[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 161 (2015), Part 11]
[House]
[Pages 14933-14944]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




  A TRIBUTE TO AMELIA BOYNTON ROBINSON, CONGRESSMAN LOUIS STOKES, AND 
                              JULIAN BOND

  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Rouzer). Under the Speaker's announced 
policy of January 6, 2015, the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Jackson Lee) 
is recognized for 60 minutes as the designee of the minority leader.
  Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, thank you very much. I am very 
privileged tonight to lead the Special Order of the Members of the 
Congressional Black Caucus.
  Let me thank our chairman, Chairman G. K. Butterfield, for continuing 
this tradition and for his continued leadership, encouragement, and 
avocation for Members and for the stories of those who have been such 
leaders in our Nation and such major issues that we have been able to 
contribute to for the understanding of our colleagues.
  Let me also make mention of my colleagues, Congresswoman Kelly and 
Congressman Payne, who have led us on this Special Order for the 
Congressional Black Caucus. I thank them for their leadership and 
service.
  A very special thanks to those of you who are watching at home and 
have often watched at home and have followed the Congressional Black 
Caucus through social media, social network, and also know that our 
major issues of criminal justice reform, civil rights, the restoration 
of the Voting Rights Act, and many others have been to speak to the 
vulnerable. Tonight we again speak to you, but we speak of those heroes 
that we have lost over the last couple of months.
  Tonight we pay tribute to Amelia Boynton Robinson, Congressman Lou 
Stokes, and, of course, Julian Bond. Our Nation was built on the values 
of dealing with the issues of freedom, justice and equality, values and 
principles that were perfectly embodied by the service and sacrifices 
of these three leaders.
  Mr. Speaker, over the last week we have watched the Pope make his way 
through a number of American cities and use words that are music to the 
ears of Members of the Congressional Black Caucus. Let me take just one 
of many citations that I will utilize to characterize these three 
individuals:
  ``The complexities of history,'' said Pope Francis, ``and the reality 
of human weakness notwithstanding, these men and women, for all their 
many differences and limitations, were able, by hard work and self-
sacrifice, some at the cost of their lives, to build a better future.''
  I would offer to say that Amelia Boynton Robinson, Congressman Lou 
Stokes, and Julian Bond, through the sacrifice of their individual 
families and their lives, were able to make a better future for us.
  We know the civil rights activist Amelia Boynton Robinson, 1965, was 
a

[[Page 14934]]

leader of the Bloody Sunday march and personified the optimism, 
determination, and courage that are at the heart of the American 
spirit. She truly made our lives better.
  Known as the matriarch of our Nation's civil rights movement, Ms. 
Boynton Robinson fought courageously to ensure that every American 
citizen had the right to vote. Her drive to secure universal voting 
rights was amazing, and certainly she risked her life when she crossed 
the Edmund Pettus Bridge. In her words, her son said civil rights was 
her entire life.
  We now understand that Congressman Lou Stokes made an amazing and 
impactful statement legislatively and throughout his life. He was a 
consummate public servant, a trailblazer who broke down barriers for 
generations of African Americans.
  He was the first African American Congressman from Ohio who served 30 
years. Representing a portion of Cleveland, he prioritized the 
advancement of our Nation's most vulnerable populations.
  He advocated for more funding of education, housing, development proj
ects, access to health care. He was one of the fiercest advocates for 
public housing.
  Mr. Stokes was a major proponent and leader that asked the Housing 
and Urban Development to assess the poor, deleterious, horrible 
conditions that children were living in as housing impacted their 
health.
  In fact, just recently I presented my housing authority a lead 
poisoning grant which was instigated, was encouraged, was advocated for 
by Congressman Lou Stokes. He has saved thousands upon thousands of 
lives.
  I thank him for organizing the Congressional Black Caucus Health 
Braintrust, and I want to thank him personally for allowing me work for 
him as a staff member of the Select Committee on Assassinations, which 
he ultimately chaired. We thank him for his amazing service.
  He once said, ``I am going to keep on denouncing the inequities of 
this system, but I am going to work within it. To go outside the system 
would be to deny myself, to deny my own existence. I have beaten the 
system. I have proved it can be done. So have a lot of others.'' This 
is, of course, the kind of leader that Lou Stokes was.
  Our friend, Julian Bond, was a civil rights icon. He was a leader in 
the fight for equality, freedom, and equal justice and opportunity. He 
inspired generations of Americans to build a better future for all 
people.
  Julian Bond was considered the young one in the movement with Dr. 
Martin Luther King. He stood as not only an original, but a fierce 
advocate of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee and the 
founding president of the Southern Poverty Law Center.
  Elected to office, of course, he himself fought against 
discrimination. He was discriminated himself. When he was refused a 
seat in the Georgia State Legislature, it did not in any way demean or 
undermine his courage or inspiration. He went on to be seated and to do 
great things.
  Tonight we are privileged to be able to honor and pay tribute to 
these three heroes. We are called to follow the example they set, to 
fight to ensure that all Americans have access to equal opportunity so 
they will have a fair shot at economic prosperity, have the right to 
vote, be free from mass incarceration, and do the things that America 
bestows upon them.
  Again, these individuals, at the cost of their lives or their own 
futures, built a better future for us.
  With that, I am delighted to yield to the chair of the Congressional 
Black Caucus, Mr. G. K. Butterfield, a former high superior court 
judge--I am calling him all kinds of names--but, in any event, a 
dynamic leader of the Congressional Black Caucus. Again, I yield to the 
gentleman from North Carolina.
  Mr. BUTTERFIELD. Mr. Speaker, I thank Congresswoman Sheila Jackson 
Lee for her friendship, for her leadership, and I certainly thank her 
for yielding time tonight.
  Let me also thank the other Members who are on the floor this evening 
to help in honoring the lives of Louis Stokes, Amelia Boynton Robinson, 
and Julian Bond.
  These three are icons, absolute icons, of the civil rights movement, 
who in their own way paved the way for so many. I had the high honor of 
calling Lou Stokes and Julian Bond personal friends.
  As the first African American to represent Ohio in Congress, 
Representative Lou Stokes was a pioneer in public service. He broke 
down numerous barriers for African Americans during his extraordinary 
career as an elected official on the local, State, and Federal levels.
  First elected to Congress in 1969 and serving for 30 long years in 
the U.S. House, he was a founder of the Congressional Black Caucus and 
the first African American to serve on the House Appropriations 
Committee. He was the founder of the CBC Health Braintrust, which 
remains active today in protecting health, equity, and reducing health 
disparities.
  Congressman Stokes was the embodiment of a public servant. He 
selflessly used his elected positions to increase opportunities for 
millions of African Americans.
  We will miss our dear friend Lou Stokes. But the impact of his legacy 
of service and commitment to his constituents and to the African 
American community will be remembered for generations.
  Often referred to as the matriarch of the movement, Amelia Boynton 
Robinson's role in Bloody Sunday, as you have already heard, and the 
march from Selma to Montgomery is immortalized in the Oscar-nominated 
film ``Selma.''
  She also made history in 1964 by becoming the first African American 
woman from Alabama to run for Congress. In her congressional election 
that year, Mrs. Boynton Robinson garnered 10 percent of the vote 
despite the fact that African Americans only made up 1 percent of the 
voting population in Alabama's Seventh Congressional District.
  Forty-six years later the CBC's very own representative, Terri 
Sewell, whom we will hear from in just a few moments, now holds that 
seat here in Congress.
  This year, as we celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Voting Rights 
Act of 1965, we remember the selfless actions of individuals like 
Amelia Boynton Robinson who fought against systems of injustice so that 
future generations would have opportunities that were not possible to 
generations past. Tonight we honor Mrs. Boynton Robinson for her legacy 
which continues in each of us.
  Finally, Mr. Speaker, tonight we honor Julian Bond, a forefather of 
America's civil rights movement and one of our country's greatest 
advocates for freedom and equality and equitable treatment for all 
people.
  From his work as a student leader during the 1960s to his service in 
the Georgia House of Representatives and the State Senate, Julian Bond 
was a leader in the fight against racism and segregation.

                              {time}  1930

  I first met Julian Bond at the funeral of Dr. Martin Luther King, 
Jr., in 1968. As the founding president of the Southern Poverty Law 
Center and chairman of the board of the NAACP, Julian Bond continued 
his work educating citizens around the world of the struggles of 
African Americans and the history of civil rights here in America.
  Julian Bond spent his lifetime in public service, calling for equal 
civil and human rights not only for African Americans, but for every 
American. Until his untimely death, he was an advocate, activist, and 
dedicated champion who fought for the most vulnerable individuals and 
communities among us. We celebrate his life and his lasting legacy.
  I want to thank Ms. Jackson Lee for her leadership and thank her for 
yielding. I thank the Members for coming to the floor this evening.
  Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, let me thank the gentleman for his very 
thoughtful statement and for leading us off today and setting the tone 
for the Congressional Black Caucus that

