Terri Sewell: “I thank our leader of the CBC, Congressman Butterfield, so much for his exemplary leadership and the courage that he…”

“I thank our leader of the CBC, Congressman Butterfield, so much for his exemplary leadership and the courage that he exemplifies every day in fighting for the causes that we all hold so dear. I want to thank Congresswoman Jackson Lee for those wonderful words. Sheila Jackson Lee has not only been an amazing Member of Congress, but she has been a great mentor to me. I want to thank her for all she does for so many of us and the mentoring she continues to provide the younger generation. What can I say to Charlie Rangel? To even have him know my name is an honor. I know that, but for the remarkable lives of the three people that we celebrate their lives and their legacies today, I would not be in this auspicious Chamber, and but for his leadership and his courage, I would not know how to behave in this Chamber. I thank him for doing such a great job and continuing to serve the great people of Harlem and New York, but also the great people of America--black, white, green, yellow, all of us. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to join with my CBC colleagues in paying tribute to the life and legacy of three great giants in American history: Representative Louis Stokes, Amelia Boynton Robinson, and Julian Bond. Our Nation collectively mourns the loss of each of these trailblazing figures who departed from us way too soon this summer. Their journeys paved the way for myself and so many others serving in this august body.…”