Political Quotes

“I thank the chair for yielding me the time. Thank you so much, Ranking Member Poe, for joining in this resolution. Madam Speaker, I was born and raised in the little town of Sumter, South Carolina, and just outside of Sumter is a little town of Mayesville, the birthplace of Mary McLeod Bethune, the founder of the National Council of Negro Women. When I was growing up, my mother, who was a beautician, and Mrs. Bethune organized the National Council through beauty shops. My mother thought that Mrs. Bethune was the greatest person to ever live, and she made me learn everything I could about Mrs. Bethune. Later, as I labored on the staff of Governor John West back in 1971, I received a phone call from Dorothy Height. I knew Mrs. Height--she had been a long-time president of the Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, the sister sorority to my fraternity, Omega Psi Phi, so I knew her. I also knew her because she had become the national leader of the National Council of Negro Women. She said to me that she wanted my help, because she thought that South Carolina, being the birthplace of Mary McLeod Bethune, would be the place that ought to honor her. She thought that Mrs. Bethune's portrait should be in the State House of South Carolina. At that time no African American was so honored. There never had been an African American's portrait placed in the State House and I went to Governor West and I told him that I thought this was something we should do.…”