[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 145 (1999), Part 11]
[House]
[Page 15904]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




             DEATH OF CIVIL RIGHTS PIONEER JAMES L. FARMER

  (Mr. CLYBURN asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. CLYBURN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today on behalf of the Members of 
the Congressional Black Caucus to join the chorus of millions around 
the Nation and the world to express our heartfelt sorrow over the 
passing of civil rights pioneer James L. Farmer.
  James Farmer was founder of the Congress of Racial Equality. He 
organized the famous Freedom Ride of the 1960s to challenge the Jim 
Crow laws of racial segregation in public transportation.
  During his lifetime, Farmer was the recipient of numerous awards, 
including the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1998.
  On a personal level, I experienced firsthand his inspiring leadership 
while a student of the South Carolina State University. As a member of 
CORE, I participated in the lunch counter sit-ins and other direct 
action activities organized by Mr. Farmer. These activities were the 
driving current for the student movement.
  We in the CBC and others will honor his memory by always striving to 
emulate his shining example. I extend our deepest condolences and our 
thoughts and prayers to his two daughters, Tami Lynn and Abbey Lee, and 
the entire Farmer family.

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