[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 155 (2009), Part 7]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 8978]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




           RECOGNIZING THE 90TH BIRTHDAY OF MR. FRED A. CURLS

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. EMANUEL CLEAVER

                              of missouri

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, March 26, 2009

  Mr. CLEAVER. Madam Speaker, I proudly rise today in recognition of 
the 90th birthday of Mr. Fred Curls, a pioneer for civil and political 
rights and a resident of the Fifth District of Missouri, which I am 
honored to represent. On March 31, 2009, Mr. Curls will be 90 years 
young. This weekend on March 26th and 27th, he is to be honored in 
Kansas City, Missouri by family, friends, and acquaintances. I am 
privileged to be a part of this ceremony.
  Mr. Curls is one of the original Founders of Freedom Incorporated, an 
African-American political organization which at one time could 
generate nearly 70,000 votes. Freedom Inc. was and has been very 
influential in delivering votes for a candidate or a cause. The 
organization has been at the forefront in serving as a catalyst for 
change in civil rights, public accommodations, and the election of 
candidates at all levels of government. Freedom Inc.'s office has been 
visited by City Councilpersons, Jackson County Executives, Mayors, 
Missouri State Senators and Representatives, Governors, 
Congresspersons, Senators, Presidents, and those who have Presidential 
aspirations.
  For nearly fifty years, Mr. Curls has dedicated his life to the 
Greater Kansas City community, promoting and improving political 
empowerment and the civil rights of people of color. His children, 
grandchildren, and great grandchildren have followed in his footsteps 
in acknowledging their responsibility of giving back to the community. 
His son, State Senator Phil B. Curls, Sr. was the President of Freedom 
Inc. when I was Chairman. It was a period when Freedom Inc. was 
recognized as one of the most potent political organizations in the 
United States and brought about the election of the first African-
American Congressman from the Fifth District of Missouri, U.S. 
Representative Alan Wheat.
  The ``kids'' have also held many public offices. Two of them were and 
one is presently a Missouri State Representative, one was a city 
councilwoman, and two have been School Board members in the 
Metropolitan Kansas City area.
  Since the mid-1950s, Mr. Curls has been involved in real estate sales 
and appraisals, most notably in the African-American community of 
Kansas City. He fought against ``restrictive covenants'' whereby 
residential homes could not be sold in certain areas to minorities. He 
was part of a class action lawsuit which resulted in the United States 
Supreme Court outlawing such covenants.
  In all of his activities, Mr. Curls demonstrates his dedication and 
commitment to the greater good of others. He is actively involved with 
his high school graduating class, the ``Class of 1937,'' which has been 
very close to this day. He was honored by Jackson County, Missouri as 
one of its ``Legacy Awardees'' for its 175th anniversary as a political 
subdivision. He also has been honored by fellow Missourian U.S. 
Representative William Lacy Clay of St. Louis and myself as an awardee 
of the ``Missouri Walk of Fame'' designation, as one of the pioneers of 
Kansas City's African-American political struggle.
  Throughout his life, he has believed in the saying ``make it 
happen.'' He has put his principles into practice, and the effects of 
his efforts have ``made it happen'' throughout the Kansas City 
metropolitan area. He has had broad shoulders all his life and has held 
us on those shoulders all these years to promote equality in all walks 
of life.
  For those reasons and more, it is indeed an honor and a privilege to 
recognize Mr. Fred Curls on his 90th Birthday celebration. Madam 
Speaker, please join me in expressing our appreciation to Mr. Fred 
Curls and his endless commitment to serving the residents of Kansas 
City and the State of Missouri. Whatever we, as African-Americans, may 
attain in the political arena, Fred Curls and those who labored to act 
on our behalf as political pioneers have helped to change the course of 
history with the election of our first African-American President, 
Barack Obama. He is a true role model not just to the African-American 
community in Missouri, but to the entire community at large.

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