[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 169 (Tuesday, September 29, 2020)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E896]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  IN HONOR OF THE EXTRAORDINARY LIFE AND LEGACY OF REVEREND ROBERT S. 
                              GRAETZ, JR.

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. TERRI A. SEWELL

                               of alabama

                    in the house of representatives

                      Tuesday, September 29, 2020

  Ms. SEWELL of Alabama. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor Reverend 
Robert S. Graetz Jr., a Lutheran minister and heroic Civil Rights 
Activist who passed away at the age of 92. In 1955, as a white minister 
Rev. Graetz alongside his wife Mrs. Jeannie Graetz came to Montgomery, 
Alabama to serve the all black congregation of Trinity Lutheran Church. 
Demonstrating tremendous courage, Rev. Graetz played a critical role in 
the Montgomery Bus Boycott by personally sacrificing his time and 
resources in the fight for equal rights.
  Born on May 16, 1928 in Clarksburg, West Virginia, Rev. Graetz 
studied Theology at Capital University in Ohio, where he became 
interested in civil rights through his studies, founding a campus group 
to discuss race relations. After graduating in 1950, he attended 
Trinity Lutheran Seminary in Columbus, Ohio where he founded the 
Columbus N.A.A.C.P. chapter. In 1951, Rev. Graetz and Jeannie Ellis 
were married in East Springfield, Pennsylvania and together they had 
seven children.
  Shortly after his arrival in Montgomery, Rev. Graetz became 
acquainted with the local N.A.A.C.P. youth council director Rosa Parks 
who held weekly meetings in the church pastored by Rev. Graetz. Rev. 
Graetz became active in the protest upon learning of the arrest of Rosa 
Parks. At his next Sunday service, he urged his parishioners to 
participate in the Bus Boycott and offered them a ride to work.
  What originally began as a single day on December 5, 1955 turned into 
over a year of boycotting that ended on December 20, 1956. Rev. Graetz 
spent three hours every morning driving black members of the community 
to work. With his increasing involvement, he became an instrumental 
part of the success of the Montgomery Bus Boycott.
  Rev. Graetz became the Secretary of the Montgomery Improvement 
Association, where he worked closely with Rosa Parks and avidly 
supported Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Rev. Graetz was the only white 
minister to publicly support the efforts of the Montgomery Bus Boycott, 
making him and his family a target of the Ku Klux Klan. There were 
several threats and attempts on Rev. Graetz and his family's lives--
including two firebombs that damaged their home but thankfully harmed 
no one. Not to be deterred, Rev. Graetz loudly and proudly continued to 
fight for what he believed was the work of God in securing and 
defending the equal rights of his black church members. In support of 
Rosa Parks, he attended her court hearing and even attempted to sit in 
the colored section in the courtroom. Later, when the FBI urged Rev. 
Graetz and his family to leave Montgomery for their safety, they 
refused and remained unwavering in their public support of the Civil 
Rights Movement.
  After the end of the Montgomery Bus Boycott, Rev. Graetz and his wife 
Jeannie left Montgomery and returned to Columbus, Ohio in 1958 where 
Rev. Graetz served another predominantly black congregation. In the 
following years, he and his wife traveled across the nation to advocate 
for civil rights--eventually spending 13 years in Washington, D.C. as a 
lobbyist for marginalized individuals.
  Throughout his life, Rev. Graetz authored several publications 
including: A Congregational Guide to Human Relations; An Informed 
Church Serves a Diverse Society; Montgomery--a White Preacher's Memoir; 
and A White Preachers Message on Race and Reconciliation--Based on His 
Experiences Beginning with the Montgomery Bus Boycott. Rev. Graetz also 
received the following honors: Russwurm Award, National Negro Newspaper 
Publishers Association; Selma Humanitarian Award; Distinguished 
Alumnus, Trinity Lutheran Seminary; Doctor of Humanities, Capital 
University; Ohio Humanitarian Award; Ohio Governor's Humanitarian 
Award. After returning to Montgomery in 2007, Rev. Graetz and his wife 
dedicated their service to Alabama State University and hosted the 
annual Graetz Symposium at the National Center for the Study of Civil 
Rights and African-American Culture at Alabama State University.
  On a personal note, I have tremendous respect and admiration for the 
significant contributions that Rev. and Mrs. Graetz made to fight for 
civil rights and racial equality in the Montgomery community. Grounded 
by his faith and genuine belief in the value of all God's children, 
Rev. Graetz led by example in supporting the Montgomery Bus Boycott. It 
was the boycott of public transit in Montgomery for 381 days that 
resulted in the end of racial segregation in commerce across this 
nation. We owe a debt of gratitude to the personal sacrifice and 
threats to their lives that Rev. and Mrs. Graetz must have endured in 
the quest for equality and justice for all. To say thank you doesn't 
seem enough. May we rededicate ourselves to the cause of racial 
equality and reconciliation that exemplified the life's work of 
Reverend Graetz. And may the Lord say--well done thy good and faithful 
servant, Well Done.
  On behalf of Alabama's 7th Congressional District, I ask my 
colleagues to join me in recognizing the extraordinary life and legacy 
of Reverend Robert S. Graetz, Jr., and his incredible contributions to 
the Civil Rights Movement.

                          ____________________