Congresswoman Johnson presented a Congressional Record Statement on the floor of the House of Representatives to honor the life of a pillar of the Civil Rights Movement, Reverend Fred L. Shuttlesworth, who passed away yesterday at the age of 89.
Reverend Shuttlesworth was a major force in the formation of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), a civil rights organization that helped to mobilize thousands of people to rally and protest in the name of equality. He was one of the primary leaders of the Civil Rights Movement and worked hand in hand with Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Rev. Ralph D. Abernathy. Rev. Shuttlesworth also helped to organize the Freedom Rides through his work with the Congress on Racial Equality (CORE).
Reverand Shuttlesworth shown her in the middle“Reverend Shuttlesworth was a man of exceptional character. His fierce personality and great sense of personal sacrifice helped him to persevere during a most troubling time in our nation’s history,” Congresswoman Johnson said. “Reverend Shuttlesworth had the vision and understanding to look beyond himself and make great personal sacrifices for the greater cause that was justice and equality. We must honor that sacrifice by continuing to protect that same justice and equality that he and countless others have given so much for.”
