procession going past the family home on South 
Clinton Avenue.
  May their life story and memory be a blessing and inspiration to all 
of us.

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