[[Page 14935]]

we will never forget our icons, but we also know that to pay tribute is 
the highest honor for all of us because we are here because of all of 
them. I thank Mr. Butterfield for his leadership.
  Mr. Speaker, it is my privilege now to yield to Representative 
Charles Rangel, who does not need a long introduction. It is important 
to note that he has led on so many issues. He was not only the chairman 
of the Committee on Ways and Means, but also a dear friend of 
Congressman Lou Stokes and one of the founders of the Congressional 
Black Caucus. If Congressman Rangel had not done what he did, we would 
not be here today. I am delighted to yield to him at this time.
  Mr. RANGEL. Mr. Speaker, I thank Congresswoman Jackson Lee for 
pulling together this tribute. It is moving and emotional that we do 
this after the visit to these Chambers by the Pope, who made it 
abundantly clear how all of us, no matter how ordinary we are, can do 
extraordinary things when we make a commitment to do the right thing.
  As some of the older Members know, it is almost unbelievable how 
people that you know on an everyday basis that go through life with 
their own problems still can find the time to try to improve the 
quality of life for so many people.
  I feel almost awkward looking at the Representative from Selma, 
Alabama, this evening because, after Bloody Sunday, there was a call 
all over the world for people to come to Selma. I was one of those 
called, and I was one of those that did not think that me going to 
Selma with my bad feet could make a contribution to anything, and this 
is especially so after seeing what happened on Bloody Sunday.
  But I did go down because of John Lewis and Andrew Young and Martin 
Luther King and Ralph Bunche, because they said that if I could just 
come down for the press conference, it would be appreciated. So I 
dressed up and I went down for the press conference. I had a round trip 
ticket back to New York. I was dressed pretty well, not ever thinking 
that I would be going any further than Selma.
  It started to rain, and I felt that this would be the appropriate 
time for me to get a cab and to go to the airport. When I saw these 
older people like Amelia Robinson putting plastic on their shoes and 
starting to sing and starting to march, I said, well, maybe I could go 
a couple of blocks. I did that, except I found out in Selma there 
weren't any couple of blocks.
  There were no television cameras. There was no one that recognized me 
down there. I marched 54 miles, cussing every step of the way, trying 
to figure out what the devil I was doing in Selma.
  Congresswoman Sewell, it just proves that if you attempt just to do 
the right thing, God can push you to do the rest.
  I never did believe, like John Lewis, that that Supreme Court would 
give us the voting rights and the civil rights. I never thought that 
President Johnson would ever support these things. Today I tell this 
very embarrassing story because you don't have to be a hero to be 
counted on if you just try to start to do the right thing, and just 
maybe God will push you to go further.
  Certainly when a woman like Amelia Boynton Robinson is beaten 
unconscious and someone like John Lewis, who constantly put his life on 
the line, and of course the late Dr. Martin Luther King, who gave up 
his life, and God doesn't ask us to do these extraordinary things, but 
I do believe that the courage that these people have, that each of us 
have just a grain of it that would allow us to contribute, as the Pope 
said, to show our respect for God, allowing us to inherit this great 
Earth to try to make the quality of life better.
  Of course, when it comes to a young guy going to Morehouse, as Julian 
Bond did, dropping out of school, coming from a professional family 
where education had a higher standard than some of us from the inner 
cities, it must have broken their heart to know that he was joining a 
group that would then provide the leadership for our country for people 
Black and White.
  There is nothing that my heart would allow me to say about Lou 
Stokes. I came to Congress not knowing that in the Congress was a giant 
of a man from Cleveland, Lou Stokes, who motivated the 13 of us, who 
led us to form the Congressional Black Caucus. I have walked in the 
shadows of his giant footsteps since I have been privileged to serve in 
this House.
  Ms. Jackson Lee and members of the Congressional Black Caucus, it is 
really extraordinary how God has given us the opportunity to say thank 
you for the blessings that we have, and I do hope that maybe on both 
sides of the aisle people can talk about those who allowed this country 
to be so great, the sacrifices that so many people have made, and you 
just don't have to be a giant to appreciate the fact that God has 
blessed us all.
  I thank her for her effort at bringing us together, not just tonight, 
but on every committee, on every bill, and this floor. Sheila Jackson 
Lee is here to continue to inspire all of us. I thank her for that.
  Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, we are so grateful for the special 
wisdom and insight that Mr. Rangel brings to all of what we do. I know 
that the late Lou Stokes, the late Amelia Boynton Robinson, and the 
late Julian Bond are grateful that they knew him and that he is here to 
tell his story. Even if he considers it embarrassing, I think it is a 
wonderful testimony for anybody who has said, ``I can't do it.'' We 
want him to keep telling us that wonderful statement over and over 
again. I thank him so very much for what he provides to the 
Congressional Black Caucus. I thank him for the kind words he mentioned 
of Representative Terri Sewell.
  I just say to Ms. Sewell, I don't know what kind of phone message 
that she had to the Vatican, but I repeat now the words of Pope 
Francis, as I yield to her. This is Pope Francis, as he spoke just a 
few days ago at that very podium:

       Here, too, I think of the march which Martin Luther King 
     led from Selma to Montgomery 50 years ago as part of the 
     campaign to fulfill his dream of full civil rights and 
     political rights for African Americans.

  Representative Sewell, let me thank you for bringing and infusing 
life into the wonderful city of Selma, all the wonderful people there, 
including your dearly beloved mother and father, and having us walk 
with you every step of the way.
  As I yield to her, let me say that we should make a commitment right 
here today, as we make changes in leadership, that we commit ourselves 
to the restoration of section 5 of the Voting Rights Act, which she is 
leading on. It is my delight to yield to her at this time.
  Ms. SEWELL of Alabama. Mr. Speaker, I thank our leader of the CBC, 
Congressman Butterfield, so much for his exemplary leadership and the 
courage that he exemplifies every day in fighting for the causes that 
we all hold so dear.
  I want to thank Congresswoman Jackson Lee for those wonderful words. 
Sheila Jackson Lee has not only been an amazing Member of Congress, but 
she has been a great mentor to me. I want to thank her for all she does 
for so many of us and the mentoring she continues to provide the 
younger generation.
  What can I say to Charlie Rangel? To even have him know my name is an 
honor. I know that, but for the remarkable lives of the three people 
that we celebrate their lives and their legacies today, I would not be 
in this auspicious Chamber, and but for his leadership and his courage, 
I would not know how to behave in this Chamber. I thank him for doing 
such a great job and continuing to serve the great people of Harlem and 
New York, but also the great people of America--black, white, green, 
yellow, all of us.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise today to join with my CBC colleagues in paying 
tribute to the life and legacy of three great giants in American 
history: Representative Louis Stokes, Amelia Boynton Robinson, and 
Julian Bond. Our Nation collectively mourns the loss of each of these 
trailblazing figures who departed from us way too soon this summer. 
Their journeys paved the way for myself and so many others serving in 
this

[[Page 14936]]

august body. While our hearts are heavy today, we honor them for their 
historic and notable contributions to this Nation.
  Congressman Louis Stokes was the first African American to represent 
the State of Ohio in Congress, where he served for more than 30 years. 
He rose to prominence by breaking numerous barriers as the first in so 
many areas. This included being named the first African American to 
serve as chairman of the prestigious House Permanent Select Committee 
on Intelligence. As an African American who now sits on that committee, 
I am deeply honored to follow in Louis Stokes' footsteps.
  During his tenure on the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, 
he stepped into the national spotlight as a vocal critic of the Reagan 
administration's foreign policy. He spoke boldly on issues of national 
security and created a legacy of being a fierce advocate for the 
homeland. In honoring his memory, we must also commit ourselves 
collectively to continue the fight to promote diversity within the 
intelligence community. We must also be committed to supporting 
policies that promote our national security in the face of growing 
threats. It was Congressman Lou Stokes who taught us that our Nation 
deserves nothing less.
  Today we also honor an American treasure and one of my personal 
heroes, the courageous Mrs. Amelia Boynton Robinson. Mrs. Robinson 
passed away on August 26, 2015, at the age of 110--yes, 110, Mr. 
Speaker. Mrs. Amelia Boynton Robinson was a key figure in the voting 
rights movement in Selma, Alabama. She is often remembered for her 
critical role in Bloody Sunday.
  On that solemn day on the Edmund Pettus Bridge, Robinson was savagely 
beaten. A photo taken of her shortly after she was attacked and posted 
in The New York Times became a powerful symbol of the injustices 
suffered by those who were attempting simply to vote. Yet this 
tireless, fearless foot soldier continued her work as a leader on the 
front lines of securing the right to vote for all Americans.
  Amelia is best known as the matriarch of the voting rights movement, 
and it was her courage, along with John Lewis and so many other known 
and unknown foot soldiers which led to the passage of the Voting Rights 
Act of 1965. Amelia was such an integral part of the process that the 
contents of the bill, the voting rights bill, were drafted on her 
kitchen table in Selma, Alabama, in 1965.
  Ms. Boynton not only trailblazed as a voting rights advocate, she put 
her money where her mouth was and she, herself, ran for Congress. On 
May 5, 1964, Amelia Boynton broke yet another barrier, when she became 
the first woman in the State of Alabama and the first African American 
woman in the State of Alabama to run for Congress. In 1964, she 
garnered 10.7 percent of the vote during a time when very few Blacks 
were registered to vote. Actually, only 1 percent of the registered 
voters were African Americans at that time.
  Her historic run further solidified her impact on the movement for 
human rights and voting rights in Alabama and in this Nation. Without 
her courageous campaign for the Seventh Congressional District of 
Alabama in 1964, I know that my election to this seat in 2010, some 50 
years later, would not have been possible.

