Elijah Lewis: “I think it is fitting and so appropriate that Members of the U.S. House of Representatives pay tribute to the Honorable…”

“I think it is fitting and so appropriate that Members of the U.S. House of Representatives pay tribute to the Honorable John Dingell on his 50 years of distinguished service in this body. I want to take a little time to thank my friend John Dingell for all he has done to make America a better place. When I was growing up in rural Alabama, and I would visit the little town of Troy, I saw those signs that said ``White Men, Colored Men, White Women, Colored Women, White Waiting, Colored Waiting.'' I used to ask my mother, my father, my grandparents, and great grandparents, ``Why segregation? Why racial discrimination?'' And they would tell me, ``Don't get in trouble. Don't get in the way.'' John Dingell got in trouble. He got in the way. And it was good trouble. It was necessary trouble. For the past 50 years, John Dingell has said through his leadership and with his votes, that as Americans, we have a right to know what is in the food we eat, the water we drink, and the air we breathe. He has said that all Americans have a right to expect and demand simple justice. He came here to Washington at a time when there was a great deal of drama all over this Nation related to civil rights and social justice. But John Dingell wasn't afraid to take a stand for what is right. Mr.…”