[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 94 (Monday, June 3, 2024)]
[House]
[Page H3565]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                ALBERT TURNER, SR. POST OFFICE BUILDING

  Mr. GROTHMAN. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the 
bill (H.R. 7893) to designate the facility of the United States Postal 
Service located at 306 Pickens Street in Marion, Alabama, as the 
``Albert Turner, Sr. Post Office Building''.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                               H.R. 7893

       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
     the United States of America in Congress assembled,

     SECTION 1. ALBERT TURNER, SR. POST OFFICE BUILDING.

       (a) Designation.--The facility of the United States Postal 
     Service located at 306 Pickens Street in Marion, Alabama, 
     shall be known and designated as the ``Albert Turner, Sr. 
     Post Office Building''.
       (b) References.--Any reference in a law, map, regulation, 
     document, paper, or other record of the United States to the 
     facility referred to in subsection (a) shall be deemed to be 
     a reference to the ``Albert Turner, Sr. Post Office 
     Building''.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Wisconsin (Mr. Grothman) and the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Raskin) 
each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Wisconsin.


                             General Leave

  Mr. GROTHMAN. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members 
may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks 
and include extraneous material on this measure.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Wisconsin?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. GROTHMAN. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the bill, which would 
rename a post office in Marion, Alabama, after Mr. Albert Turner, Sr.
  Mr. Turner devoted his life to the civil rights movement and fought 
to ensure equal access to the ballot box for African Americans. He 
worked with prominent leaders such as Martin Luther King and served as 
the Alabama Field Secretary to the Southern Christian Leadership 
Conference and founder of the Perry County Civic League.
  He was instrumental in helping organize protests and boycotts in 
support of racial integration of public facilities and schools.
  Mr. Speaker, I support naming a post office in memory of Mr. Turner 
and encourage my colleagues to do the same.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. RASKIN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 7893, and I yield 4 minutes to 
the very distinguished gentlewoman from Alabama (Ms. Sewell).
  Ms. SEWELL. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 7893, a bill 
to rename the Perry County Post Office in Marion, Alabama, after the 
late civil rights legend and former Perry County Commissioner, Albert 
Turner, Sr.
  Widely known as Martin Luther King, Jr.'s point man in the Black 
belt, Albert Turner, Sr., played a pivotal role in the civil rights 
movement, helping to organize voter registration drives, protests, and 
work closely with civil rights leaders to advance voting rights and 
economic empowerment for African Americans.
  Albert Turner, Sr., was one of the many foot soldiers who put his 
life on the line by marching across the Edmund Pettus Bridge on Bloody 
Sunday in my hometown of Selma, Alabama, to ensure that Black Americans 
were afforded equal access to the ballot box.
  Albert Turner, Sr., was a true champion for racial equality and 
justice in the Perry County community. He cofounded the Perry County 
Civic League, which organized protests and boycotts for racial 
integration of schools and public facilities. His voter mobilization 
efforts inspired civil rights leaders and earned him the title of field 
secretary for the Alabama Southern Christian Leadership Conference.
  Even after the passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, Turner's 
commitment to the cause of Black advancement never wavered. He proudly 
led the southwest Alabama Farmers Cooperative association to improve 
Black farmers' access to government loans and address the rising costs 
of agricultural machinery and supplies. He also served as a Perry 
County Commissioner for four terms, initiating and championing 
education, healthcare initiatives, and economic development for the 
poor and working-class residents.
  Currently, his son, Albert Turner, Jr., is serving as chairman of the 
Perry County Commission, carrying on his father's proud legacy of 
public service. The efforts of Albert Turner, Sr., paved the way for 
many freedoms that we as African Americans enjoy today.
  It is my hope that by renaming the Marion post office after him, we 
can ensure that his legacy lives on forever. I ask my House colleagues 
to join me and the entire Alabama delegation in voting in favor of H.R. 
7893, renaming the post office in Marion, Alabama, the Albert Turner, 
Sr. Post Office. May Albert Turner, Sr., rest in peace and power and 
his legacy of civil rights endure forever.

                              {time}  1615

  Mr. RASKIN. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. GROTHMAN. Mr. Speaker, I encourage my House colleagues to support 
this bill honoring a local public servant who worked to pursue freedom 
for all Americans.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. RASKIN. Mr. Speaker, I urge passage of H.R. 7893, and I yield 
back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Grothman) that the House suspend the 
rules and pass the bill, H.R. 7893.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the 
rules were suspended and the bill was passed.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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