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[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1115]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
REMEMBERING BAXTER LEACH
______
HON. STEVE COHEN
of tennessee
in the house of representatives
Tuesday, September 10, 2019
Mr. COHEN. Madam Speaker, I rise today to mourn the passing of Baxter
Leach, a hero of the historic 1968 Sanitation Workers Strike that
brought Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. to Memphis, where he was
assassinated. Mr. Leach, 79, passed away on August 27. Born on
September 12, 1939, in Schlater (Leflore County), Mississippi, he
worked as a sharecropper from the age of 12. He came to Memphis for a
better life, took a job no one wanted for starvation wages, and ended
up making history. In 1968, Mr. Leach helped organize sanitation
workers for the American Federation of State, County and Municipal
Employees (AFSCME)-backed strike protesting the inhumane working
conditions that resulted in two sanitation workers being crushed to
death inside a garbage truck compactor. This was a significant event in
the civil rights movement and drew national attention to the poor
working conditions of sanitation employees in the South. He was always
generous with his time, keeping the memory of the strike, Dr. King's
assassination and its aftermath alive for students, labor historians
and visitors to the historic Lorraine Motel which has been transformed
into the National Civil Rights Museum. He often quoted Proverbs 22: ``a
good name is rather to be chosen than great riches and loving favor
rather than silver or gold.'' Mr. Leach was a voice for the dignity of
all workers and an advocate for civil rights and equality. Just last
year, he received the National Civil Rights Museum's Freedom Award and
played a prominent role in the MLK50 events commemorating the 50th
anniversary of the strike and Dr. King's assassination. In addition to
his Freedom Award, Mr. Leach received the keys to the cities of Memphis
and Jackson, Tennessee, and received recognition from Operation PUSH,
the National Action Network, the International Brotherhood of
Teamsters; the University of Memphis School of Law, Cossitt and
Benjamin L. Hooks Libraries; and the Henry Logan Starks ``Lighting Our
World'' Award from Memphis Theological Seminary. In 2011, he joined all
the living 1968 sanitation workers in being inducted into the White
House Hall of Fame by President Obama. On that same visit, he and his
fellow strikers were inducted into the U.S. Department of Labor's Hall
of Honor by Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis. Often sought out as a guest
speaker, he typically finished his speeches with the unforgettable
motto of the picketing strikers' placards: ``I AM A MAN.'' When he
retired in 2005, Mr. Leach had worked for the City of Memphis for 43
years. In 1984, he and his wife, Jimmie, established Melanie's Soul
Food Restaurant which served the Mid-South until it was destroyed by
fire in 2012. Melanie's was one of the absolute best soul food
restaurants, and Mr. Leach served pastors and community leaders like
they were royalty. After the disastrous fire, he and Jimmie established
Girlee's, another great soul food restaurant. By the end of his life,
he had worked with presidents, union organizers, academics and a wide
circle of admirers. At his funeral on Saturday, AFSCME International
president Lee Saunders said that, even though he never finished high
school, talking with Mr. Leach made you feel good about yourself, a
rare quality. He also called Mr. Leach a bold pioneer and a steadfast
and true trade unionist, and a friend. Retired AFSCME secretary-
treasurer Bill Lucy, who saw the 1968 strike to its successful
conclusion, spoke of Leach's work improving working conditions and said
a part of Leach's character was to never quit. Mr. Lucy also said Mr.
Leach was ``one of a group of men who made the decision to change the
course of history.'' Mr. Leach was a big man physically but he was also
a big man in every facet of his personality--in heart, courage,
generosity and integrity. I wish to extend my deep condolences to
Baxter Leach's family and friends. America has lost a true hero. His
was a life well lived.
____________________
