[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 146 (2000), Part 18]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 26335-26336]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



                FAREWELL SALUTE TO WILLIAM ``BILL'' CLAY

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. MAJOR R. OWENS

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, December 5, 2000

  Mr. OWENS. Mr. Speaker, there are no new and original accolades that 
I can add to the many phrases of praise already accorded our retiring 
Member, William ``Bill'' Clay. When he arrived during the age of the 
afro haircut, Bill Clay had a chest full of invisible medals from the 
Movement. He helped to guide the years of maximum Congressional Black 
Caucus solidarity, the time of Clay, Dellums, Conyers, Stokes and 
Rangel. Those were the days when CBC Members were wise enough not to 
scramble single handedly for their committee assignment deals. In 
unison, the Black

[[Page 26336]]

representatives demanded placements for the good of their local and 
their Black national constituency. Leadership was forced to seat 
Peacenick Dellums on the Armed Services Committee where the good old 
boys refused to give the brother a chair at the table to sit down. The 
radical Clay and his conspirators went on the propose the first CBC 
Dinner against the wishes of prominent White liberal allies. Further 
into the reign of Clay, the Voting Rights Act became a reality; and 
still later sanctions were imposed on South Africa. And the proposal 
for a Martin Luther King Holiday which started as an impossible dream 
finally concluded as a magnificent monument to the forward movement of 
race relations in America. At this point, Mr. Speaker, I wish to 
associate myself with the numerous other tributes that have already 
been recorded for our former Postal and Civil Service Committee 
chairman, and the ranking Democrat on Education and the Workforce. 
Congressman Clay is one of the last of the CBC original pioneers. It is 
important to note that with the recent election of William ``Lacy'' 
Clay, his son, the Clay genes will fortunately be remaining in 
Congress. The following Rap Poem is my final salute to the gentleman 
from Missouri who now we draft into our ``Corps of National American 
Statesmen'', William ``Bill'' Clay.

                    Bill Clay: The St. Louis Choice

                    (By Congressman Major R. Owens)

     Now is the time
     To lift high every voice,
     Join us to celebrate
     Achievements of the St. Louis Choice.
     Go ahead and loudly sing,
     Let fading memories
     Rise and sting;
     This St. Louis militant
     Earned progress
     The old fashioned way-
     He jumped in the man's face
     To save the day.
     Pushing straight ahead,
     to mad to be afraid,
     Nobody forgets
     The trouble he made,
     Every cent of dues daily he paid,
     Republicans regret
     That for so long he stayed.
     Indiana's Bob McCloskey
     Faxed Democrats an urgent note:
     Fly Bill Clay to Florida-
     Let the Master recount that vote.
     Wrong predictions of the past
     Said the CBC wouldn't last;
     Now forecasters ask
     Who'll lead the new struggle,
     What's the future all about?
     St. Louis responded:
     The let another load
     of Bill Clay genes out.
     Now is the time
     To lift every voice,
     Join us to celebrate
     Achievements of the St. Louis Choice.

     

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