[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 160 (2014), Part 3]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 3443-3444]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




       HONORING THERESA BURROUGHS DURING BLACK HISTORY MONTH 2014

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. TERRI A. SEWELL

                               of alabama

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, February 26, 2014

  Ms. SEWELL of Alabama. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to continue my 
commitment to paying homage to influential African Americans from the 
state of Alabama during this Black History Month. Today, we pause to 
pay tribute to one of Alabama's most courageous and daring heroines of 
the civil rights movement, Mrs. Theresa Burroughs. In Alabama, this 
American treasure is celebrated for her role in providing a safe haven 
to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. during his visit to Greensboro, Alabama 
in 1968.
  Mrs. Burroughs was born on August 14, 1929 in Greensboro, Alabama. 
She attended Hale County Training School. At just ten years old, 
Burroughs was certain that her calling was in style and beauty. It was 
at that age that she built a clientele of women in her neighborhood who 
sought Burroughs for her impeccable skills as a hairstylist. She 
charged 25 cents for her services and built a lasting reputation with 
the women of Greensboro that would sustain her for the rest of her 
life. Her passion for beauty led her to the Besteda School of 
Cosmetology in Mobile and Tuscaloosa. After graduating, she returned to 
Greensboro to open up her very own hair salon.
  But, while she found lifelong success and gratification in the 
business, Burroughs recalls that she grew restless over the hardships 
blacks endured at the hands of racism and inequality. At 18, she joined 
with the Rev. J.J. Simmons, a local minister that would take blacks to 
the Hale County courthouse to attempt to register to vote. Every first 
and third Monday of each month, Burroughs and others would be turned 
away. But after 10 attempts, the group was successful.
  Burroughs credits Rev. Simmons with encouraging her to continue her 
role in the movement. As a result, she was on the frontlines during 
``Bloody Sunday'' in Selma, Alabama and was among the countless 
marchers who were beaten during the demonstration. Her salon was also 
used as a meeting place for Dr. King and others as they gathered for 
planning sessions. She became so influential in the movement that some 
of her clients were instructed not to patronize her salon because she 
was deemed an ``agitator.'' Nonetheless, she remained committed to 
doing her part.
  In March 1968, just two weeks before his death, Dr. King came to 
Greensboro to speak at a mass meeting. After the meeting, Dr. King was 
warned that members of the Klan planned to assassinate him if he 
attempted to leave Greensboro and travel to Selma. He sought refuge in 
the home of Mrs. Burroughs' parents as churches were burned along his 
travel route. He along with the Rev. Ralph Abernathy and their driver 
Bernard Lee remained undetected at the home until 4 a.m. Burroughs 
along with others kept watch as Klansmen swarmed the streets of 
Greensboro in search of Dr. King.
  In a recent Birmingham News article, Burroughs recalled what it meant 
to her to have a role in keeping Dr. King alive if only for a short 
time. ``We helped keep Martin safe that night only to see him die two 
weeks later and you are tempted to think what good did we really do,'' 
said Burroughs. ``But I know it mattered because Martin had another two 
weeks to do his work and two weeks in the life of a man like him was a 
lot.''
  Today, Burroughs continues to tell her compelling story through her 
work as director of the ``Safe House Museum'' in Greensboro, Alabama. 
The museum is housed in the same home where Dr. King took refuge in 
1968. Mrs. Burroughs donated her parent's property to the city to 
preserve the historic site for future generations. At the museum, 
visitors are given a glimpse into what it was like for Dr. King and 
others on that night in 1968.
  It is indeed an honor to share the story of this heroine with our 
nation. Her selfless contributions to the Civil Rights movement should

[[Page 3444]]

never be forgotten. Mrs. Burroughs risked her life to protect the most 
important figure in the Civil Rights movement and for that, she should 
be celebrated. As a benefactor of the blood that she and so many others 
shed, I ask my colleagues to join me in honoring Mrs. Theresa 
Burroughs, an American hero.

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