[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 162 (2016), Part 10]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 14066]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                    IN HONOR OF JACQUELINE A. ELLIS

                                 ______
                                 

                      HON. SANFORD D. BISHOP, JR.

                               of georgia

                    in the house of representatives

                     Wednesday, September 28, 2016

  Mr. BISHOP of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, it is with a heavy heart that I 
rise today to pay tribute to a dedicated public servant and outstanding 
citizen, Jacqueline A. Ellis. Sadly, Jacqui passed away last week. A 
memorial service will be held on Friday, September 30, 2016 at Reid 
Temple A.M.E. Church in Glenn Dale, Maryland. The homegoing service 
will be held on Saturday, October 8, 2016 at Union Missionary Baptist 
Church in Mobile, Alabama.
  Jacqueline A. Ellis came into this world on October 22, 1957 in 
Mobile, Alabama. Growing up during the tumultuous times of the Civil 
Rights Movement, Jacqui spent her life and career working to advance 
the interests of African Americans and women. Jacqui worked on Capitol 
Hill for nearly three decades, and her list of accomplishments and 
successes reflects her dedication to public service and the citizens 
she served.
  Jacqui attended Jarvis Christian College from 1976 to 1980. Later on 
in life, Jacqui was inducted into the Jarvis Christian College's 
Pioneers Hall of Fame. This honor highlighted her contributions to the 
school, and the positive recognition her career and successes brought 
to Jarvis Christian College. Her contributions to generations of 
students did not end there, however, as she also was a guest lecturer 
at the Government Affairs Institute at Georgetown University as well as 
a Co-Chair of the Bethune-DuBois Institute, Inc. Leadership Forum. The 
Bethune-DuBois Institute, named after two prominent African American 
educators, Mary McLeod Bethune and Dr. W.E.B. DuBois, strives to 
advance the interests and opportunities of African Americans through 
education and leadership development.
  Jacqui was a former National Board Member of the Southern Christian 
Leadership Conference (SCLC), a civil rights group founded in response 
to the Montgomery Bus Boycott of 1955. The SCLC is now a national 
organization focused on fighting for human rights around the world. The 
SCLC honored Jacqui with the Ella Baker Award. Ella Baker was one of 
the most important leaders in the Civil Rights Movement, as well as a 
founding member of the SCLC.
  In addition, Jacqui was a National Board Member for the National 
Congress of Black Women; a founding member of the Organization of 
African-American Administrative Assistants and Chiefs of Staff; Chair 
of the Legislative Issues and Public Affairs Committee for the Links, 
Inc.; and Social Action Commissioner for Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, 
Inc.
  Jacqui spent 28 years working on Capitol Hill, where she had a smile 
or a word of advice for any Member, staffer, or visitor who needed it. 
On the Hill, she worked for former Congressman Major Owens of New York 
and former Senator Howell Heflin of Alabama, and she served as the 
Chief of Staff for Congressman Al Green of Texas. Having worked in both 
the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives, Jacqui was lauded by many 
past and present elected officials for her institutional knowledge and 
her selfless dedication to public service.
  In recognition of her altruistic spirit, Jacqui was awarded the 
Congressional Black Associates' Robert H. Ogle Trailblazer's Award for 
her mentorship and support of African-American staffers and Mobile, 
Alabama's NAACP Redeemer of the Dream Leadership Award.
  Throughout her life, Jacqui always dedicated herself to causes that 
made a difference in the lives of others. George Washington Carver once 
said, ``No individual has any right to come into the world and go out 
of it without leaving behind distinct and legitimate reasons for having 
passed through it.'' We are so grateful that Jacqueline Ellis gave her 
time and talents to serving on Capitol Hill. She touched the lives of 
so many in the halls of Congress, including my own. She was a dear 
friend of longstanding to me and my family. Truly, Capitol Hill shined 
a little brighter because of Jacqueline Ellis.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me and my wife Vivian in 
extending our deepest condolences to Jacqueline Ellis's family, 
friends, and loved ones during this difficult time. We pray that they 
will be consoled and comforted by an abiding faith and the Holy Spirit 
in the days, weeks and months ahead.

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