[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 7]
[House]
[Pages 9880-9881]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                 CHAIRWOMAN JUANITA MILLENDER-McDONALD

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the order of the House of 
January 4, 2007, the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Lewis) is recognized 
during morning hour debates for 5 minutes.
  Mr. LEWIS of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, we are here today to honor one of 
our colleagues, Representative Juanita McDonald of the 37th District of 
California.
  Representative McDonald was an extraordinary woman. She was born in

[[Page 9881]]

Birmingham, Alabama at a time of racial violence and overt displays of 
the most open and systematic forms of racism. But she did not let that 
hold her down or hold her back. She went to college in California, she 
became a teacher in the Los Angeles school system, and throughout her 
career she used education as an instrument for change.
  She was a great teacher, and she used the power of knowledge and her 
commitment to human understanding to break down institutional barriers 
and to reach across the aisle.
  I think that is why she made so many strides as a Member of Congress. 
She knew gaining mutual understanding was the only way to build 
coalitions and lay all differences aside.
  That's why her creativity and skillful leadership became legendary. 
She was the first Democrat to chair the Congressional Caucus For 
Women's Issues and she used that power to build a coalition between the 
women of the Supreme Court and the women of Congress. She knew the 
differences in their roles as public servants didn't matter. She 
believed all women in government shared a common bond.
  She took concerned women of Congress to meet delegates to the United 
Nations to unify the global struggle against the exploitation of women 
and girls.
  She developed the first National Teen Dating Violence Week as a 
platform for all women to speak out against a common problem--violence 
against teen girls. And she was the first Member to bring the head of 
the CIA to the city of Watts to address longstanding, widespread 
allegations of drug dumping in that community.
  And, of course, she was the first African American to chair a full 
committee, the Committee on House Administration. This committee 
oversees some of the great educational institutions of our Nation--the 
Library of Congress, the Smithsonian Institution, the Government 
Printing Office, and the Capitol Fine Arts Board.
  We can only dream about what this great teacher would have done in 
this capacity. I know she would have used the power of knowledge and 
education as an instrument of change.
  But beyond that, Juanita McDonald was an elegant lady. She may have 
moved to California, but she never lost her southern charm. She was 
always a lady--as tough as steel but as sweet as honey. She was more 
than a colleague. She was our sister, our friend. Juanita was a sharp 
dresser, and sometimes she would dress to kill. She was beautiful on 
the outside and on the inside. She had a sweet, sweet spirit, and she 
will be deeply missed.
  Sometimes when she would see me, she would call me Mr. Civil Rights. 
And sometimes when she would see Sanford Bishop, David Scott and me 
together, she would say, ``What are you Georgia boys doing? What are 
you up to?''
  And when she was planning programs in her district, she would stop by 
to see members of the Georgia delegation and tell us she needed a box 
of peanuts. And we would all ante up and make those peanuts available 
to her.
  It is so unreal. It is so unbelievable that we will not see her on 
the floor of this Chamber again. Life is short, too short. We are here 
today, and we're gone tomorrow, but her spirit and her memory will live 
on in all of us.
  With the passing of Congresswoman McDonald, it seems the world is a 
little darker. It seems that a light has gone out. Maybe here in this 
Chamber and on this Earth a light has gone out. But in another part of 
the universe Juanita is shining brighter than ever before.

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