Recognizing Charlotte King
Floor Speech
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Ms. McBRIDE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize an incredible Delawarean whose impact has long shaped the work of racial justice in Sussex County and across Delaware.
Charlotte King, who founded the Southern Delaware Alliance for Racial Justice in 2015, has committed decades of her life to fighting inequities across health, education, and public policy.
As we celebrate a decade of work by the Alliance, we honor and celebrate Ms. King's continued impact, her tireless commitment to neighbors, and ceaseless devotion to the betterment of Delaware.
Charlotte King has long been a barrier-breaker. During her time at St. John's University in the 1950s, she was one of the Magnificent Seven, a cohort of seven Black students who enrolled at the university amid the civil rights movement.
In 2000, she moved to the greatest State in the Union, settling in Lewes, where she began volunteering with the League of Women Voters and was struck by the lack of Black representation in Sussex County.
The weight of the untold stories and unheard voices of our Black neighbors is what drove Charlotte to found the Alliance.
The organization's primary purpose has been to showcase Delaware's history, identify how to support Black Delawareans, and how to empower all Delawareans to be stronger, better advocates for racial justice, and equality.
During her 8 years leading the alliance, Charlotte developed an organization that offered townhalls with civic servants, from local leaders and police chiefs, hosted educational seminars, and supported the development of both the Black Voices Magazine and the African American Film Festival.
I recently had the privilege of sitting down with Charlotte in her living room to hear the stories of her trailblazing life and discuss the ongoing need for progress in Delaware and nationally.
She is a bold leader, a bridge builder, and she continues to serve as a conscience for our State of neighbors.
In the last year alone, her work and impact has been honored. She was inducted into the Delaware Women's Hall of Fame, honored by the Delaware Times with the Mitchell Award, and recently named one of the most influential people in Delaware.
At a moment when a coordinated attack on Black political power is unfolding before our eyes across the country, it is citizen leaders like Charlotte who embody that charge from the late Congressman John Lewis to get into good and necessary trouble in order to redeem the legacy and reclaim the story of this country.
Mr. Speaker, I am honored to recognize her in this Chamber today and applaud her years of service to Delaware and the powerful work she has done to move the First State toward justice for all. Remembering Congressman John Lewis
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Ms. McBRIDE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to mark both the anniversary of a profound loss and the reminder it serves at this moment in our Nation's story.
Six years ago, Congressman John Lewis passed away. He was a titan of the civil rights movement, who worked tirelessly to deliver justice, expand equality, and secure the right to vote for every American, including Black Americans.
Today, however, we are navigating a moment where the work he devoted his life to is increasingly under threat. We have seen executive actions that would make it harder for Americans to vote. We have witnessed renewed attempts to undermine confidence in our elections and intimidate those who administer them.
Right now in this very Congress, we are facing a renewed push to establish what amounts to a modern day poll tax on Americans.
Most recently, the Supreme Court has facilitated the dismantling of Black political representation in this Chamber and green-lit racial discrimination in voting so long as the proponents simply say it is for partisan purposes.
Congressman Lewis often spoke of his hopefulness for the future because he was adamant that tomorrow could be better and more just than today.
It is our job to pick up that mantle and continue that work.
In 2020, while commemorating the anniversary of Bloody Sunday on the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Congressman Lewis reminded us of his important rallying call, to get into what he called good trouble, to help redeem the soul of America.
Throughout his miraculous life, he never lost faith in the central ingredient of change, the necessary foundation of democracy, his belief in the capacity for other people to change, and, therefore, for our country to change.
He reminds us that hope is not reserved for moments when progress feels inevitable or easily attainable. We must harness it, most especially in moments like this one. When the reasons for hopelessness seem greatest, that is when the legacy of good trouble, necessary trouble, is most essential.
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