[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 97 (Friday, June 7, 2024)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E597-E598]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




             HONORING BRUNETTE WASHINGTON'S 110TH BIRTHDAY

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. TIMOTHY M. KENNEDY

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                          Friday, June 7, 2024

  Mr. KENNEDY. Mr. Speaker, today I recognize the 110th birthday of an 
exceptional woman, Brunette Washington.
  Born in Forkland, Alabama in 1914, Brunette migrated to Lackawanna, 
New York in 1937. She shared 70 years of marriage with her husband 
James until his passing in 2001. Together, they raised four children in 
a household where the values of love, faith, education, and hard work 
were instilled and practiced. Her family has grown to include nine 
grandchildren, nine great-grandchildren, ten great-great grandchildren, 
and one great-great-great grandchild.
  Brunette is respectfully known as ``Mother Washington'' to the 
congregation at Macedonia Baptist Church of Buffalo, where she has 
served as a Sunday school teacher, in the Nurses Guild, in the church 
choir, and as the President of the Mission Society. Her tenure is 
specifically noted for her fundraising with the American Heart 
Association, the Easter Seals Foundation, and the United Way, as well 
as for ministering to neighborhood children, the vulnerable, and people 
who needed an empathetic and supportive ear. A faithful voter since 
1937, Brunette contributes to her community charitably and civically.
  A believer that it is ``never too late to achieve your dreams'', 
Brunette obtained her driver's license at 50 years old. Growing up in 
the segregated south, her access to an education beyond the 7th grade 
was limited. In

[[Page E598]]

her 60's, she enrolled in the 8th grade at a neighborhood school and 
continued until she graduated with her diploma from Bennett High 
School, achieving a lifelong dream.
  On Thursday, June 6th, Brunette reached 110 years of age. When asked 
what she attributes to her long life, she says, ``I don't know why He 
does it, but He keeps me alive and I thank Him, I thank Him, I thank 
Him!''
  I join the people of Western New York in admiration of Brunette's 
commendable achievements, realized over the course of an exceptional 
lifetime.

                          ____________________