Political Quotes

“America is indeed a land blessed with many treasures and foremost among them are people. Some countries, for example, such as Japan, have formal programs to honor citizens which they classify as ``national treasures.'' We have no such formal program, but I take this opportunity to acknowledge such an individual. This evening I want to highlight one of America's great national treasures who lives in my district, John H. Johnson. John H. Johnson was born, a descendant of slaves, to extremely modest circumstances in Arkansas City, Arkansas, in 1918. John's father died when he was very young. His mother, Gertrude Johnson Williams, worked as a domestic and levee cook. It was a time when Jim Crow law defined life in the South. Arkansas schools did not permit African Americans admittance to high school and, under normal conditions of the day, John Johnson's education would have ended with the eighth grade. However, Gertrude Johnson would not accept normal circumstances, and moved with her family to Chicago in 1933.”