Sheila Jackson Lee: “I am pleased to support H.R. 4777, which designates the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 1301…”

“I am pleased to support H.R. 4777, which designates the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 1301 Alabama Avenue in Selma, Alabama as the ``Amelia Boynton Robinson Post Office Building.'' I support this legislation, because it commemorates Amelia Boynton Robinson's historic role during the Civil Rights Movement. Not only was Amelia a courageous activist in Selma, Alabama during the height of the Civil Rights Movement, she also taught in Georgia before starting with the U.S. Department of Agriculture in Selma as the home demonstration agent for Dallas County. She educated the county's largely rural population about food production and processing, nutrition, healthcare, and other subjects related to agriculture and homemaking. We celebrate Amelia for her invaluable contributions to her community and her country. Amelia worked for the promotion of civil rights for all and protested the continued segregation and disenfranchisement of African Americans. Amelia registered to vote, which was extremely difficult for African Americans to accomplish in Alabama due to discriminatory practices under the state's reactionary constitution passed at the turn of the century. Amelia Boynton Robinson made her home and office in Selma a center for strategy sessions for Selma's civil rights battles, including its voting rights campaign. In 1964, Amelia ran for the Congress from Alabama, with the intent to encourage African Americans to register and vote.…”