                              {time}  1945

  Her sacrifices paved the way for me to walk the Halls of Congress, 
and I will carry my love and admiration for her in my heart each and 
every day, for I get to do what she could not, and that is vote on 
behalf of the members of the Seventh Congressional District of Alabama. 
For that, I am eternally grateful.
  In fact, one of my most memorable moments in this Chamber is the 
night that she served as my special guest at the State of the Union on 
January 20, 2015, this past year. I am grateful for the memories of her 
greeting President Obama that night. I am so blessed to not only have 
called her my constituent, but a beloved mentor and friend. As she is 
remembered, and she reminds us every day by her life, there is still 
much work to be done.
  Finally, Mr. Speaker, I would also like to remember the shining 
legacy of yet another giant figure in the fight for civil and human 
rights: Mr. Julian Bond. This courageous voice held several titles over 
the course of his impactful life, but he is most remembered for his 
service as the NAACP chairman and the cofounder of the Southern Poverty 
Law Center. He was also one of the original leaders of the Student 
Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, SNCC, while he was a student at 
Morehouse College. He later served in the Georgia General Assembly for 
more than 20 years.
  He was first elected to the Georgia House of Representatives in 1965. 
However, because of his longstanding legacy of fighting White 
supremacy, White statehouse members tried unsuccessfully to block him 
from taking his seat. This brave spirit was undeterred. He spearheaded 
efforts to draft landmark legislation that spoke to the need of Blacks 
in the State of Georgia.
  In addition to his time as an eloquent speaker, he was a celebrated 
writer, poet, television commentator, community advocate, as well as a 
communication specialist. He did so much for the Southern Poverty Law 
Center to set it on its course and so much for the lives of so many.
  All three of these wonderful giants tell a story, a story of how 
ordinary people can do extraordinary things. Working collectively, we 
as a nation can achieve amazing heights, even if we don't think so. As 
Congressman Rangel's story best exemplified, if we just take one step, 
hopefully the Lord will give us the strength to take many, many more 
towards that fight for justice and equality.
  In closing, I am reminded of what Amelia Boynton would often say when 
I and others would come up to her and say: ``We stand on your 
shoulders. We stand on your shoulders.'' Well, Ms. Amelia Boynton was 
so infamously known for saying, after hearing it over and over again: 
``Get off my shoulders. There is plenty of work to be done.'' ``Do your 
own work,'' is what she said.
  And so I say to my colleagues gathered here tonight, my colleagues in 
this wonderful body called the House of Representatives: We have plenty 
of work to do. We have plenty of work to do. And while we walk in the 
footsteps of giants such as Amelia Boynton and Louis Stokes and Julian 
Bond, let us never forget that they, too, had to take a first step. And 
as we follow in their footsteps, let us all take many steps towards 
providing justice and liberty for all Americans, especially those that 
are most vulnerable.
  Ms. JACKSON LEE. I think we can leave this evening with the words 
that Congresswoman Sewell has just said, and we thank her so very much, 
``do our own work.'' That message should carry for whether we are 
Republicans or Democrats or Independents.
  Congresswoman Sewell, we look forward to doing our own work on the 
restoration of the Voting Rights Act, section 5, which you are leading 
and all of us have signed onto. We thank you so much for that eloquent 
statement and that statement of passion.
  Speaking of passion, it is my privilege to introduce a Member who has 
her own storied civil rights history, someone who has served as the 
Commissioner on the EEOC, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, 
and someone who has been in the trenches in civil rights, dealing with 
voting rights cases, dealing with the right to vote in her own District 
of Columbia. I think she will be the Florence Nightingale, she will be 
the champion battler; because I believe that this Delegate, 
Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton, will be successful as we fight for 
the voting rights of the District through her leadership.
  I yield to the gentlewoman from the District of Columbia (Ms. 
Norton).
  Ms. NORTON. I thank my good friend, Representative Sheila Jackson 
Lee, first, for her kind and generous words, but especially today for 
her leadership of this Special Order, which is characteristic of her 
leadership in this Congress. I am so pleased that our chair Rep. G. K. 
Butterfield has been here and spoken and that we have heard from 
several other Members.

[[Page 14937]]

  I just want to say a few words about this troika of African Americans 
who have written their signatures across our time. You have heard their 
biographies. I don't want to recount their extraordinary bios, because 
that is not the only reason we are honoring them with this Special 
Order. I just want to say something about what they meant to me.
  Two of them I knew personally: Representative Louis Stokes, whose 
many years in the Congress happened to overlap with my first years 
here; and, of course, Julian Bond, whom I knew best.
  I was not fortunate to know Amelia Boynton. She may have been the 
most courageous woman in the movement of the 1960s, who insisted upon 
facing death, if necessary, in that march from Selma to Montgomery, and 
nearly lost her life. I was privileged to be in her presence, as so 
many Members of Congress were, when we went to Selma this past summer. 
That was a privilege in and of itself.
  I was fortunate to know Congressman Louis Stokes, who was a founder 
of the Congressional Black Caucus long before I served. This was a man 
of great accomplishment. Yes, he can speak about his firsts, and much 
more.
  He is the first African American to serve in Congress from his 
hometown of Cleveland, as one of the two famous Stokes brothers--his 
brother, Carl, the first African American mayor. There is something 
about the way those men were raised and showed themselves in public 
life. But it is Rep. Stokes' career in Congress that stands out for me.
  I am not certain there has ever been a more distinguished Member of 
this body. It looks as if when they were trying to ask somebody to do 
something hard, they looked to Louis Stokes.
  He was the first African American to serve on the Appropriations 
Committee. My heavens. And then look at the committees he has chaired--
hard ones--the Ethics Committee, the House Permanent Select Committee 
on Intelligence. Then they needed someone to do something else that was 
difficult, and that was to serve on the Iran Contra Committee, and 
House Select Committee on Assassinations, nothing was more difficult 
than that.
  If you were looking for a Member whom the public would trust and who 
this body would trust, who do you go to? They went to Louis Stokes. So 
if you are trying to find out how to serve, recall the life of 
Representative Louis Stokes.
  In the District, we recall his life and his work. Much of his work 
was done in the field of health. The Howard University Louis Stokes 
Health Science Library is named for him here in the District of 
Columbia at Howard University. So we will never forget him.
  Of the three, the one I knew best, of course, was my colleague and 
friend in the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, later a client 
of sorts, and then finally--for 25 years, a constituent.
  I met Julian several years after he founded, along with a handful of 
other students, the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee. You have 
got to understand that that group was as different from any student 
group since. They were not an offshoot of the civil rights movement. 
They were a group that stood on its own.
  I would go down in the summers. I was in law school. SNCC was the 
equivalent of major civil rights organizations, every single one, right 
alongside them. That is why John Lewis got to speak on the March on 
Washington.
  The reason that SNCC stood out is the quality of its leadership in 
those early years. Julian became the spokesman. The reason he was the 
spokesman was his way with words. He was a poet and a writer, and he 
could explain what we were doing.
  He served a most valuable role in these early years. So no one should 
be surprised that he went after the zenith of the civil rights movement 
to serve in the Georgia House of Representatives. What you may be 
surprised to learn is that when he moved on to the senate, the Georgia 
Senate, they refused to seat him because he had endorsed a SNCC 
statement opposing the Vietnam war. Imagine denying a seat to a member 
duly elected because of a statement he had made on an issue of great 
moment.
  This case was taken all the way to the Supreme Court. At that point, 
I was a constitutional lawyer working for the American Civil Liberties 
Union in New York. I got to write the amicus brief. We took very few 
amicus briefs to the Supreme Court, but this one seemed to have the 
makings of a landmark case. Indeed, it did become a landmark case. You 
do not see anybody denying anyone else the right to sit in his seat--or 
her seat, today--because of that person's views. The Julian Bond case 
settled the matter.
  What was Julian Bond to do with the rest of his life? First of all, 
SNCC broke a fair number of people. And though they gave much to the 
movement, you may not have heard about many of them since. What Julian 
did was to give the rest of his life to the movement. For every single 
day of his life as a man, after he left public service in the Georgia 
Legislature, he was devoted to the civil rights movement he had entered 
as a very young man.
  He moved to the District of Columbia with his wife, taught at 
American University and the University of Virginia, and became--and 
this is a matter that makes me chuckle--became the chairman of the 
NAACP.
  At SNCC we thought the NAACP was way too conservative for us, the 
young and foolish. It tells you how Julian grew. He grew to be the 
long-time and devoted chairman of the NAACP.
  He carried out his devotion to civil rights magnificently. Throughout 
his entire life, he remained a major spokesman for the civil rights 
movement and for progressive causes, his entire life speaking all 
around the country, carrying the message.
  When he moved here, I had a Black Caucus event with Julian and with 
John Lewis simply discussing their lives as young men in the civil 
rights movement. That was to be one of the most memorable moments since 
I have been in Congress.
  Just last February, during Black History Month, I asked Julian to 
come to Howard University, where he and I engaged in an 
intergenerational conversation with Howard students about the police 
shootings in Ferguson, Missouri, and New York City and what they meant 
to this generation and how this generation had to have its own issues 
and move in its own direction.
  One of the things we indicated was that for all of the work of the 
youth of the civil rights movement of our day, we never touched racial 
profiling. It remained alive and kicking for a new generation, which 
has taken it on.
  I am, finally, particularly grateful that when Julian moved to the 
District of Columbia, he really became a part of this city, lending his 
civil rights celebrity to the great cause of this city for full 
citizenship, for D.C. voting rights, yes, and for statehood for the 
District of Columbia.
  If you came into the District by taxis a few years ago, there was an 
advertisement. Julian was speaking in a cab, informing you that you 
were coming to the District of Columbia, where the residents were 
trying to get their full citizenship.
  Wherever he was, he had a way of touching upon the issue of freedom 
of the day and of the people around him. I will always miss him. This 
country will always miss him. We are grateful for the life he led. We 
are grateful, especially, for this Congressional Black Caucus evening 
devoted to his life and to the lives of two others, very divergent 
lives but, in other ways, very similar.
  I thank my good friend, Representative Jackson Lee, again, for her 
leadership here.

                              {time}  2000

  Ms. JACKSON LEE. Let me thank my good friend, Congresswoman Eleanor 
Holmes Norton, for giving these three legends the vitality and vibrance 
of a personal story.
  And to just add to his coming to students at Howard University, I 
want you to know that, at the University of Virginia, where he was, he 
was the most popular professor with people standing in line because the 
students sensed his passion and commitment, but they sensed his 
realness.

