Hank Johnson: “Today I rise to honor Martina Correia, who passed away recently from breast cancer. Martina was a courageous and…”

“Today I rise to honor Martina Correia, who passed away recently from breast cancer. Martina was a courageous and inspiring woman who proved what President Obama has often said, ``In the face of impossible odds, people who love this country can change it.'' For decades, Martina fought for human rights in defense of her brother, who was sentenced to death based on unreliable eyewitness testimony that was later recanted. Martina's brother, Troy Anthony Davis, was on death row for 20 years until his execution this year. Thanks to Martina, people rallied around Troy's case and began to really think about how it is that a society such as ours can execute a potentially innocent man. Inspired by Martina, a diverse array of men and women in the United States and from around the world, people like Amnesty International's Laura Moye; NAACP President Ben Jealous; Reverend Raphael Warnock, pastor of the historic Ebenezer Baptist Church where the reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., once pastored; British MP Alistair Carmichael; former President Jimmy Carter; Pope Benedict XVIth; and a large group of other distinguished leaders from around the world whose names are too numerous for me to recognize at this time. These folks banded together to fight for Troy Anthony Davis' life. From her humble roots in Georgia, Martina led this international campaign to save her brother and prove his innocence. Martina advocated for justice and fought to save her brother's life.…”