G. K. Butterfield: “I thank Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee for her friendship, for her leadership, and I certainly thank her for yielding…”

“I thank Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee for her friendship, for her leadership, and I certainly thank her for yielding time tonight. Let me also thank the other Members who are on the floor this evening to help in honoring the lives of Louis Stokes, Amelia Boynton Robinson, and Julian Bond. These three are icons, absolute icons, of the civil rights movement, who in their own way paved the way for so many. I had the high honor of calling Lou Stokes and Julian Bond personal friends. As the first African American to represent Ohio in Congress, Representative Lou Stokes was a pioneer in public service. He broke down numerous barriers for African Americans during his extraordinary career as an elected official on the local, State, and Federal levels. First elected to Congress in 1969 and serving for 30 long years in the U.S. House, he was a founder of the Congressional Black Caucus and the first African American to serve on the House Appropriations Committee. He was the founder of the CBC Health Braintrust, which remains active today in protecting health, equity, and reducing health disparities. Congressman Stokes was the embodiment of a public servant. He selflessly used his elected positions to increase opportunities for millions of African Americans. We will miss our dear friend Lou Stokes. But the impact of his legacy of service and commitment to his constituents and to the African American community will be remembered for generations.…”