[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 37 (Thursday, February 29, 2024)]
[House]
[Page H769]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   MARY AND JOHN MEACHUM LEGISLATION

  (Ms. BUSH asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Ms. BUSH. Mr. Speaker, St. Louis and I rise today to celebrate the 
final day of Black History Month and to pay tribute to the 
contributions made by Black Americans to free enslaved Black people.
  I proudly introduced a resolution to honor Mary and John Meachum, 
formerly enslaved Black abolitionists in St. Louis, Missouri, who 
dedicated their lives to the liberation of all Black people, especially 
those who were enslaved.
  In defiance of the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850, the Meachums' home 
became a stop on the Underground Railroad, guiding countless enslaved 
Black people to freedom in Illinois.
  Mary continued this work after her husband's death in 1854. In May of 
1855, Mary Meachum was implicated in a plot to smuggle a small group of 
enslaved Black people across the river and was arrested by a group of 
law enforcement and enslavers working together.
  Today, their legacy is memorialized at the Mary Meachum Freedom 
Crossing on the St. Louis Riverfront Trail. I am dedicated to ensuring 
that the stories of individuals like Mary and John Meachum are told for 
generations to come.

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