[[Page 14938]]

  Thank you so very much for that very vibrant and informative 
presentation.
  Mr. Speaker, as I introduce this next gentleman, who has his own 
history, let me quote, again, as I indicated, Pope Francis from last 
week, which captures all of what we are saying tonight: to respond in a 
way which is always humane, just and fraternal. We need to avoid a 
common temptation nowadays to disregard whatever proves troublesome. 
Let us remember the Golden Rule: Do unto others as you would have them 
do unto you.
  The gentleman that I am going to yield to, Mr. Bobby Scott, is a 
former chairman of the Subcommittee on Criminal Justice, now the 
ranking member on the Committee on Education and the Workforce, and has 
led his professional, at least his Congressional life, as I have known 
it, to be a champion for criminal justice reform, but, more 
importantly, has been one who has said to us over and over again that: 
We must do unto others as we would like them to do unto us. We must 
change this criminal justice system to have it be a fair monitoring of 
how we inspire and restore people's lives.
  I yield now to the gentleman from Virginia, Congressman Bobby Scott.
  Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I rise to speak in honor of the 
lives of three civil rights luminaries. I thank the gentlewoman from 
Houston for giving us this opportunity to honor their lives: 
Congressman Louis Stokes, statesman and educator Julian Bond, both of 
whom I knew personally, and activist Amelia Robinson.
  These champions of social and economic justice lived their lives just 
as Pope Francis challenged Members of Congress to do.
  Specifically, the Pope reminded us of the Golden Rule--do unto others 
as you would have them do unto you--and that that rule points us in the 
right direction. He specifically reminded Congress that, if we want 
opportunities, then let us provide opportunities. The lives we honor 
today are the personification of the Pope's call.
  Congressman Stokes, the beloved son of the State of Ohio, was 
affectionately called ``Lou'' when I served with him in the House. His 
motto was to aim high, which he did even before he was a Member of 
Congress when he argued the Supreme Court case challenging the abusive 
stop-and-frisk policies and practices in the Terry v. Ohio case.
  Lou's integrity was why he was selected to serve on the House Select 
Committee on Assassinations of President Kennedy and Dr. Martin Luther 
King, Jr., and the House investigation of the illegal arm sales during 
the Iran-contra affair and, of course, his service on the Ethics 
Committee.
  His strive for social and economic justice was on full display when 
he became the first African American to serve on the House 
Appropriations Committee. There he directed Federal dollars to 
eradicate injustice and inequities by funding programs such as 
healthcare facilities for veterans, supporting the National Science 
Foundation, and creating the first office of minority health at the 
National Institutes of Health.
  Statesman and educator Julian Bond dedicated his entire life to this 
cause of social justice and equity. As a founding member of the Student 
Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, or SNCC, he led protests against 
segregation.
  In 1965, Julian Bond was elected to the Georgia House of 
Representatives, but was denied a seat at the State House because of 
his opposition to the Vietnam war. In 1966, the Supreme Court ruled 9-0 
that the Georgia House's refusal to seat Julian Bond violated the 
United States Constitution.
  He was subsequently elected for several terms, including service in 
the Georgia Senate, despite efforts to redraw his district.
  He was also the first African American nominated at a major-party 
convention as a candidate for Vice President of the United States.
  Beginning in the 1980s, Julian Bond taught at several universities, 
including Harvard, Drexel, University of Virginia, and American 
University.
  For more than 20 years at UVA and American University, he taught 
thousands of students about the role of the civil rights movement as a 
seminal part of America's history.
  He stated that the ``humanity of all Americans is diminished when any 
group is denied rights granted to others.''
  He served as chairman of the NAACP from 1998 to 2009. At the 2009 
commencement at Virginia State University, he told the graduates that, 
``We all hope that you do well, but I also hope that you do good.''
  Activist Amelia Robinson was among the many foot soldiers who fought 
for civil rights. As a girl, she championed the right to vote for 
women. As an adult, she opened her home to Martin Luther King and James 
Bevel and members of SNCC and others to help organize and strategize 
for civil rights and the right to vote.
  Despite the brutal beating she endured during the march for voting 
rights in Selma, Alabama, 50 years ago, she was unwavering in her fight 
to end segregation and achieve full voting rights for all.
  Reflecting on her life as an activist, she stated that, ``I have been 
called rabble-rouser, agitator. But because of my fighting, I was able 
to hand to the entire country the right for people to vote.''
  These three American giants--the legislator, the educator, the 
activist--were all driven to push towards a more just and equal 
society. I am honored to recognize their lives and the gifts they gave 
to our Nation.
  Again, I want to thank the gentlewoman from Houston for organizing 
this Special Order so that we could pay appropriate tribute to these 
fine Americans.
  Ms. JACKSON LEE. I thank the gentleman from Virginia for citing, in 
particular, the case law that Julian Bond particularly generated from 
the horrific denial of his right to be seated.
  Let me also indicate the importance of members of the Congressional 
Black Caucus sharing the history of these icons, which I hope my 
colleagues will appreciate these giants, for many times the history is 
not remembered or it is not understood.
  Certainly, it is my privilege to now yield to the gentlewoman from 
Ohio, who has firsthand knowledge because she can say that she comes 
from the State of which Lou Stokes and Carl Stokes were native sons.
  She is, of course, an inspirational leader for her district in 
Columbus, but, more importantly, someone who brings a wealth of 
experience from her previous service in the Ohio State Legislature and 
someone who has a passion for the improvement of lives of all people. I 
believe, as Lou Stokes has said, she understands the value and 
importance of improving the health of African Americans and all 
Americans.
  Mr. Speaker, it is my privilege to yield to the gentlewoman from 
Columbus, Ohio (Mrs. Beatty).
  Mrs. BEATTY. Thank you so much, Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee.
  Mr. Speaker, tonight the Congressional Black Caucus honors the life 
and legacy of three civil rights leaders, Congressman Lou Stokes, 
Amelia Boynton Robinson, and Julian Bond, who dedicated their lives to 
making our Nation a better place.
  Countless more follow in their footsteps and continue to push for 
civil rights and voting rights today.
  We have come to these chambers tonight, Mr. Speaker, to continue 
their work as members of the Congressional Black Caucus. We call on 
Congress to immediately pass the Voting Rights Advancement Act of 2015. 
The American people deserve to have real voting rights.
  Thank you, Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee, not only for your 
leadership tonight, but for being a leader, for walking in their shoes, 
and for hosting the Congressional Black Caucus Special Order honoring 
three giants.
  This year is the 50th anniversary of the Voting Rights Act. Leaders 
espoused words in 1965 that still hold true today, words because of the 
work of these three giants, works like:

       We have proved that great progress is possible. We know how 
     much still remains to be done. And if our efforts continue, 
     if our will

[[Page 14939]]

     is strong, if our hearts are right, and if courage remains 
     our constant companion, then my fellow Americans, I am 
     confident we shall overcome. Our objective must be to assure 
     that all Americans play by the same rules, and all Americans 
     play against the same odds. Who amongst us would claim that 
     that is true today?

  Just last week His Holiness, Pope Francis, delivered a historic, 
profound, provocative address to the Joint Session of Congress. This 
address reminded us that the nation is ``considered great'' when ``it 
fosters a culture which enables people to dream of full rights for all 
their brothers and sisters.''
  At the White House, he quoted from Martin Luther King, to use a 
telling phrase of the Reverend Martin Luther King: ``We can say that we 
have defaulted on a promissory note, and now is the time to honor it.''
  These three individuals we honor tonight tirelessly contributed to 
this culture of full rights and equality we are committed to achieving.
  Tonight's roll call: Congressman Lou Stokes.
  I am honored to be the third African American from Ohio to follow in 
his footsteps, following my mentor and dear friend, Stephanie Tubbs 
Jones, my colleague, mentor and friend, Congresswoman Marcia Fudge, who 
said at his footsteps: I don't salute or get excited about a one hit 
wonder because Lou Stokes was far from that.
  Lou Stokes loved people. He loved the law. He loved the legislative 
process. He loved his family. And he loved Cleveland, Ohio.
  You have heard so much about him, I won't repeat it. I will submit it 
for the Record, Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee, if that is okay.
  But I will forever be grateful for his encouragement, his friendship, 
his wisdom, and his leadership. I can't think of a time or a decision 
in my life that I didn't pick up the phone and call Lou Stokes.
  Love you, Lou Stokes.
  Let me just briefly say we also salute Amelia Boynton Robinson, and 
much has been said about her. I stand on her shoulders.
  And then Julian Bond, another great civil rights icon, whose passion 
and dedication to equality and justice propelled him to the Georgia 
Legislature, the NAACP, and the Southern Poverty Law Center, which he 
co-founded.
  His commitment to ending discrimination and injustice continues to 
inspire us, and his legacy will guide us and the next generation of 
civil rights leaders and activists to greatness.
  He, like the other individuals we pay tribute to tonight, helped 
change this country for the better.
  Thank you, Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee. Thank you to all my 
colleagues with the Congressional Black Caucus for capturing and 
reflecting on the lives of three great civil warriors as we took a walk 
in their footsteps of greatness.
  Tonight the Congressional Black Caucus honors the life and legacy of 
three Civil Rights leaders--Congressman Louis Stokes, Amelia Boynton 
Robinson and Julian Bond who dedicated their lives to making our nation 
a better place.
  Countless more follow in their footsteps and continue to push for 
civil rights and voting rights today.
  We have come to these chambers to continue their work as Members of 
the Congressional Black Caucus; we call on Congress to immediately pass 
the Voting Rights Advancement Act of 2015.
  The American people deserve to have real voting rights now.
  Thank you Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee for hosting the CBC's 
Special Order Hour paying tribute to Congressman Louis Stokes, Amelia 
Boynton Robinson, and Julian Bond.
  This year is the 50th Anniversary of Voting Rights Act. Leaders . . . 
espoused words in 1965 that still hold true today. Words like:

       We have proved that great progress is possible. We know how 
     much still remains to be done. And if our efforts continue, 
     and if our will is strong, and if our hearts are right, and 
     if courage remains our constant companion, then my fellow 
     Americans, I am confident, we shall overcome. Our objective 
     must be to assure that all Americans play by the same rules, 
     and all Americans play against the same odds. Who among us 
     would claim that that is true today?

  Just last week, His Holiness Pope Francis delivered a historic, 
profound, and provocative address to a Joint Session of Congress.
  This address reminded us that a nation is ``considered great'' when 
``it fosters a culture which enables people to dream of full rights for 
all their brothers and sisters.''
  At the White House, he quoted words from MLK . . . to use a telling 
phrase of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. . . . we can say that we 
have defaulted on a promissory note and now is the time to honor it.
  The three individuals we honor tonight tirelessly contributed to this 
culture of full rights and equality we are committed to achieving.


                           Congressman Stokes

  I am honored to be the third African-American from Ohio to follow 
Congressman Louis Stokes who served for 30 years in Congress. I am 
forever grateful for his encouragement, friendship, wisdom, and 
leadership.
  He earned a seat on the powerful House Appropriations Committee, the 
first person of color to ever do so, and focused on improving housing 
and urban development for veterans, seniors, and the poor.
  In 1971, along with our esteemed Dean of the House, Congressman John 
Conyers, Congressman Stokes helped found the Congressional Black Caucus 
to promote economic, educational, and social issues important to 
African Americans: this is a purpose the CBC continues to fulfill to 
this day, and a purpose I am honored to advance.
  His indelible mark in history will continue to live on.


