[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 157 (2011), Part 2]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 2668-2669]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                          HONORING VONNIE WARE

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. BENNIE G. THOMPSON

                             of mississippi

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, February 17, 2011

  Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor a 
remarkable public servant Mr. Vonnie Ware. Mr. Ware owns and operates 
his own cook syrup farm and has raised cattle for the past twenty 
years. His parents W.H. and Lovie Dier-Ware had nine children. His 
father was a Blacksmith who owned his own land.
  His wife's father, Samuel Mallet, owned and operated his own farm in 
the Thomastown community where they could hear the bells ringing on the 
plantation two miles away. His father shoed horses for twenty-five 
cents (.25) a head. The children that lived on the plantation never 
went to school until it rained. He says, ``That's why I say we are just 
one step from the plantation, because I still meet the same men today 
who can't read or write.''
  Out of all the injustice they endured, Vonnie's parents never taught 
them to hate anyone because of his skin color. His grandparents were 
Will and Lizer Griffin-Dier. He considered his grandfather his greatest 
hero and stayed with him when he was a small boy.
  Vonnie's grandfather was a Deacon in his church and owned and 
operated his own farm. He was also a syrup cooker. His grandfather 
wasn't allowed any kind of benefits because he owned his own land. 
Vonnie followed in his grandfather's footsteps.

[[Page 2669]]

  His Aunt Frances Dier taught school 40 years in Leake County. She 
walked for miles to school since she could not ride the bus because she 
was black. One day, the bus passed and splashed mud on her; she stepped 
in the ditch and prayed that one day her people would be able to ride 
the bus like the white people.
  Today, Vonnie Ware is a past TAC (Thomastown Attendance Center) 
Booster club President of four years. He was also a trustee at Leake 
Memorial Hospital for two years. He is an active member of the Leake 
County Voters League.
  Vonnie Ware speaks from his heart when he says: ``We are thankful for 
the old freedom fighters that humbled themselves and denied themselves 
of speaking like they were men or women. They knew what the blacks 
knew. It was difficult to see ``white only'' signs up everywhere you 
go. This hurts my soul to write anymore about it In order for a young 
man to succeed, he must do these three things: Believe in God, vote, 
and know how to spend his money. We have come a long way BUT we still 
have a long way to go. We must press on.''

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