[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 162 (2016), Part 7]
[House]
[Pages 9556-9557]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                MARY ELEANORA McCOY POST OFFICE BUILDING

  Mr. BLUM. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill 
(H.R. 5028) to designate the facility of the United States Postal 
Service located at 10721 E. Jefferson Ave in Detroit, Michigan, as the 
``Mary Eleanora McCoy Post Office Building'', as amended.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                               H.R. 5028

       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
     the United States of America in Congress assembled,

     SECTION 1. MARY E. MCCOY POST OFFICE BUILDING.

       (a) Designation.--The facility of the United States Postal 
     Service located at 10721 E Jefferson Ave in Detroit, 
     Michigan, shall be known and designated as the ``Mary E. 
     McCoy Post Office Building''.
       (b) References.--Any reference in a law, map, regulation, 
     document, paper, or other record of the United States to the 
     facility referred to in subsection (a) shall be deemed to be 
     a reference to the ``Mary E. McCoy Post Office Building''.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Iowa (Mr. Blum) and the gentlewoman from Michigan (Mrs. Lawrence) each 
will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Iowa.


                             General Leave

  Mr. BLUM. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may 
have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and 
include extraneous material on the bill under consideration.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Iowa?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. BLUM. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  I rise today in support of H.R. 5028, introduced by my colleague on 
the Oversight and Government Reform Committee, Representative Brenda 
Lawrence of Michigan.
  The bill designates a post office in Detroit, Michigan, as the Mary 
Eleanora McCoy Post Office Building.
  Born in an underground railroad station, Mrs. McCoy was a dedicated 
advocate for women's and civil rights in the 19th century.
  I look forward to learning more about Mrs. McCoy from the sponsor of 
this bill and a fellow member of the Oversight and Government Reform 
Committee, Representative Lawrence.
  I urge Members to support this bill.
  I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mrs. LAWRENCE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to sponsor H.R. 5028, a bill to designate 
the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 10721 East 
Jefferson Avenue in Detroit, Michigan, as the Mary Eleanora McCoy Post 
Office Building.
  It brings me great pride that my first bill considered before the 
House surrounds the United States Postal Service and Mary McCoy, an 
activist who was able to provide housing, education, health care, and 
economic support to women and children during the Jim Crow era. I spent 
almost 30 years in the Postal Service and saw firsthand the importance 
of these government agencies to communities throughout the country. 
They are central to every American city and provide a vital service to 
senior citizens on a daily basis.
  Today I stand in recognition of Mary McCoy, a woman who organized and 
provided essential services to African Americans and other minorities 
who lacked access to adequate medical care, housing options, and 
education, all at a time when women lacked basic voting rights.
  The daughter of two escaped slaves, Mary McCoy was born in an 
underground railroad station in 1846. Mary rose to become a 
philanthropist and leader of the African American and female 
populations in Michigan, bringing these diverse communities together in 
a time of great divide.
  Through the establishment of organizations and group homes, Mary was 
able to provide support, safety, and community for women and children 
throughout Michigan.
  The wife of the renowned innovator, Elijah McCoy, Mary forever 
changed the cultural landscape in the United States for African 
Americans and women, developing innovative methods to support both 
communities. Mary established scholarships for children of former 
slaves and gave shelter to orphans and senior citizens throughout 
Michigan.
  Mary was able to provide these essential services by founding and 
supporting some of Michigan's most prominent women's clubs and 
organizations. These groups include, but are not limited to, the 
Michigan State Association of Colored Women, the McCoy Home for Colored 
Children, and the Phyllis Wheatley Home for Aged Colored Women.
  Mary McCoy worked her entire life to alleviate the racism, sexism, 
and ageism that plagued our Nation. She lived to see a cultural shift 
in America that went far beyond the 15th and 19th amendments.
  Dying at the age of 77 from injuries sustained in a car crash, Mary 
McCoy will always be remembered as a hero for her work in sheltering 
the homeless, healing the sick, and supporting many of Michigan's most 
charitable endeavors.
  I urge the passage of H.R. 5028.
  I yield back the balance of my time.

                              {time}  1530

  Mr. BLUM. Mr. Speaker, I urge the adoption of the bill.
  I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from Iowa (Mr. Blum) that the House suspend the rules and 
pass the bill, H.R. 5028, as amended.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the 
rules were suspended and the bill, as amended, was passed.

[[Page 9557]]

  The title of the bill was amended so as to read: ``A bill to 
designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 
10721 E Jefferson Ave in Detroit, Michigan, as the `Mary E. McCoy Post 
Office Building'.''.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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