[Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 201 (Tuesday, December 2, 2025)]
[House]
[Pages H4975-H4976]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
HONORING BICENTENNIAL OF AKRON, OHIO
(Mrs. Sykes of Ohio was recognized to address the House for 5
minutes.)
Mrs. SYKES. Madam Speaker, today I rise with profound pride and
gratitude as we honor the bicentennial of my hometown, Akron, Ohio. For
200 years, Akron has stood as a place where ordinary people dare to do
extraordinary things. It is a place shaped not only by industry or
geography, but by courage, resiliency, and an unshakable belief in what
a community can be.
Long before 1825, the land that would become Akron was home to native
indigenous peoples who understood its beauty and its promise. Two
centuries ago this week, Simon Perkins and Paul Williams laid out a new
town on a watershed divide. They named it after the Greek word
``akros,'' which means summit or high point. In that single word, they
captured both our geography and our destiny.
Akron quickly grew into a city of builders and innovators. It became
known as the Rubber Capital of the World and served as the home of
Goodyear, Firestone, and Goodrich. Workers in Akron shaped an industry
that moved a nation forward. When those workers demanded dignity,
fairness, and safety, Akron became the birthplace of the modern sit-
down strike and a proving ground for the strength of solidarity.
It is also a city of justice seekers. John Brown once walked our
streets and lived in a house on the same street where I grew up, a
rabid abolitionist who ultimately died for the freedoms of enslaved
people. Sojourner Truth delivered her famous ``Ain't I A Woman'' speech
in Akron as well, spurring the foundation of understanding
intersectionality. Generations of Akronites stood together to affirm
that equality is not an aspiration, but it is a right, a right we
continue to collectively fight for.
Akron is a city of world changers. It has given this country
legendary athletes, such as LeBron James, Steph Curry, and Butch
Reynolds, earning its title, ``The Birthplace of Champions.'' It has
given us musicians who redefined genres, including Devo, The
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Black Keys, Chrissie Hynde, and Howard Hewett. It has given us actors
and storytellers who brought our experience to big and small screens.
It has also given us Judith Resnik, the first Jewish woman astronaut
who reached for the stars and inspired the Nation. It has also given us
Rita Dove, a Pulitzer Prize award winner and the first African-American
Poet Laureate of the United States.
The Birthplace of Champions isn't just a tagline or a motto, it is
who we are. It is the people whose names you won't ever see in lights
but built an industry, led innovation, and continued to fight for
fairness and opportunity.
Perhaps Akron's greatest legacy is its people. Families come from
every corner of the world to work hard, build homes, raise children,
start businesses, and lift up one another. Akron is filled with people
who don't quit when times are tough, and its residents understand that
a community rises by lifting others.
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Madam Speaker, as someone who grew up in Akron and was shaped by its
values, I stand here because of that community.
Akron taught me compassion and resilience. It taught me that public
service means fighting for working people, fairness, and opportunity.
These are values that Akron has carried for two centuries, and I carry
these same values with me in the Halls of Congress.
H. Res. 918 honors our past, but it also looks ahead to our future.
Akron continues to lead in sustainable polymers, research,
entrepreneurship, healthcare, the arts, and innovation. It continues to
stand up to injustice. It continues to carry forward the spirit of the
people who built this city.
Madam Speaker, I am deeply humbled to introduce H. Res. 918,
celebrating 200 years of the city of Akron. I encourage its swift
passage. May the next 200 years of the city of Akron be even brighter.
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