[Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 141 (Tuesday, August 26, 2025)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E788-E789]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 HONORING THE EXTRAORDINARY LIFE AND LEGACY OF BISHOP CALVIN WOODS, SR.

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. TERRI A. SEWELL

                               of alabama

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, August 26, 2025

  Ms. SEWELL. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the extraordinary life 
and legacy of a Civil Rights icon and community leader, Bishop Calvin 
W. Woods, Sr., who passed away on August 16, 2025, at the age of 91.
  A native of Alabama's 7th Congressional District, Bishop Woods was 
born on September 13, 1933, in Birmingham, Alabama, to the late Maggie 
Rosa Lee Wallace Woods and Abraham Lincoln Woods, Sr.
  Bishop Woods received his Bachelor of Arts from Miles College before 
continuing his education at Birmingham Baptist College. He went on to 
complete multiple degrees at the Universal Bible Institute, Union 
Baptist Seminary, and the School of Truth. Woods is also a graduate of 
the Urban Training Center for Christian Missions and obtained a 
certificate for police communications from Samford University.

[[Page E789]]

  In 1956, Bishop Woods joined his brother Reverend Abraham L. Woods, 
Jr., and Reverend Fred L. Shuttlesworth to co-found the Alabama 
Christian Movement for Human Rights (ACMHR). Through this work, Bishop 
Woods began the journey of what would become six decades of courageous 
leadership throughout the Civil Rights Movement. Working closely with 
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and supporting the work of Reverend Fred L. 
Shuttlesworth, Bishop Woods challenged segregation directly, 
participating in numerous demonstrations, including the Birmingham 
Campaign and the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom in 1963. 
Though his participation in the Movement resulted in him being beaten, 
arrested, and fired from his job, he continued to fight for justice and 
equality for all. He planned strategies for public protests following 
the shooting of five African Americans who had been protesting at a 
supermarket during the 1960s and filed a lawsuit on behalf of the youth 
suspended from school during the demonstration to ensure that they 
could be reinstated.
  As a result of his tenacity and dedication, Bishop Woods was 
appointed by Dr. King as the SCLC City Convener for the Birmingham 
Ministers Leadership Conference. In this position, Bishop Woods was 
responsible for educating ministers concerning Black History, 
picketing, housing, direct non-violent protesting, voter registration, 
and negotiations to ensure that they were fully equipped to continue 
leading their congregations throughout the Movement.
  In addition to his work as a Civil Rights leader, Bishop Woods played 
a vital role in the Birmingham community through his various community 
affiliations and as the pastor of Shiloh Baptist Church in Birmingham, 
Alabama, where he led the congregation for more than three decades. 
Throughout his life, Bishop Woods served in many leadership capacities, 
including as the Discipline & Administration and Evening Supervisor for 
Community Ed School at Parker High School, a board member of the 
Birmingham Civil Rights Institute, the President of the New Era Baptist 
State Convention of AL, the Vice Chair of the Board of Trustees of 
Birmingham Easonian Baptist Bible College, and a member of the National 
Baptist Convention, USA Inc. Board of Directors.
  Mr. Woods is preceded in death by his beloved wife, Lucille Grayson 
Woods; his parents, Rev. Abraham Lincoln Woods, Sr. and Maggie Woods; 
his brothers, Rev. Abraham Lincoln Woods, Jr., Dr. Roy Woods, Sr., 
Franklin Delorna Woods, and Dr. Dwight Edward Woods; his sisters, Mary 
Ruby Woods Hutchinson, Melzer Woods Luke, and Lois Woods, his 
daughters, Linda Cal Woods Holt, and Shelia Vanessa Woods Minter; his 
son, Dr. Freedom Progress Woods, Sr., and his granddaughter, Tamecia 
LaShun Woods. He is survived by his children, Jeanette Marie Woods 
Smith, Judy Kay Woods, Dr. Calvin Wallace Woods, Jr., (Minister 
Constance), Carlton Wayne Woods, Sr., Rev. Byron Elliott Woods, 
Christopher Wyatt Woods, Minister Joyce Elaine Woods Lewis (Dr. 
Tommie), Minister Angela Gay Woods McClure (Dr. Micheal), Dr. Timothy 
Justice Woods, Sr., and Dr. Quintin Prescott Woods, Sr. (Tramella); his 
thirty-seven grandchildren, his sixty-eight great-grandchildren, his 
eleven great great-grandchildren; his two daughter-in laws, his two 
son-in laws, his thirty-three nieces and nephews, his sixty-one great 
nieces and nephews, and a host other ministers of the gospel, cousins, 
family, and dear friends.
  On a personal note, the contributions that Bishop Woods made to 
ensure the equal rights of all Americans during the Civil Rights 
Movement were truly exemplary. I know that I get to represent my home 
district as Alabama's first Black Congresswoman because of his 
courageous efforts. To call him an icon of the Movement is an 
understatement. His unwavering commitment to improving the lives of 
black Alabamians had a profound effect on our community and will 
continue to be felt for generations to come. His life stands as a 
testament to the power of ordinary Americans to achieve extraordinary 
social change. His legacy will live on with every vote cast and in the 
many lives he impacted. May he rest in peace and power.
  On behalf of Alabama's 7th Congressional District, I ask my 
colleagues to join me in celebrating the extraordinary life and legacy 
of Bishop Calvin W. Woods, Sr. for his contributions to generations of 
civil rights leaders and decades of exemplary service to our Nation in 
our fight for liberty, equality, and justice for all.

                          ____________________