                        Amelia Boynton Robinson

  It is also an honor to pay tribute to Amelia Boynton Robinson--the 
matriarch of the voting rights movement.
  As an African-American female serving in the U.S. Congress, I stand 
on the shoulders of Mrs. Boynton Robinson.
  Mrs. Boynton Robinson helped organize the Selma-to-Montgomery 
marches, and walked at the front of the line that fateful day on March 
7, 1965, which we now know as ``Bloody Sunday''.
  On August 6, 1965, she was the guest of honor at the White House when 
President Johnson signed the Voting Rights Act of 1965 into law.
  I had the privilege to join Mrs. Boynton Robinson this past March, as 
thousands of Americans marched once again over the Edmund Pettus 
Bridge, remembering the struggles and recommitting ourselves to 
restoring voting rights protections, equality, and justice.


                              Julian Bond

  Julian Bond was a civil rights icon whose passion and dedication to 
equality and justice propelled him to the Georgia legislature, the 
NAACP, and the Southern Poverty Law Center, which he co-founded.
  His commitment to ending discrimination and injustice continues to 
inspire us and his legacy will guide the next generation of civil 
rights leaders and activists to greatness.
  He, like the other individuals we pay tribute to tonight, helped 
changed this country for the better.
  Thank you CBC for capturing and reflecting on the lives of three 
great civil rights warriors as we took a walk in their footsteps of 
greatness.
  Ms. JACKSON LEE. Congresswoman Beatty, thank you for letting us know 
whose footsteps we walk in and for that celebratory statement.
  Mr. Speaker, it is certainly my pleasure to yield to the gentlewoman 
from the U.S. Virgin Islands (Ms. Plaskett), who has come with the 
expertise of a renowned and trained lawyer, one who is a collaborator.
  Ms. PLASKETT. Thank you so much to my colleague, Sheila Jackson Lee. 
I want to thank you and the Congressional Black Caucus for this Special 
Order Hour, a special tribute to the lives and legacy of Representative 
Louis Stokes, Amelia Boynton Robinson, and Julian Bond.
  Thank you, Ms. Jackson Lee, for your work here in Congress, your 
tireless efforts to raise awareness to issues which many Americans may 
have forgotten or not given thought to.
  Thank you for your mentorship to us younger members here and your 
tireless efforts to support not only the people of Houston, but the 
people of America.
  Thank you for allowing us this most important opportunity to pay 
tribute to these remarkable individuals.
  Mr. Speaker, today we gather in reverence and in solemn reflection to 
honor the lives and legacies of some exceptional people, some 
exceptional Americans, who we have lost in these recent months.
  These were civil rights activists, statesmen and women, trailblazers, 
members of a great generation of individuals who gave so much of 
themselves to the Civil Rights Movement

[[Page 14940]]

and to the advancement of minorities in our country.
  They are former Congressman Louis Stokes, former chairman of the 
NAACP and Georgia State Senator Julian Bond, and civil rights icon Mrs. 
Amelia Boynton Robinson.
  A centenarian--Mrs. Robinson's 110 years of life, that in itself is a 
great honor--she was dedicated to education, fighting state-sanctioned 
discriminatory practices against African Americans, and voter 
disenfranchisement.

                              {time}  2015

  One can make the argument that her role in Selma's civil rights 
demonstrations, including the infamous march on Bloody Sunday where she 
was beaten unconscious by State police, paved the way, through the 
subsequent passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, for both 
Congressman Stokes and State Representative Bond to serve in elected 
office.
  As the first African American elected to Congress from the State of 
Ohio, Congressman Stokes was a founding member of the Congressional 
Black Caucus and spent his 30-year career in Congress advocating issues 
of importance to Ohioans and to African Americans across the country.
  Julian Bond, that great statesman from Georgia, was one of 11 African 
Americans elected to the Georgia House of Representatives after the 
passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 
1965. Bond served 20 years in both legislative chambers in the State of 
Georgia and served as the first president of the Southern Poverty Law 
Center. He also served as chairman of the NAACP.
  These individuals have impacted the lives of so many African 
Americans and have undoubtedly advanced the rights and interests of 
minorities in both our States' and our Nation's governments.
  Similarly, I would like to just take a moment to recognize two 
individuals from my own home district of the Virgin Islands who, like 
Congressman Stokes, Julian Bond, and Amelia Robinson, have changed the 
landscape of the Virgin Islands through their advocacy and education.
  I would like to recognize a former judge and Lieutenant Governor of 
the Virgin Islands, the late Julio A. Brady, who, like Julian Bond and 
Congressman Stokes, used his training as an attorney to contribute to 
his community outside of the courtroom. As a U.S. attorney, judge, and 
attorney general, Judge Brady fought to remove barriers of injustice. 
He was laid to rest this week. Like Congressman Stokes and Amelia 
Robinson, Judge Brady's legacy of service will carry on.
  Ursula Krigger was also a centenarian, like Amelia Robinson, and, at 
age 113 was the oldest living Virgin Islander until her passing this 
month. She was a griot, an educator whose longevity afforded a unique 
perspective of witnessing the modern advancement of our territory.
  The lives and legacies of these individuals are etched in the annals 
of our history and their impact forever ingrained in the minds and 
hearts of the many lives they touched. I am a better person; and, 
indeed, we are a better nation through the work of these individuals.
  I have listened to my colleagues tonight speak about Representative 
Louis Stokes, Amelia Boynton Robinson, and Julian Bond and the personal 
impact these individuals had on the work of my colleagues with whom 
they served and have known personally.
  Understand, that while many like myself may not have had the great 
honor and pleasure of toiling and working with them shoulder to 
shoulder in the struggle for civil rights and the advancement of 
minorities in our country, Americans like myself understand and 
appreciate their sacrifice, and we understand the work that must still 
be done. We will continue their legacy here today and in Congress in 
the future.
  Thank you so much, Congressional Black Caucus, for this time. And 
thank you again to my colleague from Texas, Sheila Jackson Lee, for the 
time that I have been afforded to speak on behalf of these great 
Americans.
  Ms. JACKSON LEE. Congresswoman Plaskett, thank you so very much for 
laying the groundwork for those who now step into those footsteps, and 
you have done so with such leadership and certainly such passion. Thank 
you so very much.
  Mr. Speaker, what is my time remaining?
  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Russell). The gentlewoman from Texas has 
2 minutes remaining.
  Ms. JACKSON LEE. Let me conclude by thanking the chairman of the 
Congressional Black Caucus and my colleagues. It is so important for 
the Congressional Black Caucus to be able to talk to America--
Representative Butterfield, Representative Rangel, Representative 
Sewell, Delegate Holmes Norton, Representative Bobby Scott, 
Representative Joyce Beatty, and, of course, Congresswoman Plaskett--to 
be able to give life to why we are here representing all of America. We 
have those special people that, without our voices, would not be able 
to be heard.
  I simply want to add these words of the Pope, again, to be able to 
remind everyone why these icons that we are speaking of tonight in the 
Congressional Black Caucus--46 of us, along with Senator Booker--have a 
vital role in this place. As the Pope indicated, I would encourage you 
to keep in mind all those people around us who are trapped in the cycle 
of poverty. They, too, need to be given hope. The fight against poverty 
and hunger must be fought constantly on many fronts, especially in its 
causes.
  I know that Americans today, as in the past, are working to deal with 
this problem. That is the essence of Julian Bond, who never stopped 
giving; that is the essence of Amelia Boynton Robinson, who continued 
to fight for civil rights up until her death at the age of 104 on 
August 6, 2015; that is the essence of Congressman Lou Stokes, a 
legislative giant, the chairman of an appropriations subcommittee, a 
person who went to public housing and places where children were and 
told America that your children are dying because they are living in 
substandard housing, lead poisoning was killing them, which gave me the 
opportunity, Mr. Speaker, as I said before, to give a grant to my 
public housing just this past week on helping with lead poisoning.
  I worked for Lou Stokes, and I am very glad to note that, working for 
him, I can say, truly a gentleman, truly a leader.
  To this Congress, I beg of you, let us look at these icons and 
celebrate not only their lives, but commit to the passion and justice 
of their lives, and, as well, the words of Pope Francis that tell us to 
do unto others as we would like them to do unto us.
  Mr. Speaker, it is my privilege to again thank the members of the 
Congressional Black Caucus.
  Mr. Speaker, it is with a heavy heart that I rise to speak in praise 
of Louis Stokes, one of the greatest and most respected Members ever to 
serve in this body, who died on Tuesday, August 18, 2015, at his home 
near Cleveland, Ohio at the age of 90.
  It is not unusual in these days for commentators and politicians to 
talk of something called ``American Exceptionalism.''
  But what is meant by the term?
  Mr. Speaker, one way to understand the term: America is exceptional 
because it produces and finds persons like Louis Stokes and affords 
them the opportunity to utilize their talents to the fullest in the 
service of their community and their country.
  Think about it: in what other nation does a little African American 
boy born in 1925 on the east side of Cleveland and raised in the 
Outhwaite Homes housing project by a mother who worked as a domestic go 
on to become a lawyer who argues and wins a landmark criminal justice 
reform case (Terry v. Ohio, 392 U.S. 1 (1968)) in the United States 
Supreme Court; become the first African American elected to Congress; 
is selected to chair the powerful Permanent Select Committee on 
Intelligence, the Committee on Standards of Official Conduct, the 
Select Committee on Assassinations, and an Appropriations Subcommittee 
responsible for more than $90 billion annually in federal outlays?
  Yes, America is an exceptional nation and Louis Stokes was an 
exceptional human being.
  Mr. Speaker, Louis Stokes was born on February 23, 1925, in 
Cleveland, Ohio, to

[[Page 14941]]

