A TRIBUTE TO AMELIA BOYNTON ROBINSON, CONGRESSMAN LOUIS STOKES, AND JULIAN BOND

Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I rise to speak in honor of the lives of three civil rights luminaries. I thank the gentlewoman from Houston for giving us this opportunity to honor their lives: Congressman Louis Stokes, statesman and educator Julian Bond, both of whom I knew personally, and activist Amelia Robinson.

These champions of social and economic justice lived their lives just as Pope Francis challenged Members of Congress to do.

Specifically, the Pope reminded us of the Golden Rule--do unto others as you would have them do unto you--and that that rule points us in the right direction. He specifically reminded Congress that, if we want opportunities, then let us provide opportunities. The lives we honor today are the personification of the Pope's call.

Congressman Stokes, the beloved son of the State of Ohio, was affectionately called ``Lou'' when I served with him in the House. His motto was to aim high, which he did even before he was a Member of Congress when he argued the Supreme Court case challenging the abusive stop-and-frisk policies and practices in the Terry v. Ohio case.

Lou's integrity was why he was selected to serve on the House Select Committee on Assassinations of President Kennedy and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and the House investigation of the illegal arm sales during the Iran-contra affair and, of course, his service on the Ethics Committee.

His strive for social and economic justice was on full display when he became the first African American to serve on the House Appropriations Committee. There he directed Federal dollars to eradicate injustice and inequities by funding programs such as healthcare facilities for veterans, supporting the National Science Foundation, and creating the first office of minority health at the National Institutes of Health.

Statesman and educator Julian Bond dedicated his entire life to this cause of social justice and equity. As a founding member of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, or SNCC, he led protests against segregation.

In 1965, Julian Bond was elected to the Georgia House of Representatives, but was denied a seat at the State House because of his opposition to the Vietnam war. In 1966, the Supreme Court ruled 9-0 that the Georgia House's refusal to seat Julian Bond violated the United States Constitution.

He was subsequently elected for several terms, including service in the Georgia Senate, despite efforts to redraw his district.

He was also the first African American nominated at a major-party convention as a candidate for Vice President of the United States.

Beginning in the 1980s, Julian Bond taught at several universities, including Harvard, Drexel, University of Virginia, and American University.

For more than 20 years at UVA and American University, he taught thousands of students about the role of the civil rights movement as a seminal part of America's history.

He stated that the ``humanity of all Americans is diminished when any group is denied rights granted to others.''

He served as chairman of the NAACP from 1998 to 2009. At the 2009 commencement at Virginia State University, he told the graduates that, ``We all hope that you do well, but I also hope that you do good.''

Activist Amelia Robinson was among the many foot soldiers who fought for civil rights. As a girl, she championed the right to vote for women. As an adult, she opened her home to Martin Luther King and James Bevel and members of SNCC and others to help organize and strategize for civil rights and the right to vote.

Despite the brutal beating she endured during the march for voting rights in Selma, Alabama, 50 years ago, she was unwavering in her fight to end segregation and achieve full voting rights for all.

Reflecting on her life as an activist, she stated that, ``I have been called rabble-rouser, agitator. But because of my fighting, I was able to hand to the entire country the right for people to vote.''

These three American giants--the legislator, the educator, the activist--were all driven to push towards a more just and equal society. I am honored to recognize their lives and the gifts they gave to our Nation.

Again, I want to thank the gentlewoman from Houston for organizing this Special Order so that we could pay appropriate tribute to these fine Americans.