[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 37 (Monday, February 27, 2023)]
[House]
[Pages H901-H904]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
BLACK HISTORY MONTH TRIBUTES
The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Collins). Under the Speaker's announced
policy of January 9, 2023, the gentlewoman from Michigan (Ms. Slotkin)
is recognized for 60 minutes as the designee of the minority leader.
General Leave
Ms. SLOTKIN. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members
have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include
extraneous material on the subject of my Special Order.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentlewoman from Michigan?
There was no objection.
Ms. SLOTKIN. Mr. Speaker, every February, Black History Month affords
us the opportunity to learn about, celebrate, and honor Black leaders
and to shine a light on the often-neglected contributions of African
Americans in every area of our history.
Today, I rise to pay tribute to 10 remarkable individuals from
Michigan's Seventh Congressional District--some of them famous names,
others with buried histories that deserve to be shared.
Their stories span the geographical breadth of the district as well
as the depths of our Nation's history: from the Civil War heroes of
escaped slaves to modern singers and scholars.
All of them should be celebrated, and all of them called Michigan
home.
Before I share their stories, though, I must also share the story of
our great State.
While many know Michigan for the Motor City or for Motown, what you
might not know is the critical role our State played in the Underground
Railroad.
There are endless accounts of our State's importance to the secret
network that aided thousands of people on their journey to freedom.
Conductors hid freedom seekers in their homes and barns during the day.
At night, freedom seekers would go to a depot in the next town.
For many, Detroit, code name ``Midnight,'' was the last stop before
making their way to a free life in Canada, but a number stayed in
Michigan and started their new lives.
I am so proud of the role our State played in securing freedom, and
it is my honor to highlight these stories of Black Michiganders who
have been shaping our State since day one.
Tribute to Abraham Losford
Ms. SLOTKIN. Mr. Speaker, today I rise to honor Abraham Losford, the
first Black resident of Howell, Michigan; a brave man who escaped
slavery and used the trade he learned while captive to build a life of
freedom for his family and for generations to come.
It was 1849 when Abraham Losford fled north with nothing but his
clippers from Kentucky where he had been enslaved and served as a
plantation barber. He was captured, escaped again, and after
emancipation, returned to free his children, Benjamin and Sally.
The plan was to travel to Lansing, Michigan, via the Old Plank Road
and open a barbershop, but when Losford stopped in Howell to change
stagecoaches, he was convinced to stay in the small town.
The people of Howell promised to keep him safe if he would stay and
open a barbershop, which they sorely needed. It was a deal both sides
would forever uphold.
Losford and his barber business thrived in Howell and he became a
successful, respected businessman in the predominantly White
community--no small feat for a former slave in the years following the
end of the Civil War.
Newspaper ads from the time boast of his salon offering, ``Shaving,
Shampooing, and Hairdressing'' for both men and women, and it was noted
in the local press that when Losford fell ill, a band of 60 kids and
adults joined together to bring him gifts and money in a show of
support and affection for their beloved town barber.
Abraham passed the trade to his son, who went on to open a barbershop
of his own in the town of Edmore, Michigan. Today, Ben's story, and
that of his father, are immortalized in the children's book ``Benjamin
Losford and His Handy Dandy Clippers.''
It is the story of how skill equals freedom and a potent reminder
that we must all make the most of the tools we have been fortunate
enough to receive.
Abraham Losford died in 1897 and was buried in Lakeview Cemetery in
downtown Howell, Michigan. His obituary states that, ``His presence, as
well as his open, manly character, was a living reminder of the sin of
slavery. Many winters will come and go before the name of Old Uncle Abe
is forgotten in this community.''
Mr. Speaker, I ask that his name and his accomplishments live forever
in our hearts and minds as well as here in the permanent Record of the
people's House.
Tribute to Alexander Johnson
Ms. SLOTKIN. Mr. Speaker, today, I rise to pay tribute to a man who
should have been hailed as a hero, but for too long his story was lost
in history.