Charles and Louise Cinthy (nee Stone) Stokes.
  When he was three years old, his father, who worked in a laundromat, 
died leaving young Louis and his younger brother, Carl, to be raised by 
their mother, who worked as a domestic for affluent families in the 
wealthy Cleveland suburbs.
  Louis Stokes' maternal grandmother played a critical role in his life 
because she took care of the Stokes boys while their mother was at work 
and instilled in them ``the idea that work with your hands is the hard 
way of doing things'' and encouraged them over and over ``to learn to 
use their heads.''
  Louis Stokes took the advice to heart so after attending Cleveland's 
Central High School and serving in the U.S. Army during World War II, 
he returned home to attend what is now Case Western Reserve University 
on the G.I. Bill at night while working during the day for the Veterans 
Administration and the Department of the Treasury.
  After graduating from college in two years where he excelled as a 
student, Louis Stokes was accepted for admission to Cleveland Marshall 
School of Law, from which he graduated in 1953; three years later, his 
brother Carl would also graduate from Cleveland Marshall School of Law 
and the two of them would go on to form the law firm of Stokes & Stokes 
specializing in the areas of civil rights and criminal law.
  In 1964, the Supreme Court decided the landmark case of Reynolds v. 
Sims, 377 U.S. 533 (1964), which established the principle of ``one 
person, one vote'' governing the reapportionment of legislative 
boundaries.
  The following year, working on behalf of the local branch of the 
NAACP, Louis Stokes led the legal challenge to the Ohio legislature's 
congressional redistricting, which had the effect of diluting African 
American voting strength in Cleveland.
  The challenge was unsuccessful in the federal district court but 
undeterred, Louis Stokes, joined by Charles Lucas, an African American 
Republican, successfully appealed the decision to the U.S. Supreme 
Court, which in an order handed down in 1967 ruled the redistricting 
plan unconstitutional and ordered it redrawn, resulting in the creation 
of Ohio's first majority-black district, the 21st Congressional 
District of Ohio.
  Ironically, Louis Stokes would defeat his one-time ally Charles Lucas 
to win that seat in November 1968, capturing 75% of the vote, the 
closest of his 15 successful elections to the U.S. House of 
Representatives.
  For the next 30 years, from 1969 to 1999, Congressman Stokes 
tirelessly fought for his constituents in Cleveland and for the best 
interests of the people of Ohio and the United States.
  Louis Stokes, a founding member and Chair of the Congressional Black 
Caucus from 1972-74, was the epitome of a public servant.
  In his second term in Congress, he won appointment to the powerful 
House Appropriations Committee, where he served for 28 years, later 
becoming the second African American ``Cardinal'' in history when he 
was selected to chair the VA, HUD, and Related Agencies Subcommittee.
  Because of the esteem in which he was held by his colleagues and the 
leadership, Louis Stokes would also later be selected to Chair the 
House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence and the Select 
Committee charged with investigating the assassinations of President 
Kennedy and the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
  As Chairman of the House Ethics Committee and a person of 
unquestioned integrity, Louis Stokes oversaw the committee's 
investigation of the corruption scandal known as ABSCAM in 1979-80, 
which eventually led to convictions of a senator and six House members.
  Mr. Speaker, Louis Stokes perhaps is best known for the national 
attention he attracted in 1987 as a member of the House Select 
Committee to Investigate Covert Arms Transactions with Iran/(``Iran-
Contra''), the scandal involving the illegal sale of military weapons 
to the Ayatollah Khomeini's Iran to generate money to fund the illegal 
contra war in Nicaragua.
  In response to the claim by Colonel Oliver North that he acted out of 
patriotism in engineering the illegal weapons sales and diverting the 
proceeds to fund the contras, a stern Louis Stokes lectured the 
misguided Colonel North on the rule of law, the true meaning of 
patriotism, and, in the process American exceptionalism:
  ``I suppose that what has been most disturbing to me about your 
testimony is the ugly part. In fact, it has been more than ugly. It has 
been chilling, and, in fact, frightening. I'm not just talking about 
your part in this, but the entire scenario, about government officials 
who plotted and conspired, who set up a straw man, a fall guy. 
Officials who lied, misrepresented and deceived. Officials who planned 
to superimpose upon our government a layer outside of our government, 
shrouded in secrecy and only accountable to the conspirators.
  ``Colonel, as I sit here this morning looking at you in your uniform, 
I cannot help but remember that I wore the uniform of this country in 
World War II in a segregated Army. I wore it as proudly as you do, even 
though our government required black and white soldiers in the same 
Army to live, sleep, eat and travel separate and apart, while fighting 
and dying for our country. But because of the rule of law, today's 
servicemen in America suffer no such indignity.
  ``My mother, a widow, raised two boys. She had an eighth-grade 
education. She was a domestic worker who scrubbed floors. One son 
became the first black mayor of a major American city. The other sits 
today as chairman of a House intelligence committee. Only in America, 
Col. North. Only in America. And while I admire your love for America, 
I hope that you will never forget that others too love America just as 
much as you do and that others will die for America, just as quick as 
you will.''
  Louis Stokes never wavered in his belief that America could fulfill 
the promise of its Founders or his dedication to the principles of the 
Declaration of Independence and the Constitution, stating:
  ``I'm going to keep on denouncing the inequities of this system, but 
I'm going to work within it. To go outside the system would be to deny 
myself--to deny my own existence. I've beaten the system. I've proved 
it can be done--so have a lot of others.
  ``But the problem is that a black man has to be extra special to win 
in this system. Why should you have to be a super black to get 
someplace? That's what's wrong in the society. The ordinary black man 
doesn't have the same chance as the ordinary white man does.''
  Mr. Speaker, Louis Stokes' commitment to fairness and equal treatment 
started long before he was elected to Congress.
  As a lawyer for the NAACP, he brought anti-discrimination lawsuits, 
represented demonstrators arrested in antidiscrimination marches and 
sit-ins, and took the cases of poor persons charged with crimes.
  One of those criminal cases he took is known to every lawyer in 
America and appreciated by every person who cherishes the protections 
guaranteed by the 4th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.
  I am speaking of the famous case of Terry v. Ohio, 392 U.S. 1 (1968) 
won by Louis Stokes in which the Supreme Court held that a police 
officer could ``stop and frisk'' an individual only where he could 
articulate a reasonable basis that the person was, or was about to be, 
engaged in criminal activity.
  As a result of Terry v. Ohio, a police officer has the right to stop, 
frisk, and question an individual he reasonably suspects to be engaged 
in criminal activity, but cannot seize items from that person if the 
pat down of the suspect's outer clothing does not reveal any weapons 
posing a threat to the officer's safety.
  Because of Louis Stokes' exceptional advocacy in Terry v. Ohio, the 
right of every individual to secure from unreasonable searches and 
seizures was preserved while at the same not impeding the ability of 
law enforcement officers to perform their duties safely.
  Mr. Speaker, every citizen benefits from this ruling and communities 
that have a history of being harassed by law enforcement protected by 
the Constitution from arbitrary and abusive treatment by law 
enforcement.
  But the fight for a criminal justice system that respects the rights 
of all persons is not over.
  That is why I am proud to be the Ranking Member of the House 
Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, Homeland Security, and 
Investigations and a leader in the effort to reform the criminal 
justice system so that all persons receive fair and equal treatment 
regardless of their race, gender, religion, or national origin.
  Louis Stokes fought tirelessly to fulfill the promise of the 14th 
Amendment that ``no state shall make or enforce any law which shall 
abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; 
nor shall any state deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, 
without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its 
jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.''
  It is a fight I am proud to continue today.
  Mr. Speaker, Louis Stokes will be mourned by friends and colleagues 
on both sides of the aisle who had the privilege to serve alongside 
him.
  He was a mentor to me and I will always remember his commanding 
presence and cherish the assistance he provided me and the example he 
set for new Members to follow.
  My thoughts and prayers are with his Jay, Louis' beloved wife of 55 
years; to his children, Shelly, Louis, Angela, and Lorene; his

[[Page 14942]]

grandchildren; and the untold thousands of persons who touched and 
whose lives were touched by one of Cleveland's greatest sons.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask the House to observe a moment of silence in memory 
of Louis Stokes, an exceptional American, and the gentleman from Ohio 
who served in this chamber for three decades with honor, integrity, and 
distinction.

                          [From cleveland.com]

 Lou Stokes Put Health Impacts of Substandard Housing on the National 
 Agenda, and in Cleveland: Terry Allan, Dorr Dearborn and Dave Jacobs 
                               (Opinion)

       In this file photo from 2012, Timothy Benner, then 8, looks 
     outside from his Maurice Avenue home in Cleveland. After 
     Timothy and some of his siblings tested positive for lead 
     poisoning, traced to the soil around their home, their mother 
     restricted their outdoor play time. U.S. Rep. Lou Stokes, who 
     died earlier this month, championed national attention and 
     funding to address the problem of lead poisoning in inner-
     city children.
       Recent stories and opinion pieces have eulogized the many 
     accomplishments of the late U.S. Rep. Louis Stokes, from 
     civil-rights champion to accomplished litigator, statesman 
     and lawmaker. We believe that Louis Stokes should also be 
     recognized as a national leader who clearly understood the 
     connection between substandard housing and health, and acted 
     to address the problem, at a time when very few did.
       Back in the 1980s, the scope and magnitude of the childhood 
     lead-poisoning problem and its impact on our nation's 
     children was not fully recognized or well understood.
       Subsequent efforts to increase blood screening in early 
     childhood revealed that Greater Cleveland had among the 
     highest rates of lead poisoning in the country, adding to the 
     compounding disadvantages of children living in poverty in 
     our community and across the United States.
       Some of us have vivid memories from 1991, when Congressman 
     Stokes held up a Newsweek magazine cover story on threats 
     posed to children by lead paint, passionately advocating for 
     the voiceless in our society while educating the community 
     about this silent epidemic. He wanted all of us to understand 
     the debilitating consequences of childhood lead exposure in 
     the home environment and its impact on the life trajectory of 
     these vulnerable kids.
       Congressman Stokes turned that message into action, by 
     using his formidiable legislative acumen to establish the 
     first Healthy Homes program in the country within the U.S. 
     Department of Housing and Urban Development.
       When he recognized in 1998 that young infants in his 
     district were suffering from sometimes fatal lung bleeding 
     associated with water-damaged, moldy homes, he asked HUD to 
     address the impact of inner-city homes on children's health. 
     He understood that houses are systems, and that independently 
     addressing lead paint problems, moisture intrusion and mold, 
     injury risks and other housing hazards was inefficient and 
     costly. He also had the vision to recognize that treating 
     children at the hospital, only to release them back into the 
     same substandard home that made them sick, created a vicious 
     circle with major public health consequences. He knew these 
     homes needed to be fixed.
       The HUD Office of Lead Hazard Control had shown interest in 
     applying the experience of lead-poisoning prevention to 
     include other health hazards in the home, such as plumbing 
     problems and leaky basements, but lacked the authority.
       Through his vision, the Congressman invited us and others 
     to testify at the House Subcommittee on HUD appropriations to 
     see what could be done. Lou Stokes convinced his fellow 
     committee members to provide the very first appropriation of 
     $10 million to HUD for `Healthy Homes' prevention programs in 
     low-income housing. His legacy has resulted in millions of 
     homes that are safer and healthier as a direct result of that 
     investment in our children. Since that time, the HUD Office 
     of Lead Hazard Control and Healthy Homes has provided more 
     than $175 million in competitively awarded grants to 
     communities across the nation to investigate and address 
     health hazards in homes.
       The asthma home-visit program in Cleveland that decreases 
     the hospitalization rate of children with asthma, highlighted 
     in The Plain Dealer in June, is a direct outgrowth of 
     Congressman Stokes' work.
       In 2012, HUD created the Louis Stokes Healthy Homes Award 
     and presented the first one to him at the City Club of 
     Cleveland. When he received the award, he pointed out that 
     much has been achieved and that much more remains to be done. 
     He also said that he really didn't know what all the fuss was 
     about, as he was just a kid who grew up in public housing, 
     who wanted to do the right thing for our children.
       He was an inspiration to us all.

