[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 150 (2004), Part 17]
[Senate]
[Page 23861]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  1930
                TRIBUTE TO CONGRESSWOMAN DENISE MAJETTE

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Cummings) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. CUMMINGS. Mr. Speaker, the gentlewoman from Georgia (Ms. Majette) 
is a lifelong public servant who has spent her career fighting for our 
families and our children.
  Denise Majette was born into a working-class family, her mother, a 
teacher, and her father, a civil servant, who instilled in her the 
values of hard work, dedication to public service and strong religious 
beliefs. It is these childhood lessons that guided her life and her 
rise from these roots against tremendous odds to become one of the 
first African American women to attend Yale University and Duke 
University School of Law.
  Upon graduation, Denise Majette answered the call of public service, 
joining the Legal Aid in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, as a staff 
attorney. At Legal Aid, Denise Majette helped hardworking families who 
were struggling to make ends meet.
  After moving to Georgia in 1983, Ms. Majette continued working for 
her community, serving as a law clerk for the Georgia Court of Appeals, 
a special assistant attorney general and an administrative law judge. 
Then in 1993, Ms. Majette was appointed as a judge on the State court 
of DeKalb County.
  In 2002, Denise resigned from the bench and was elected to Congress, 
a talented legislator fighting for our children, our seniors, our 
veterans, and yes, our families.
  Denise lives the lesson her parents taught her, that to whom much is 
given, much is required. So when it looked like time was running out 
for Democrats in Georgia, she put it all on the line. When no one else 
was willing to take a chance and give up what they had, Denise made 
that sacrifice, and we thank her for her courage, her determination and 
for the thousands of new voters in Georgia.
  She made history, the first African American woman in Georgia, and 
that is the deep south, to become the Democratic nominee for the United 
States Senate. The Democratic nominee for the United States Senate from 
Georgia, just think about that. There were a lot of little girls 
watching this race. They saw Denise's commercials. They saw Denise 
debate time and time again and hold her own. They saw a legitimate, 
professional campaigner. Those little girls now know about a new 
option, a new path in life that is open to them.
  It is rare these days to meet a politician who is willing to make 
real sacrifices, someone willing to put it all on the line for the 
greater good. Denise Majette serves as a reminder to all of us that 
this position we hold is not really about us. It is not about how many 
titles we obtain or how many plaques hang on our walls or how many 
dollars we raise.
  We are here to be of service. We are not celebrities, but we are 
servants, and I thank Denise for reminding us of that.
  So, Mr. Speaker, we are so proud of Denise Majette and all that she 
has accomplished, and I do not have to wish her luck because with her 
faith in God, who is on her side, a strong conscience and an unshakable 
will, Denise Majette will never need it. She will be sorely missed in 
this body. May God bless her.

                          ____________________