Recognizing Mrs. Essie Pough

Floor Speech

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Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, today I rise to recognize and honor Mrs. Essie Pough, one of my constituents from Oak Park, Illinois as she prepares to celebrate her 100th birthday on February 11, 2026. Reaching the age of ``five score'' is a testament to a century of grace, wisdom, endurance and love. That said, on behalf of the 7th District of Illinois, I congratulate and commend Mrs. Pough on this incredible milestone.

Born in rural Mississippi in 1926, Mrs. Pough migrated alongside her husband from the south to Chicago's West Side neighborhood of ``K- Town'', where together they built a strong foundation and lovingly raised their eight children anchored in faith, hard work and respect for others. During her early years in Chicago's West Side, Mrs. Pough found her spiritual home at United Missionary Baptist Church. She was an active and dedicated member for over 50 years at United Missionary, enjoying the choir and participating in various church activities.

After attending Jones Commercial in downtown Chicago, Mrs. Pough began her career at the Illinois Department of Public Aid, which later became the Illinois Department of Human Services. Mrs. Pough worked for the Department for nearly 47 years and was known for providing stellar customer service and professional assistance to the clients she served. In fact, Mrs. Pough's dedication to her profession led her to learn to speak Spanish in order to better serve the Spanish speaking residents of Humboldt Park, which is just one example of how she would go above and beyond the call of duty in her illustrious public service career.

Throughout her life, Mrs. Pough remained committed to service by advocating for causes such as voting rights, civic engagement, and youth development. Mrs. Pough is truly an example of a life lived fully. She has been blessed to break bread with First Lady Michelle Obama and to cast her vote for Harold Washington, Chicago's first Black mayor and for Barack Obama, Americas first Black President-- achievements she believed she would never witness in her lifetime, but indeed she did. Defying age, at 94 years old, Mrs. Pough wrote and recorded her debut song entitled ``Jesus Reigns Forever,'' earning national spotlight on NBC, CBS and Fox News in 2020.

Till this day, Mrs. Pough remains a vibrant and active member of her community, enjoying gardening, bowling, reading her bible and worshipping at the Living Word Christian Center, in Forest Park Illinois. Above all else, Mrs. Pough's greatest life joy continues to be her legacy of 8 children, 19 grandchildren, 25 great-grandchildren, and 26 great-great-grandchildren.

Mr. Speaker, I consider it both an honor and privilege to celebrate the 100th birthday of Mrs. Essie Pough and commend her for an extraordinary life of service, faith, perseverance, and love.

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