[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 155 (2009), Part 21]
[House]
[Page 27979]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




               WELCOMING REV. MATTHEW SOUTHALL BROWN, SR.

  The SPEAKER. Without objection, the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. 
Barrow) is recognized for 1 minute.
  There was no objection.
  Mr. BARROW. Madam Speaker, I rise to pay tribute to my friend, Rev. 
Matthew Southall Brown, Sr., who delivered the invocation for the House 
this morning.
  If history is biography, then the history of the civil rights 
movement in my home of Savannah, Georgia, is the biography of Matthew 
Southall Brown. He got involved in the movement before there was a 
movement helping to bring about the end of one era and the birth of 
another.
  During World War II, Rev. Brown was serving as an Army non-com in 
Europe when the Battle of the Bulge broke out. In those days, blacks 
were confined to supporting units. But when men were needed to fight, 
General Eisenhower called for black soldiers to volunteer infantry 
duty. Rev. Brown was one of the 2,221 who answered that call, even 
though he had to give up his rank to do so.
  Later, answering a different call, Rev. Brown was chosen to lead 
Savannah's historic St. John Baptist Church. For over 35 years, Pastor 
Brown not only led his church family; he was a leader in the movement 
to secure equal rights and equal opportunity for everyone in our 
community.
  Rev. Brown, thank you for being there with my father in Europe and 
for your willingness to give your life to help us win that war, even 
when it was unfair. But more importantly, thank you for spending your 
life to help us win the peace. Sometimes it's an awful lot easier to 
fight for your country than it is to live for your country. You've done 
both, and for that we salute you.

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