[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 154 (2008), Part 2]
[House]
[Page 2462]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




           HONORING ESSIE MAE REED DURING BLACK HISTORY MONTH

  (Ms. CASTOR asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Ms. CASTOR. Mr. Speaker, here on Black History Month, I'm very 
pleased to salute Essie Mae Reed from Tampa, Florida, a true community 
hero. Essie Mae Reed has been an outspoken voice for the poor and 
struggling families in Tampa for decades. As a resident of the Central 
Park Village housing project in 1967, she created the first tenants 
association and ultimately advocated on behalf of thousands of families 
in Tampa.
  Essie Mae Reed established the Boys and Girls Club. She ensured 
children could go to the community college for enrichment programs. She 
publicized unsanitary conditions. She ensured children will receive 
lunch in schools. She fought to have hot water heaters installed in 
public housing. She forced a change in public housing policy that 
barred single mothers from public housing.
  Essie Mae Reed was the first African American woman to run for the 
Tampa City Council; and when they charged her a substantial qualifying 
fee, she challenged it, and the Federal district court threw it out and 
ruled it unconstitutional.
  Essie Mae Reed is a Tampa and American treasure. She stood up for so 
many that didn't have a voice and improved lives throughout our 
community.

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