May 30, 2019 - Issue: Vol. 165, No. 90 — Daily Edition116th Congress (2019 - 2020) - 1st Session
IN REMEMBRANCE OF THE LIFE AND LEGACY OF THERESA TURNER BURROUGHS; Congressional Record Vol. 165, No. 90
(Extensions of Remarks - May 30, 2019)
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[Extensions of Remarks] [Pages E688-E689] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov] IN REMEMBRANCE OF THE LIFE AND LEGACY OF THERESA TURNER BURROUGHS ______ HON. TERRI A. SEWELL of alabama in the house of representatives Thursday, May 30, 2019 Ms. SEWELL of Alabama. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the extraordinary life and legacy of the late Theresa Turner Burroughs. Mrs. Burroughs, a champion of the right to vote, was a beloved member of the Hale County community who, through grace, grit and love, helped move her hometown of Greensboro, Alabama towards a more just and equal future. Sadly, Mrs. Burroughs passed away on Wednesday, May 22, 2019 at the age of 89. Mrs. Burroughs was the youngest of eleven children born to Mr. and Mrs. Napoleon and Mattie Turner near Moundville, Alabama on August 14, 1928. Due to a flood, the family moved to Greensboro, Alabama, where she remained throughout her life. Mrs. Burroughs graduated from Hale County Training School in 1946 and later from the Bestita School of Beauty. She was married to the late Walter Kenneth Burroughs, who retired from the United States Army. Mrs. Burroughs was the mother of four children: Paula Renee, Kathy Sue, Leslie Erroll and Toni Teresa. From a young age, Mrs. Burroughs became fascinated by the right to vote and wondered why that right was solely given to white citizens in the Black Belt. During the Jim Crow era, the board of registrars at Alabama's Hale County Courthouse prevented African Americans from registering to vote. Undeterred, she went to the Hale County Courthouse to register to vote on the first and third Monday of each month, where she sometimes waited for hours before being tested with irrelevant questions. She was quizzed on how many red jelly beans there were in a jar and was asked to recite the second line of the second paragraph of the U.S. Constitution and the American Creed, among other tasks, but was denied the right to vote time after time. After two long years, Mrs. Burroughs' determination paid off, and she successfully registered to vote. Mrs. Burroughs carried these experiences with her throughout her life. Mrs. Burroughs said it was a joy to finally be able to cast her ballot but remarked that it should not have been so difficult to do so. She knew just how precious her right to vote was and worked hard to ensure her own voice and those of all the citizens in the Greensboro community were counted at the ballot box. She never missed a chance to exercise that sacred right, voting in elections at every level. Mrs. Burroughs showed the depth of her bravery and dedication to the Civil Rights Movement when she marched over the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama on March 7, 1965 along with hundreds of other Foot Soldiers to protest for their right to vote. That day, Bloody Sunday, she was brutally beaten and arrested by state troopers and sheriff's deputies. Mrs. Burroughs is best known for her stewardship of the ``Safe House Museum'' in Greensboro, Alabama, which she founded in 2002. The museum is located in the same house where local residents hid Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. from the Ku Klux Klan on a visit to West Alabama in 1968. The Safe House Museum is a reminder of the pivotal role the Black Belt of Alabama played in the Civil Rights Movement. It houses photographs, biographies and historical artifacts to document and educate future generations about the local struggle for the right to vote. The walls of the museum are lined with mug shots of Foot Soldiers, including one of Mrs. Burroughs holding a towel and glasses to protect her eyes from tear gas. A black ''X'' police [[Page E689]] drew on the bottom of her mug shot signifies her status as a leader among the marchers. Mrs. Burroughs always sought greater equality in her community and demanded to be treated equally, igniting her career and passion for advocacy. Never one to back down, she continued her efforts as an activist leading the Hale County Civic Improvement League, one of the oldest grassroots civil rights organizations in the nation. The organization was instrumental in sparking change in Greensboro and Hale County by soliciting and supporting minority candidates to run for local office, including city council, county commission, sheriff, school board and more. She remained engaged and active in her community throughout her life and helped elect Greensboro's first African American Mayor, John Owens. Her exemplary reputation and prominence in Hale County drove many political candidates, both local and regional, to seek her council and support for their campaigns. Mrs. Burroughs also was instrumental in securing various programs for the city of Greensboro and Hale County, and led the charge to rename Depot Street to Martin Luther King Drive. On a personal note, I am deeply honored that I got to know Mrs. Burroughs as one of the real matriarchs of the Civil Rights Movement in Alabama. Mrs. Burroughs was instrumental as the keeper of the archives surrounding the role that Greensboro, Alabama played protecting Dr. King from the KKK in 1968. As founder of the Safe House Museum, it was because of her efforts that future generations will learn about the sacrifices and bravery of so many known and unknown Foot Soldiers for justice. Mrs. Burroughs honored me by attending my first election night victory party in November 2010 in Selma, when I was elected Alabama's first black Congresswoman. I celebrated her as one of the ``Black Women Pioneers in Alabama'' that night. So many of us stand on the broad shoulders of Mrs. Theresa Burroughs that her bright light will always glow through the many lives that she has impacted. On behalf of Alabama's 7th Congressional District, I ask my colleagues to join me in remembering the exemplary life of Theresa Turner Burroughs, a civil rights icon and a true American heroine, who helped change Alabama and the entire nation for the better. May we celebrate the totality of her life today and honor her great contributions to the Civil Rights Movement. ____________________