Alexander Johnson was a Black Civil War veteran who lived and worked
in Owosso, Michigan, in the late 1800s. When a group of White residents
chased most Black folks out of town, Johnson and two others refused to
go.
Born in Tennessee in 1833, Johnson fled slavery and made his way to
Michigan before enlisting in a Union regiment of African Americans in
Kalamazoo, Michigan, to fight in the Civil War, then moving to Canada
at the war's end, and later returning to Michigan to settle in Owosso
with his wife.
No one knows for sure why he chose Owosso. Some historians believe
Johnson's wife may have had family nearby. Others surmise he might have
had connections to a home in Owosso rumored to be a part of the
Underground Railroad, and still others say that at the time, the
growing community was a place where people of all races moved to
explore economic opportunity.
Whatever the reason, Owosso is where Alexander Johnson chose to put
down his roots, opening up a downtown barbershop and was, by all
accounts, a well-liked businessman and respected member of the
community.
[[Page H902]]
Unfortunately, the good times did not last long as racial tensions
grew and the Ku Klux Klan became active in the county. The tensions
culminated in 1871 when 40 White vigilantes gathered together and
attempted to drive the Black residents out of town.
There is little we know about this dark moment in Owosso's history,
but we do know that Alexander Johnson was a light that would not be
extinguished. Johnson stayed on in Owosso, along with two other Black
men, until he died.
In 1907, Johnson received a military burial at Oak Hill Cemetery in
Owosso, and his story was buried with him for more than 100 years.
There are those who seek to ignore or even wipe away those painful
pieces of our history, and there are those who understand that we
cannot ever be great without acknowledging our failures, learning from
them, and moving forward with a commitment to grow.
The Owosso Rotary Club falls into that latter category, as they were
the ones not just to uncover Johnson's story, but to acknowledge and
honor it as a piece of Owosso's history.
Alexander Johnson was formally recognized by the Owosso Rotary on
Veterans Day 2021 with a solemn ceremony at his grave site.
It is only fitting that I, too, join in paying tribute to this great
man whose convictions led him first out of slavery and then to fight
for a country he believed in to establish the life he wanted and to
stay in the community that he loved.
May his memory be a blessing and an inspiration to all of us and may
his story forever rest here in the permanent Record of the people's
House.
Tribute to Hiram Archer
Ms. SLOTKIN. Mr. Speaker, today, I rise to honor one of the first
African-American college athletes and scholars who paved the way for
students of color across the State of Michigan and this Nation.
Hiram Archer was the first student of color to be officially
documented as a graduate of Olivet College located in Eaton County in
Michigan's Seventh District, a historic place in and of itself.
He attended Olivet from 1888 to 1904, and played on the school's
varsity baseball team, making him one of the first ten Black athletes
in the Nation to play intercollegiate sports.
While a student at Olivet, Archer was active in music and other
creative endeavors. A gifted public speaker, Archer won several oratory
and debate contests, and spoke at prominent events, including the
inauguration of college president, William G. Sperry, in 1893.
The school considers him to be a model representative of both the
history and the future goals of students of color at Olivet.
Archer remained at Olivet to complete his master's degree in science
and went on to earn a doctorate. He went on to serve in leadership
positions at several academic institutions, at the college in Normal,
Alabama, which today is known as Alabama A&M University.
He finished his career with the Smithsonian Institution here in D.C.,
as a nationally recognized scientist. Archer passed away in 1945,
having made Olivet and the State of Michigan proud. His alma mater says
Archer's life's work is a testament to Olivet College's academic
vision: ``Education for Individual and Social Responsibility.''
According to Olivet's current president, Dr. Steven Corey, Archer's
successes were extraordinary for anyone, but for an African American in
the late 1800s, they were truly groundbreaking and added much to the
rich, Black history that has shaped this college and our country.
Today, his legacy lives on at Olivet with the Hiram Archer Student
Success Academy, a mentorship and support group for students of color
on campus.
It shall live on here in the people's House where I ask that he be
forever remembered for his pioneering contributions to the great State
of Michigan.