  Mr. Speaker, it is with a heavy heart that I rise to speak in praise 
of Julian Bond, one of the leading lights of the Civil Rights Movement, 
who died on Saturday, August 15, 2015, at the age of 75.
  While Julian lost his battle to the illness that claimed his life, it 
is the struggle for civil rights and human dignity he helped to win 
that he will forever remembered and revered.
  Horace Julian Bond was born January 14, 1940 in Nashville, Tennessee 
to Julia Agnes and Horace Mann Bond.
  Julian's father was the first African-American President of Lincoln 
University of Pennsylvania, the same institution attended by Thurgood 
Marshall and Langston Hughes who would both go on to make substantial 
contributions to the Civil Rights Movement and the advancement of 
African-Americans.
  Julian's father later became president of Atlanta University and 
Julian decided to attend Morehouse College, one of the leading black 
colleges in the nation.
  Julian Bond, who came from a long line of educators, determined at an 
early age to put his journalistic and organizing talents in service of 
the cause of civil rights and racial equality.
  While a student at Morehouse College, Julian helped found The 
Pegasus, a literary magazine, and led nonviolent student protests 
against segregation in Atlanta parks, restaurants, and movie theaters.
  Mr. Speaker, today it is difficult to imagine there once was a time 
in our country when blacks and whites could not eat together in public 
restaurants, use the same public restrooms, stay at the same hotels, or 
attend the same schools.
  Julian Bond answered the call to action and put his studies on hold 
to devote all of his energies and efforts to ending segregation and 
racial discrimination.
  Mr. Speaker, it is not unusual these days for us to think of a 
champion as someone who receives the highest accolades in sports.
  Julian Bond was a champion of the people.
  His success is measured not in the numbers of trophies, medals, 
ribbons, and championship banners, but in the number of doors and 
opportunities he helped to open for those who had been neglected, 
marginalized, and disenfranchised.
  Julian Bond knew that to bring about non-violent social change it was 
necessary to organize so he co-founded the Student Nonviolent 
Coordinating Committee (SNCC).
  SNCC, which organized and mobilized the participation of students and 
young people in the Civil Rights Movement, conceived the Freedom Rides 
that challenged the practice of racial segregation in interstate 
transportation and the Mississippi Freedom Summer project that 
undertook the dangerous work of helping African Americans register to 
vote in the state most committed to maintaining White supremacy by any 
means necessary.
  SNCC was not the first leadership role history and circumstance would 
call upon Julian Bond to assume; nor would it be the last.
  In 1965, after passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting 
Rights Act of 1965, Julian Bond was elected to represent the residents 
of the 32nd district in Georgia House of Representatives.
  But on January 10, 1966, his white colleagues in the Georgia House 
voted 184-12 not to seat him because he had publicly expressed his 
opposition to the Vietnam War.
  Julian Bond challenged the refusal of the Georgia House to seat him 
and took his case all the way to the United States Supreme Court, which 
ruled in the unanimous decision of Bond v. Floyd, 385 U.S. 116 (1966), 
that expressing opposition to the Vietnam War was speech protected by 
the First Amendment and directed that he be seated as a duly elected 
member of the state legislature.
  Julian Bond would go on to serve three more terms in the George 
House, where he co-founded the Georgia Legislative Black Caucus, and 
six terms in the Georgia State Senate.
  In 1971, Julian Bond co-founded and served as president of the 
Southern Poverty Law Center that tracks the actions of hate groups to 
better inform and prepare communities about the dangers these groups 
pose.
  Julian Bond consistently identified issues of civil inequality and 
provided solutions by gathering groups of community leaders, 
professionals, and educators to protect what the laws and policies 
would not, our basic civil rights.
  In 1998, Julian Bond's commitment to justice and equality led him to 
answer the call to serve and accept the position of Chairman of the 
NAACP, a post he held until 2010.
  Julian Bond was able to bring the earnest fight to achieve equality 
into the modern era as he watched African-Americans achieve the highest 
awards in their professions and continued to break down barriers.
  In November 2008, Julian Bond witnessed the election of the first 
African American President of the United States, a feat thought 
impossible just a decade earlier.
  Mr. Speaker, because of trailblazers like Julian Bond millions of 
Americans gained access to opportunities previously denied to members 
of their communities.

[[Page 14943]]

  Julian Bond spent 5 years with SNCC, 8 years as president of the 
Southern Poverty Law Center, 12 years as the president of NAACP, 20 
years as a state representative, and 75 years an unwavering champion of 
civil rights for all people, including the LGBT community.
  My thoughts and prayers are with Julian's beloved wife Pamela, his 
children and grandchildren; and the untold millions of persons whose 
lives were touched by one of America's greatest sons.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask the House to observe a moment of silence in memory 
of Julian Bond, a tireless and eloquent voice for justice, equality, 
and human dignity who did so much to close the gap between the promise 
of America's founding ideals and the reality of people's lives.

          Civil Rights Giant Julian Bond Never Stopped Giving

                    (Posted By Edna Kane-Williams on
                            August 31, 2015)

       President Obama described him as a ``hero'' who ``helped 
     changed this country for the better.'' The Rev. Jesse Jackson 
     called him a ``leader with strength, character.'' NAACP 
     Chairman Roslyn Brock said he ``inspired a generation of 
     civil rights leaders.'' Teresa Sullivan, president of the 
     University of Virginia, where he taught history for many 
     years, called him a beloved retired professor who ``shaped 
     the course of history through his life and work.''
       How ever you choose to describe Julian Bond, one thing is 
     for sure: He taught us all how to stand for what we believe. 
     And he believed in freedom, justice and equality.
       For me, one of the most remarkable attributes of this civil 
     rights giant is the fact that he never stopped giving. Even 
     at the time of his brief illness and death on Aug. 15 at the 
     age of 75, he was still serving faithfully as chairman 
     emeritus on the NAACP board. Even after he retired from the 
     professorship at the University of Virginia, he continued to 
     mentor and remained a role model for students and others.
       A writer, poet, television commentator, lecturer and 
     college teacher--and as a former politician--Julian Bond was 
     one of those rare people whose work became legendary while he 
     was still doing it. In fact, the Library of Congress once 
     called him a ``living legend.''
       And because of the magnitude of his work, he leaves many 
     treasures that will simply keep on giving. UVA, where his 
     papers are housed, has announced its goal to establish a 
     Julian Bond Professorship in Civil Rights and Social Justice, 
     which ``will continue Bond's scholarly legacy.'' There will 
     certainly be many more designations in honor of his life's 
     work.
       And surely some will rise, seeking to follow in his 
     footsteps. Mr. Bond believed in young people's ability to 
     take the civil rights and social justice baton and run with 
     it. Earlier this year, he told a group of Howard University 
     students, ``I think you know what the problems are. You know 
     what the solutions are, and I'm sure we will be glad to help. 
     But don't depend on us to tell you what to do. Just go out 
     and do it.''
       Well, he left an amazing road map. From his pioneering 
     civil rights work as a cofounder of the Student Nonviolent 
     Coordinating Committee to all of his work and contributions 
     thereafter, Julian Bond was a model for anyone who aims to 
     make an impact and leave the world a better place.
       In that regard, he was a role model for us all. What a 
     life. What a legacy.

  Amelia Boynton was born on August 18, 1911, in Savannah, Georgia. Her 
early activism included holding black voter registration drives in 
Selma, Boynton spent her first two years of college at Georgia State 
College (now Savannah State University), then transferred to the 
Tuskegee Institute (now Tuskegee University) in Alabama. She graduated 
from Tuskegee with a home economics degree before further pursuing her 
education at Tennessee State University, Virginia State University and 
Temple University.
  In the 1930s, Boynton Robinson began her activist career by 
registering African Americans to vote. In 1964, she ran for Congress to 
represent Alabama. She was the first woman to have run for this 
Democratic seat, and although she did not win, she received 10% of 
votes. As the civil rights movement picked up, Boynton asked Martin 
Luther King Jr., who had witnessed her arrest in January 1965 for 
seeking to register Black voters, to visit Selma and empower the 
community. King accepted, and joined Boynton Robinson and the Southern 
Christian Leadership Conference in planning the march from Selma to 
Montgomery on March 17th, 1965.
  As approximately 600 marchers walked across the Edmund Pettus Bridge, 
they were confronted by 200 state troopers and Alabama policemen, who 
shot teargas and beat the non-violent protesters. This horrific event 
came to be known as Bloody Sunday.
  At least 17 protesters were sent to the hospital, including Boynton 
Robinson. A picture of her unconscious body lying on the ground after 
an officer shot tear gas into her throat spread through every news 
media outlet across the globe, and quickly became a symbol for race 
relations in the United States at the time.
  The Selma to Montgomery march was a pivotal demonstration in the 
civil rights movement, leading to future victories such as the Voting 
Rights Acts of 1965 signed by President Lyndon B. Johnson.
  Amelia Boynton Robinson was an incredible activist, leader, and 
woman, and is remembered for her courage and strength throughout the 
civil rights movement. She worked for equality for all until her last 
day on this earth.

