On the recordOctober 14, 2011
On October 5, civil rights legend Reverend Fred Shuttlesworth passed away while residing in Birmingham, Alabama. From 1961 to 2007, Reverend Shuttlesworth lived in Cincinnati, and when I first came here in '95, I had the distinct pleasure of representing him here in Congress. Reverend Fred Shuttlesworth defied death numerous times while fighting against violent segregationists, even surviving the blast from 16 sticks of dynamite that were planted by unknown assassins. So devoted to this cause was he that he pledged to ``kill segregation or be killed by it.'' From freedom rides and sit-ins to pastor and founder of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, Reverend Shuttlesworth was a tireless and fearless civil rights hero, who not only talked the ``talk'' but who walked the ``walk'' in places where few others were willing to go. The enormity of Reverend Shuttlesworth's achievements and contributions to American history cannot be overstated. Even Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr. once referred to him as ``the most courageous civil rights fighter in the South.'' Let us forever remember this great man of faith and the legacy he leaves for America. God bless you, Reverend Shuttlesworth, and may God bless the Shuttlesworth family. ____________________
