Charles Rangel: “I thank Congresswoman Jackson Lee for pulling together this tribute. It is moving and emotional that we do this after…”

“I thank Congresswoman Jackson Lee for pulling together this tribute. It is moving and emotional that we do this after the visit to these Chambers by the Pope, who made it abundantly clear how all of us, no matter how ordinary we are, can do extraordinary things when we make a commitment to do the right thing. As some of the older Members know, it is almost unbelievable how people that you know on an everyday basis that go through life with their own problems still can find the time to try to improve the quality of life for so many people. I feel almost awkward looking at the Representative from Selma, Alabama, this evening because, after Bloody Sunday, there was a call all over the world for people to come to Selma. I was one of those called, and I was one of those that did not think that me going to Selma with my bad feet could make a contribution to anything, and this is especially so after seeing what happened on Bloody Sunday. But I did go down because of John Lewis and Andrew Young and Martin Luther King and Ralph Bunche, because they said that if I could just come down for the press conference, it would be appreciated. So I dressed up and I went down for the press conference. I had a round trip ticket back to New York. I was dressed pretty well, not ever thinking that I would be going any further than Selma. It started to rain, and I felt that this would be the appropriate time for me to get a cab and to go to the airport.…”