[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 155 (2009), Part 8]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 10439]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                HONORING THE LIFE OF MIRIAM WITHERSPOON

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. ARTUR DAVIS

                               of alabama

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, April 22, 2009

  Mr. DAVIS of Alabama. Madam Speaker, I rise to extend my condolences 
to the family of Miriam Witherspoon, a city council member whose death 
on April 21 is being mourned by the entire city of Birmingham, Alabama. 
Ms. Witherspoon was a note of grace in Birmingham politics: if you knew 
her, you had to appreciate that she was genuinely kind and generous in 
a profession known more for its sharp edges.
  Miriam was the kind of individual who excelled at whatever she did. 
Academically, that meant graduating with high honors from Alabama A&M, 
and second in her class at Miles Law School. Professionally, it meant 
crafting a career as one of the leading experts on elder law in the 
state of Alabama. Politically, it meant forging a political career in 
her adopted community of Birmingham on her own, independent terms. She 
lost her first council race, but came back so strong that in 2005, she 
won easily, the only non-incumbent to win outright without a runoff. 
Miriam won the confidence of her peers so quickly that in her first 
days, they elected her president pro tempore of the council.
  Miriam Witherspoon happened to have a disability. An automobile 
accident twenty-one years ago ruined her spinal cord. Her spirit only 
grew stronger. When she entered public life, disabled citizens in 
Birmingham finally had their voice. Miriam pushed Birmingham and its 
city buildings to live up to the obligations of the Americans with 
Disabilities Act. When told that following the law cost money, her 
answer was, in effect, ``we are Americans by way of Birmingham, 
Alabama, and we belong here too''. Her passion reminded us that 
Birmingham of all places has no business keeping people out.
  She goes home to rest now, having fought the good fight. Her legacy 
will be the people she inspired, who used to have an excuse for why 
they couldn't compete or excel. That is, they had an excuse until the 
moment they met Miriam Witherspoon, and felt the spirit that was 
standing upright around her wheelchair.

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