[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 152 (2006), Part 17]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 22495]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                      TRIBUTE TO M. ATHALIE RANGE

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. KENDRICK B. MEEK

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, December 5, 2006

  Mr. MEEK of Florida. Mr. Speaker, today I rise with great sadness to 
memorialize the late M. Athalie Range, who, at age 91, died on Tuesday, 
November 14, 2006. I join our community, now saddened by the passing of 
this great civil rights icon, who represented all that is decent and 
honorable about our common humanity.
  A genuine legend, this eloquent and courageous lady held our 
disenfranchised community together when access to equal justice was 
denied to us. She led the struggle of reason and conscience in righting 
this wrong.
  She was barely 5 feet tall, but she stood indomitable against the 
forces of segregation and racism. She was a pioneer in forcing equal 
opportunity and justice for all. M. Athalie Range was a beacon who 
showed the way for us in fighting for the rights of others. The 
magnitude of her courage and the strength of her heart defined her will 
to end inequality and discrimination everywhere she found their evil 
vestiges.
  A native Floridian, Ms. Range was born in Key West, was educated in 
Miami, and graduated from the Booker T. Washington High School. Her 
achievements were numerous, but a prominent accomplishment was her 
election as the first African-American to the Miami City Commission. 
She was the first Black woman ever to head a State agency, appointed by 
then-Florida Governor Reuben Askew as Secretary of Community Affairs, 
and she was appointed by President Jimmy Carter to the National Board 
of AMTRAK. Her humanitarianism was duly recognized when she was given 
the Silver Medallion Award by the Florida chapter of the National 
Conference of Christians and Jews, followed by the Spirit of Excellence 
Award by The Miami Herald.
  ``She knew more about politics than anyone I knew,'' said former U.S. 
Rep. Carrie P. Meek. ``She taught me humility, first and foremost. She 
taught me to go out and talk with the little people in the community, 
who no one else thought about.''
  Mr. Speaker, I find it difficult to write these statements on behalf 
of this ``Grande Dame of Public Service'' without thinking of my many 
wonderful memories of her. The most appropriate way I can describe her 
was that her life was as gentle as her words were gracious, purposeful 
and elegant. Her descriptions of our challenges as a people were 
insightful--so simple and yet so impeccable that no one doubted that we 
were in the presence of an awesome leader whose promise of liberation 
was inspiring.
  This is the legacy left by M. Athalie Range. With humble faith, we 
will now consign her back to the God she loved and served. I am glad 
that leaders like M. Athalie Range never have to say goodbye, because 
she will truly live on with us.

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