On the recordFebruary 27, 2019
As we recognize Black History Month, I rise to celebrate the life and contributions of a remarkable Detroit community activist. While I was at the Macomb County Celebration of Black Excellence last Saturday, the Michigan activist community received news of the loss of Mama Lila Cabbil. A close friend of Rosa Parks for 30 years, Ms. Cabbil was a national leader in the fight against racism and a powerful Detroit activist, particularly in the struggle for clean and accessible water. At Rosa Parks' funeral service in 2005, Ms. Cabbil invoked Matthew 7:16: ``You shall know them by their fruits.'' When I read those words today, I think of Mama Lila's commitment to Michigan's Black community and to all communities that have suffered the theft of their voting rights and the unjust loss of their homes and their water. During Black History Month, it is my honor to highlight Mama Lila's contribution to Detroit and our region and the example she sets for all of us as a passionate servant leader. ____________________
