Terri Sewell: “Today I rise to express my condolences and heartfelt wishes for the family of Reverend Fred Shuttlesworth, who passed…”

“Today I rise to express my condolences and heartfelt wishes for the family of Reverend Fred Shuttlesworth, who passed this morning. Reverend Fred Shuttlesworth was an icon of the civil rights movement. I know that in Birmingham, Alabama, we hold him in high esteem, and today I just wanted to make sure that my colleagues knew that Reverend Shuttlesworth passed this morning. I know in the days and weeks to come we will celebrate his life and memorialize him in proper form, but today I rise just to acknowledge his wonderful work and to make sure that his family knew that we as Americans truly appreciate their sacrifice and his wonderful accomplishments to making this country as great as it can be, and making sure that this country upholds its ideals of equality and justice for all. ____________________”