[Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 113 (Monday, July 13, 2026)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E674]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




       HONORING AND PAYING TRIBUTE TO SUSIE BEATRICE WEST FRANCIS

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. FREDERICA S. WILSON

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                         Monday, July 13, 2026

  Ms. WILSON of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize and 
honor one of South Florida's most respected and heralded educators and 
community activists, Susie Beatrice West Francis. Not only was she a 
beloved mother, wife and sister, but she was dearly loved and respected 
by the community. She gave of herself selflessly, always there to lend 
advice and a helping hand.
  Susie Beatrice West Francis' teaching career started at D.A. Dorsey 
Junior-Senior High, where she taught home economics to black students. 
After desegregation, she taught at Westview Middle School. She was 
known for her elegance, poise and signature white gloves.
  Mrs. Francis, along with Maude K. Reid and Mayme E. Williams founded 
The Links Greater Miami Chapter. The volunteer organization helps in 
civic, corporate and community initiatives. As a Link and member of 
Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporate, Mrs. Francis raised funds for 
charity, helped establish scholarships for students, took care of the 
homeless and helped provide for mothers in need in other countries.
  Mrs. Francis was married to the late Daniel Francis who was the 
editor of the Miami Tropical Dispatch, a weekly newspaper for the black 
community distributed in Overtown. They have one daughter, DanySu F. 
Pritchett. Mrs. Francis was born in Jacksonville to a father who was a 
barber and a mother who was a seamstress. Mrs. Francis was raised in 
Tampa along with seven siblings.
  She attended Florida A&M University where she graduated with a 
bachelor's degree in education.
  I recognize my Soror and Link sister, Susie Beatrice West Francis, 
and I am honored to pay tribute to her life and legacy. I thank her for 
her unwavering dedication and commitment to her students and this 
community.

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