[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 7]
[House]
[Page 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 New York (Mr. Meeks) is recognized 
during morning hour debates for 2 minutes.
  Mr. MEEKS of New York. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
  I had to come to the floor today in remembrance of a phenomenal 
woman, Juanita Millender-McDonald. My heart is pained and it is 
unbelievable that we will not see this great woman, at least not on 
this planet, again. She was a woman that anytime that you saw her, she 
stood with such dignity and grace. She was a woman who was honest. I 
can recall when I would go to her and ask her opinion on various 
issues. She wouldn't tell me what I wanted to hear. She would tell me 
what I needed to hear. She would tell me what was indeed right. Being 
the father of three daughters, I can't help but say, Thank you, 
Juanita. Thank you for being the pioneer that you were. Thank you for 
blazing a trail, a trail that's so wide for women, all women, like my 
three young daughters, so that they can walk now on that path, so that 
they now can have opportunities that were denied others because you 
have fought the fight.
  In the church that I come from, the question is, have you helped 
someone, and the song says, ``If you've helped someone, then your 
living shall not be in vain.''
  In the life story of Juanita Millender-McDonald, she has indeed 
helped a whole lot of somebodies and she has made life better for a lot 
of children yet unborn. She has made history. And in the camera of 
history and in the camera of life of Juanita Millender-McDonald, it 
will be recorded that she was a soldier in this thing we call life, and 
she was a leader for all human beings but in particular to make sure 
that women, that their tomorrow is better than their yesterday or 
today.
  Juanita, we will miss you, and we know that as you see the good Lord, 
He's saying, ``Well done, Juanita. Job well done.''

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