{time} 1945
Tribute to Dr. Eva Evans
Ms. SLOTKIN. Mr. Speaker, today I rise to honor a legend of Lansing,
Michigan, whose tireless advocacy on behalf of effective education for
students of color changed the trajectory of hundreds of young lives in
mid-Michigan.
Dr. Eva Evans was born in Memphis, Tennessee, and grew up in Detroit
where she attended Northern High School in the early 1950s.
Former teachers and fellow students remember her as one of the most
willing, giving, and compassionate people they have ever met, traits
that would ultimately define her life of service.
She went on to earn a bachelor of science from Wayne State and both a
master's and doctorate from Michigan State University.
Dr. Evans served in a number of administrative positions in the
Lansing School District, from director of elementary education to
deputy superintendent, the first female ever to hold that position.
As a leader in the school system, she developed and implemented
innovative programs such as schools of choice and a district-wide
talent fair for students and staff.
She connected the school district with Lansing Community College and
Michigan State for the 2+2+2 Program, which channels minority students
right into Michigan State's College of Engineering.
While she had a particular passion for math and science, she also
created ``Be a Star'' performing arts programs.
These programs and partnerships have endured over the years,
benefiting countless individuals and shaping practice and policy in
education, healthcare, social services, and beyond.
Outside the school buildings, Dr. Evans tirelessly devoted herself to
dozens of causes, giving of herself in leadership roles.
She was the 24th international president of Alpha Kappa Alpha, AKA,
and chair of LCC, the Lansing Community College Foundation, president
of the Lansing Woman's Club, and grand marshal of the African American
Parade and Family Picnic in Lansing.
Evans was also appointed by the governor to serve on the Michigan
Council for the Humanities and was chairwoman for the Michigan
Department of Civil Rights.
She championed causes with the American Red Cross and created
programs to raise awareness about HIV and AIDS.
I like to think of her as a great connector--connecting
underprivileged students to education beyond high school, connecting
communities in need of programs that had the capacity to help, and
simply connecting people to each other.
Dr. Evans passed away in 2020, receiving numerous honors in her
adopted hometown of Lansing, including the YMCA's Diana Award for
Excellence in Education, the NAACP's Educator of the Year, the Lansing
Chamber of Commerce's Athena Award, the Crystal Apple Award for
Education from Michigan State University, and the Applause Award from
the Lansing Center of the Arts.
But I believe the greatest honor and the most profound title she ever
received was to be called a teacher.
I ask that the permanent Record of this Chamber reflect her enduring
lessons and legacy and that her service be forever remembered here in
the United States House of Representatives.
Tribute to Clifton Wharton, Jr.
Ms. SLOTKIN. Mr. Speaker, today I rise in honor of a man who has
spent his entire life and career breaking racial barriers and paving
the way for future generations of Black scholars and leaders.
The name Clifton Wharton, Jr., is known by many in the Michigan State
University community thanks to the predominant campus landmark: The
Wharton Center for the Performing Arts.
But in addition to his name, I want them to know his story as it
features a persistent rise against the odds, a tale worthy of being
staged inside the building that is now bearing his name.
By the time Clifton Wharton, Jr., became the president of Michigan
State University, the first African American to head a major,
predominantly White university in the United States, he was no stranger
to being first.
Wharton, who grew up in Boston, entered Harvard University at age 16.
There he became the first Black announcer at the campus radio station
and the first Black Secretary of the National Student Association, a
lobbying group that he founded.
[[Page H903]]
Later, he was the first African American admitted to Johns Hopkins
University School of Advanced International Studies and the first
African American to earn a Ph.D. in economics from the University of
Chicago.
He worked for about a decade with the Agriculture Development
Council, a nongovernmental agency, before he returned to the academic
world.
When the MSU trustees appointed him the university's 14th president
in 1969, it was a time of tremendous change and cultural upheaval in
the country, with college campuses taking center stage in the civil
rights movement and protests over the Vietnam war.
Against that tumultuous backdrop, Wharton set another first: Unlike
any other major university president of the time, he supported students
who demanded that their concerns be heard, even offering to personally
take student petitions against the war to Michigan's congressional
delegation in Washington, D.C.
