Madam Speaker, on Sunday April 22, 2007, my dear friend and colleague Congresswoman Juanita Millender-McDonald was called home. Juanita was a great woman who worked passionately for justice and cared…
Madam Speaker, on Sunday April 22, 2007, my dear friend and colleague Congresswoman Juanita Millender-McDonald was called home.
Juanita was a great woman who worked passionately for justice and cared deeply for mankind. She was a phenomenal Congresswoman, a loving wife, mother and grandmother and a dutiful friend.
She made time for her constituents--and didn't just listen, but heard them, and spoke for them.
Madam Speaker, Juanita began her tenure in Congress in 1996. She represented California's 37th Congressional District and was a proud leader in the Congressional Black Caucus where she championed the caucus' disparities agenda to advance economic development, expand access and affordability for health care, truly ``leave no child behind'' in our education policy and the list goes on.
She was a true legislator. For example, she authored several pieces of legislation focusing on health care, specifically woman's heart health. Legislation such as H.R. 51, a bill to support National Wear Red Day, and H.R. 52 the American Heart Month which called on women to take action and prevent heart disease were just a few examples of her legislative priorities.
Juanita was a trailblazer, becoming the first African American woman to chair the House Administration Committee for the 110th Congress. She was known as the Mayor of Capitol Hill; overseeing the operational and safety needs of the Capitol compound.
She was truly a jewel and a joy to have known. In closing, I'm reminded of a passage from Proverbs 31:10-31 KJV, verse 10 which reads:
``Who can find a virtuous woman? . . . for her price is far above rubies.''
Congresswoman Millender-McDonald was a great woman, epitomizing humanity, humility and virtue. She will truly be missed.
