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[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E121]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
THE LIFE OF REVEREND DR. WALLACE HARTSFIELD, SR.
______
HON. EMANUEL CLEAVER
of missouri
in the house of representatives
Monday, February 3, 2020
Mr. CLEAVER. Madam Speaker, it is with a heavy heart that I rise
today to honor the life and memory of the late Reverend Dr. Wallace
Hartsfield, Sr., a prominent religious and civil rights leader who
devoted his life to the uplifting of mankind. Rev. Hartsfield's passion
for community was only rivaled by the fierce adoration he had for his
wife, four children, and many grandchildren. On Thursday, January 23,
2020, Rev. Hartsfield passed away after a deeply inspiring ninety years
of life.
Born on November 13, 1929 in Atlanta, Georgia, Rev. Hartsfield was an
only child, raised by his mother in Jacksonville, Florida. Reverend
Hartsfield proudly served his country, completing a three-year tour of
duty with the United States Armed Services in the Philippines before
going on to attend Clark College, where he graduated in 1954. Rev.
Hartsfield later earned his Master of Divinity from Gammon Theological
Seminary and went on to serve churches in South Carolina, Georgia,
Florida, and Wichita before settling in Kansas City. He served as
senior pastor of Metropolitan Missionary Baptist Church, one of Kansas
City's largest African-American churches, from 1962 to 1968 and again
from 1972 until his retirement in 2008. Rev. Hartsfield's son, Pastor
Wallace S. Hartsfield, II succeeded his father's tenure at Metropolitan
Missionary Baptist and continues the legacy of faith and leadership
that his father established.
In connection to his lengthy and dedicated career of spiritual work,
Rev. Hartsfield played a crucial role in the civil rights movement.
Growing up in the segregated south, he was no stranger to the dark and
deeply painful realities of our nation's history. Rev. Hartsfield
committed himself to the fight for a more just world, using the
negative experiences he endured and witnessed as motivation in the
fight for equality and a better life for African Americans. Marching
alongside Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and working with Reverend Jesse
Jackson on the PUSH campaign to improve economic opportunities for
African Americans, Rev. Hartsfield embodied true leadership,
compassion, and activism.
In all that he approached, Rev. Hartsfield did so with a fervent
passion and steadfast desire for change. By serving on local, regional,
and national boards, including as Chairman of the Congress of National
Black Churches and President of the Baptist Ministers Union, creating
the Concerned Clergy Coalition in an effort to combat crime, and
leading a multi-million dollar campaign for Kansas City health centers,
Rev. Hartsfield proved time and time again that he was truly a man of
unparalleled dedication.
As an unwavering voice for doing what was morally just, Rev.
Hartsfield helped to positively shape the future for generations to
come. By serving as a beacon of light through dark moments in our
history and ushering in hope in times of hopelessness, Rev. Hartsfield
leaves behind a monumental legacy of service, courage, and
perseverance.
Madam Speaker, please join Missouri's Fifth Congressional District in
honoring the life of Reverend Dr. Wallace Hartsfield, Sr. Let us carry
forth with the same sense of duty and compassion of Rev. Hartsfield,
always remembering his profound words: ``I may not have the power to
change things, but I can be a voice for change.''
____________________