Wharton's 8-year tenure at MSU's helm was marked by his successful
efforts to maintain the quality of the university's academic programs
in the face of major budget cuts, his commitment to serving
underprivileged students, and the integration of the College of
Osteopathic Medicine with the other medical schools.
In 1978, Wharton achieved another first when he stepped down from MSU
to become the chancellor of the State University of New York system,
making him the first African-American leader there of the Nation's
largest university system.
But he wasn't done breaking barriers. In 1987, he was named the
president and CEO of the Teachers Insurance and Annuity Association-
College Retirement Equities Fund, making him the first Black CEO of a
Fortune 500 company.
He held that role until 1993, when he became the Deputy Secretary of
State under President Bill Clinton, not surprisingly, the first Black
American to ever hold the second-highest foreign policy post.
I salute Dr. Wharton for his groundbreaking career and the path of
excellence he has blazed, and I am humbled to be the first to ask that
his accomplishments be forever enshrined in the official Record of the
people's House, the House of Representatives.
Tribute to Larry Carter
Ms. SLOTKIN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to communicate to you the
profound influence and legacy of a man who was the ultimate
communicator.
Larry Carter dedicated his life to informing and uplifting Lansing,
Michigan's, Black community, first through the radio, and later through
a newspaper he founded with his wife, Carolyn, that continues in
publication today under his daughter's hand.
Carter, also known as Jay Price, was born in Mississippi but grew up
in the Midwest, graduating from John Marshall High School in Chicago in
1967.
He met his future wife, Carolyn Hill, at the age of 12, and married
her shortly after graduating from Columbia College with a degree in
broadcast journalism. Together, they raised three beautiful children.
Larry spent the early years of his career in positions spanning
several media markets across the Midwest and southern regions.
In 1984, an industry colleague convinced him to move to Lansing,
Michigan, where he accepted a position in local radio.
There, he quickly talked the station owner into changing the format
to adult contemporary, with Larry as the morning host.
He was an instant on-air success, and also worked behind the scenes
as sales manager to produce commercials.
Despite what he achieved in radio, Carter was itching to explore
other avenues. In 1986, he launched a print publication initially
called ``The Capital Chronicle'' and later renamed ``The Chronicle
News.''
The focus was simple: Fill the void Larry saw in local news coverage
by spotlighting and enhancing awareness of issues in the Black
community.
It was a family affair from the start: Larry handled advertising
sales, Carolyn learned how to design and lay out the stories, and the
kids enlisted their friends to deliver the paper door to door.
Today, Larry and Carolyn have both passed, but their legacy remains.
The Chronicle newspaper is published twice monthly by their daughter.
The free publication is distributed throughout mid-Michigan and can
be found in municipal buildings, schools, local businesses, churches,
and community centers.
They also leave behind the legacy of family, including their three
children, six grandchildren, two great-grandchildren, and a host of
nieces, nephews, cousins, and friends.
Larry was devoted to lifting up the stories of his community, and
today, it is my great honor to lift up his story and inscribe it in the
official Record of the United States House of Representatives with
profound gratitude for his devotion to creating a platform for the
Black community to be seen, heard, and understood.
Tribute to Barbara Lewis
Ms. SLOTKIN. Mr. Speaker, today I rise to honor a legend of R&B sound
who hails not from a musical capital like Detroit, Chicago, or New
York, but from a small town in Michigan's Seventh District, South Lyon.
Barbara Lewis was born into a powerful legacy as the great-
granddaughter of Civil War veteran John W. Lewis.
She was also born with a musical heritage, as her bandleader father
played trumpet, her mother and uncle played sax, and her aunt was a
music teacher.
Surrounded by the symphony of sound, it was no surprise that Barbara
began playing piano, guitar, and harmonica at an early age, writing
songs at the age of 9, and singing lead vocals at family jam sessions
in her teens.
While Barbara told her friends and family that she had no intention
of pursuing music as a career, a meeting with Ollie McLaughlin, an Ann
Arbor deejay-turned-producer and manager, changed all that and changed
the course of her life.