                   [From the Two-Way, Aug. 26, 2015]

                           (By Bill Chappell)

   Amelia Boynton Robinson, Survivor of `Bloody Sunday,' Dies at 104

       Amelia Boynton Robinson, who went from being beaten on a 
     bridge in Selma, Ala., in 1965 to being pushed across the 
     bridge in a wheelchair alongside the president of the United 
     States, has died at age 104.
       Her daughter, Germaine Bowser, confirmed to Troy Public 
     Radio's Kyle Gassiott that Boynton Robinson died early 
     Wednesday morning. She had been hospitalized after suffering 
     several strokes this summer.
       Born in Savannah, Ga., Boynton Robinson was a pioneer in 
     the voting rights movement who took part in the event that 
     came to be known as ``Bloody Sunday,'' when she and other 
     activists were attacked by state troopers as they tried to 
     march across the Edmund Pettus Bridge.
       Along with Rep. John Lewis, D-Ga., Boynton Robinson held 
     hands with President Obama as the men walked across the 
     bridge this past March, marking the 50th anniversary of the 
     march in Selma.
       The Montgomery Advertiser reports:
       ``Boynton Robinson asked Martin Luther King Jr. to come to 
     Selma to mobilize the local community in the civil rights 
     movement. She worked with the Southern Christian Leadership 
     Conference and helped plan the Selma to Montgomery march. Her 
     role in the event was recaptured in the movie ``Selma,'' 
     where she was portrayed by actress Lorraine Toussaint. She 
     was invited as a guest of honor to attend the signing of the 
     Voting Rights Act of 1965 by President Lyndon B. Johnson.''
       Boynton Robinson also ``made history in 1964 as the first 
     African-American to run for Congress in Alabama,'' Alabama 
     Public Radio reported earlier this year, when the civil 
     rights legend attended Obama's 2015 State of the Union 
     address in Washington, DC. She was the guest of Rep. Terri 
     Sewell, Alabama's first elected African-American 
     congresswoman.


                             general leave

  Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 
legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and to 
include extraneous material on the subject of my Special Order. What a 
grand opportunity to cite these great Americans: Amelia Boynton 
Robinson, Congressman Lou Stokes, and Julian Bond.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentlewoman from Texas?
  There was no objection.
  Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Ms. WILSON of Florida. Mr. Speaker, Amelia Boyton Robinson was an 
American hero who devoted her entire life to the fight for equal rights 
for all. She was a child suffragette, who alongside her mother, 
advocated for the women's vote and then as a young woman fought for the 
right of blacks to have their say at the ballot box. After bold run to 
represent Alabama in Congress, Mrs. Robinson helped organize the Bloody 
Sunday March from Selma to Montgomery. She was hospitalized after being 
knocked unconscious by a white officer on that perilous day, which left 
her undaunted and even more determined to fight for the African-
American vote. It was my honor to nominate her for a Congressional 
Black Caucus Foundation Phoenix Award earlier this year, but sadly, she 
died before I could present it to her. Thankfully, however, Mrs. 
Robinson was able to share enough stories about her courageous 
experiences to fill a history book and resonate for generations to 
come.
  Ms. FUDGE. Mr. Speaker, I rise tonight to honor three civil rights 
legends: Ms. Amelia Boynton Robinson, Mr. Julian Bond, and my dear 
friend and mentor, Congressman Louis Stokes. Each a leader in his or 
her own right, these trailblazers laid the foundation we stand upon 
today.
  They paved the way for us and have inspired us to continue fighting 
for equality and justice. Because of them, we must do more.
  Ms. Boynton Robinson's legacy moves us to never stop fighting for 
voting rights. All Americans should have full access to the ballot box. 
The strength of our democracy rests upon the participation of every 
citizen.

[[Page 14944]]

  Mr. Bond's life's work commits us to striving for equality and full 
protection under the law for all Americans. Our country will never 
fulfill the promise of the land of the free and the home of the brave, 
if any citizen is denied justice and legal fairness.
  In honor of my dear friend Congressman Stokes, we will never stop 
advocating for our nation's most vulnerable. We must continue to give 
voice to the voiceless and work to ensure all Americans have access to 
the American Dream. It is our obligation to serve the best interests of 
the people of this country, whether a pauper or the populace.
  Mr. Speaker, we stand on the shoulders of giants. This great woman 
and these great men remind us why we stand here today and who we are 
here to represent. We thank them for their service and sacrifice, and 
pledge to continue to fight in honor of their legacies.
  In closing, I'd like to take a moment of personal privilege and thank 
my colleagues in the Ohio Delegation and the Congressional Black Caucus 
(CBC) for signing on to H.R. 427, a resolution honoring the life and 
legacy of Congressman Stokes. We currently have 57 co-sponsors on the 
bill.
  It is so important that the world knows who Congressman Stokes was 
and what he did. Congressman Stokes is etched in Ohio's history, and 
with this resolution will be firmly woven into the fabric of this great 
nation forever.
  Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to 
honor the lives of three very special leaders from the African American 
community who have passed away this year. Through their personal 
sacrifices and steadfast leadership, Representative Louis Stokes, 
Amelia Boynton Robinson, and Julian Bond have impacted the lives of 
countless Americans and I would like to join my colleagues in honoring 
their legacies.
  I have had the distinct honor of working alongside Representative 
Stokes before he retired from the United States Congress in 1999. 
Before being elected to Congress, Representative Stokes was a tireless 
advocate for promoting civil rights as a lawyer. In 1968, 
Representative Stokes was elected as Ohio's first African American 
congressman, where he would go on to become a founding member of the 
Congressional Black Caucus. After serving for 30 years in Congress, 
Representative Stokes is remembered by his commitment to public service 
and his insatiable desire to help the most disadvantaged segments of 
the population.
  Amelia Boynton Robinson was a prominent figure from the Civil Rights 
Movement, most well-known for her strong efforts to encourage voter 
participation among African Americans. Ms. Boynton was key to 
organizing civil and voting rights demonstrations in Alabama, including 
a march to the state capital of Montgomery. It was during this march on 
Bloody Sunday when Ms. Boynton was beaten unconscious in the defense of 
basic voting rights for African Americans. Ms. Boynton would live to 
the age of 110 before passing away in Montgomery, Alabama.
  Julian Bond was another Civil Rights leader whose life we honor this 
year. Mr. Bond helped to co-found the Student Nonviolent Coordinating 
Committee (SNCC), which served as a platform to drive the success 
behind organizing African American voters during a critical time in our 
nation's history. Mr. Bond also co-founded and was named the first 
president of the Southern Poverty Law Center, a legal organization 
dedicated to protecting the most vulnerable while advocating for basic 
rights for all. He also served in the Georgia House of Representatives 
despite a bitter vote by his colleagues not to seat him. Later in his 
life, Mr. Bond served as chairman of the National Association for the 
Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) from 1998 to 2010.
  Representative Louis Stokes, Amelia Boynton Robinson, and Julian Bond 
were model citizens whose legacies will be idolized long into the 
future. These three leaders have left lasting impressions that will set 
examples for new generations. Mr. Speaker, it saddens me and countless 
others to have to honor these individuals after their passing. However, 
we are forever grateful for their contributions and countless lives 
have been improved as a direct result of their sacrifices.
  Ms. LEE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to three heroes of 
the Civil Rights Movement: Julian Bond, Amelia Boynton Robinson and 
Former Congressman Louis Stokes.
  My thoughts and prayers are with their families during this very 
difficult time.
  First let me thank Rep. Donald Payne, Jr., and Rep. Robin Kelly for 
organizing this Special Order and for their leadership in the 
Congressional Black Caucus. I have known Julian since the 1970s and 
most recently stood with him to remember the 50th anniversary of the 
Vietnam Peace Movement at the Martin Luther King, Jr. memorial in 
Washington, DC. As a cofounder of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating 
Committee (SNCC), Julian galvanized young people to fight against 
segregation, march in the Civil Rights movement, and better the lives 
of all Americans.
  Julian dedicated his career to public service. After his work with 
SNCC, he served in the Georgia Legislature and as president of the 
National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). I 
know his legacy of tireless advocacy for equality and social justice 
will live on. It inspires me every day as we work to address inequality 
and reform our broken criminal justice system.
  I also rise to remember Amelia Boynton Robinson, a true hero of the 
Civil Rights Movement. Ms. Boynton Robinson was a trailblazer who 
championed civil rights and worked tirelessly for justice and equality. 
As one of the brave protestors at Selma, Amelia Boynton Robinson was 
brutally beaten in what would become known all around the world as 
``Bloody Sunday.'' Ms. Boynton Robinson, along with her fellow 
protestors, drew nationwide attention to the plight of African 
Americans and led us to the Voting Rights Act.
  Last but not least, I want to commemorate the life of Former 
Congressman Louis Stokes. Congressman Stokes was a wonderful mentor to 
me as a member of Congressman Ron Dellums' staff and later as a Member 
of Congress. Congressman Stokes grew up in Cleveland public housing and 
his childhood informed the policies he championed.
  He was the first African American Congressman to represent Ohio, one 
of the Founders of the Congressional Black Caucus and also the first 
African American to win a seat on the Appropriations committee, a 
committee on which I now sit. Congressman Stokes spent his 
congressional career fighting for the poor and the voiceless; he is a 
true American Hero.
  Mr. Speaker, it is because of the tireless advocacy of these leaders 
that we saw an end to legal segregation, the enactment of the voting 
rights act, and the election of so many African Americans to Congress.
  It was a great honor to count myself among the lives they touched. 
May the work they started continue until all forms of inequality are 
addressed.
  And may their spirits soar as their memories live on in our hearts.

                          ____________________