Maya Angelou Memorial Post Office

Floor Speech

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Ms. ADAMS. I thank my colleague for yielding.

Madam Speaker, I rise during a special month, Women's History Month, to urge the passage of H.R. 3735, which is legislation to honor the life of Dr. Maya Angelou, an African American woman who broke barriers and served as an inspiration for so many young and old throughout this Nation. My legislation, H.R. 3735, designates the Center City postal facility at 200 Town Run Lane in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, as the Maya Angelou Memorial Post Office.

Dr. Angelou was a distinguished author, writer, poet, and activist, which earned her renowned success and over 80 honorary degrees. She became the first nonfiction bestselling African American female author for her 1969 memoir, ``I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings.'' She was also the first African American woman to have a script filmed for the 1972 movie ``Georgia,'' which was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize.

In addition to her literary successes, Dr. Angelou became a prolific academician. In 1981, she moved to Winston-Salem, North Carolina, which I am proud to represent. She accepted the Lifetime William Neal Reynolds Professorship of American Studies at Wake Forest University, and she went on to serve there for more than 30 years.

Dr. Angelou received many accolades throughout her lifetime, including three Grammies for spoken word albums and two NAACP Image Awards.

Her work has become the crown of American literature and has been recognized by Presidents Carter, Clinton, and George W. Bush. In 2010, President Barack Obama presented her with our Nation's highest civilian honor, the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

Winston-Salem was Dr. Maya Angelou's home and is her final resting place; so renaming this postal facility in her honor is a small, yet thoughtful, way to recognize her influence and to celebrate her life in the community she deeply loved.

Dr. Angelou understood the importance of history. She was historic in her own right. She understood who she was, what her history was, and she understood her struggles. In her own words, she said, ``History, despite its wrenching pain, cannot be unlived, but if faced with courage, need not be lived again.''

Madam Speaker, it is my hope that my colleagues will join me in voting favorably for H.R. 3735 so as to rename the Center City postal facility in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, after Dr. Maya Angelou, one of our country's greatest writers, inspirational thought leaders, and an overall phenomenal woman.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Source