Impressed by her talent and her original songs, he signed Barbara on
the spot. In 1962, she recorded her first two singles, one of them a
peppy, upbeat piece called ``My Heart Went Do Dat Da,'' and was,
according to Barbara, written on her upright piano while she was
babysitting one night while still attending South Lyon High School.
Lewis holds the distinction of being the first Michigan artist to
record for Atlantic Records. In the span of her career, she went on to
record three Top Ten R&B hits for McLaughlin's record label, including
the number one smash, ``Hello Stranger.''
She also had ten songs on Billboard's Hot 100 during the 1960s,
ranking her second only to Aretha Franklin, also of Michigan, in terms
of chart success for female solo artists from the State.
Barbara recorded songs at the legendary Motown Studios in Detroit and
performed with some of the greatest R&B artists of her time.
Many of her songs have been remade and remastered and live on today,
including by Queen Latifah, with others featured on hit movie
soundtracks, including ``The Bridges of Madison County.''
Barbara returned to Michigan in 1971, following stints in New York
and Chicago, and lived many years in her home State before relocating
to Florida.
She received the Pioneer Award from the Rhythm and Blues Foundation
in 1999, and in 2016, Barbara Lewis was inducted into the Michigan Rock
and Roll Legends Hall of Fame.
While health issues forced her to retire in 2017, I ask that her
legendary sound and contributions to the arts be forever recorded in
our hearts and here in the permanent Record of the United States House
of Representatives.
Tribute to Carrie Owens
Ms. SLOTKIN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in honor of an extraordinary
educator who shaped the lives of thousands of mid-Michigan students
during her groundbreaking career.
Carrie Owens grew up in Florida during the time of segregation and
high racial tensions, and she knew from an early age she wanted to work
toward dismantling the systems she saw all around her.
Though her parents had no formal education, they pushed their kids to
have what they did not have, and a young Carrie thrived in school.
She eventually became a teacher and was hired at Okemos Public
Schools in 1964, becoming the first Black teacher in the district.
It is said that when Mrs. Owens first interviewed for a job at
Cornell Elementary in Okemos, she vowed to help
[[Page H904]]
each student individually because she recognized what many even in
education circles did not yet grasp--that all students learn at
different paces and in different ways.
Just as she thrived in school, Owens did everything to ensure her
students did the same, and she was put in charge of a transitional
class of elementary school students who, up until that point, had had
limited success in school.
Owens made sure that each of her students progressed to grade level
and empowered them to understand how they learned.
Word of her tireless dedication to student success and her innovative
teaching philosophy spread quickly, and many families moved to Okemos
just so their children could be in her class.
By the time she retired from teaching in 2001, she had touched
thousands of young lives and helped change the face of education in our
community.
Not only did her hiring pave the way for other teachers of color, but
by the end of her career, Okemos had its first Black superintendent,
and the district was overall a more diverse, inclusive community.
As we mark Black History Month, I salute Carrie Owens, who is Black
history in Okemos. This trailblazing teacher has left her mark on the
hearts and minds of the entire community, and we are so much better for
her service.
May her lessons live on in the students she touched, in all the lives
that she changed, and here in the permanent Record of the United States
House of Representatives.
{time} 2000
Tribute to Earvin ``Magic'' Johnson
Ms. SLOTKIN. Mr. Speaker, today, I rise to pay tribute to one of the
greatest basketball players of all time, a man who brought so much
magic to the game it quite literally became part of his name. It all
began in Michigan's capital city of Lansing, his hometown.
To say that Earvin ``Magic'' Johnson came from humble roots is an
understatement. His mother was a school janitor, and his father worked
at General Motors on the assembly line by day and collected garbage in
the evenings.
Johnson would often help his father on the garbage route, earning his
nickname ``Garbage Man'' with the neighborhood kids.
All that teasing ended when he hit the basketball court. Johnson
started playing as a youngster. By the time he graduated from Lansing
Everett High School, where he had led his team to a State championship
and was dubbed ``Magic,'' he was already considered the greatest high
school basketball player to ever come out of Michigan.
