Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life of my dear friend, Dionne Phillips Bagsby. Dionne was a very strong leader in the Fort Worth community. She served as a role model to so many people, including myself, and she really was driven by her work to desegregate the Fort Worth schools when she first came to Fort Worth. That really spurred her to run for the county commissioner's seat in precinct one in 1988. When she ran, she became the first woman and the first African American to become a Tarrant County commissioner. She did a tremendous job for Tarrant County and the city of Fort Worth. Throughout her 16-year tenure, Dionne fought to improve public education and increase access to health resources for women and children. Her former precinct administrator, who is now the county commissioner, Roy Charles Brooks, said it best when he said that Dionne was not a politician, she was a public servant. In 2005, I was proud to be a part of the Texas Legislature and honor her for a lifetime of service. Again, she was a mentor and mentored so many young women throughout Fort Worth who sought to replicate her success. She helped them aspire to careers that would challenge the norm. She always encouraged those young women to never give up. Dionne broke barriers for the African American community, for women, for the disadvantaged, for the disabled, and for so many others, including myself. Mr.…”