He moved just down the road to East Lansing, attending Michigan State
University, where he became a two-time All-American, leading the
Spartans to the 1979 National Championship while being voted the Most
Outstanding Player of the Year in that year's Final Four.
He was the number one overall selection for the 1979 NBA draft,
chosen by the L.A. Lakers, where he would go on to play his entire
professional career.
The stats are dazzling. In his 13 seasons with the Lakers, Johnson
was a key member of five NBA championships, as well as being a 12-time
All-Star, three-time NBA Finals MVP, and three-time league MVP. During
his NBA career, Johnson averaged 19.5 points per game, 7.2 rebounds per
game, and 11 assists per game.
He was a member of the original NBA Dream Team, winning a Gold Medal
in the 1992 Barcelona Olympics.
Both his Spartan jersey and his Lakers jersey were retired, and Magic
Johnson has been inducted into the College Basketball Hall of Fame, the
Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, the MSU Athletics Hall of
Fame, and the Michigan Sports Hall of Fame.
Johnson stunned the world in 1991 with the announcement that he had
tested positive for HIV. It was a seismic moment in our culture, as an
athlete of Johnson's stature vowed in public to raise awareness about a
virus that was shrouded in stigma.
In the decades since that pivotal moment, his advocacy off the court
has been as impressive as his skills on the court, and he has not been
limited to that one topic.
He has used his platform to support so many causes, from HIV and AIDS
to mental health, COVID vaccines, and the transformational power of
wealth-building for Black families.
Johnson has said about his legacy: ``Now these kids dream that they
can become not only a basketball player or a football player, but they
can become a businessman. So that is what is important, that we have
power and that we have a seat at the table.''
With gratitude for his enduring contributions, I submit to the
permanent Record of the United States House of Representatives that
Earvin ``Magic'' Johnson not only provided a seat at the table but
helped construct it, a table formed in the heart of East Lansing,
shaped by a fierce work ethic and raw talent and sprinkled with magic.
Tribute to Dr. Ruth Nicole Brown
Ms. SLOTKIN. Finally, Mr. Speaker, today, I rise to pay tribute to a
visionary social justice innovator and academic who is making space for
African-American women and girls to celebrate who they are and what
they bring to the world, and bringing new and critical opportunities to
students at Michigan State University.
Ruth Nicole Brown is the inaugural chairperson of and professor in
the Department of African American and African Studies at MSU.
Dr. Brown, an internationally recognized leader in Black girlhood,
joined MSU on July 1, 2020, and quickly got to work creating and
advancing the mission of this new degree-granting department at the
university. Thanks to her efforts, beginning in the 2022-23 school
year, MSU students were, for the first time, able to declare a major in
African American and American studies, and many have jumped at the
opportunity.
In addition to her academic and administrative accomplishments, Dr.
Brown is the founder of Saving Our Lives Hear Our Truths, a creative
space that brings young African-American girls together to celebrate
Black girlhood.
She also started Black Girl Genius Week, a city and university-wide
social media takeover and awareness campaign focusing on rising Black
women. She has written several books on the topic and is a highly
sought-after speaker.
It is this combination of scholarly work and public engagement that
makes Dr. Brown such an innovator. One day she is coediting educational
research and anthologies and articles about racial equality and
feminism, and the next day she is performing powerful pieces combining
music, images, and words.
Dr. Brown is the master of seeing a void and stepping up to fill it.
The performance community she has created responds to a need for
spaces where Black girls and women are seen and valued. The department
she chairs allows students, for the first time, to center their studies
on Black history, including a critical exploration of the role of
feminism and gender.
Today, I salute Dr. Brown for the many ways she is changing the
game--through art, through music, and through education.
I am so grateful that, along with her many distinguished titles, we
are able to call her a Michigan State University Spartan.
May her successes and contributions continue to enrich the MSU
community and be acknowledged here, in the permanent record of the
United States House of Representatives.
Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
____________________