He was Regal and Resolute!!
By Congresswoman Eddie Bernice Johnson
When the final history of the United States Congress is written, the name John Conyers, .Jr will stand regal and resolute, and the ‘Dean of the House of Representatives’ will be recognized as an influential giant of the American Democracy.
Only five members of Congress served longer tenures in the House than the recently departed member from Detroit, Michigan who served as chairman of the powerful House Judiciary Committee and the instrumental Committee on Oversight and Reform during his more than fifty-two years in the House of Representatives.
As one of the founding members of the Congressional Black Caucus, Chairman Conyers helped to birth an exemplary organization that became the “Conscience of the Congress,” one with a highly-respected national and global voice and vision.
When others were afraid or unable to speak, Chairman Conyers rose from his seat and spoke passionately against the evils of apartheid in South Africa, police brutality in American cities, and the declaration of war against Iraq.
He was a gracious patriot who believed in rewarding those who served our country. He fought to expand monetary benefits for families of police officers and firefighters who were killed while serving our communities and its residents.
It was chairman Conyers who waged a fifteen battle, often with few allies, to have the birthday of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. designated a national holiday. Chairman Conyers saw the prescience and meaning in Dr. King’s life when some in Washington and throughout the nation branded Dr. King a traitor and a communist. Undaunted, he persisted until the only national holiday in the United States named for an ethnic minority was created.
Many do not know it, but Mrs. Rosa Parks, the civil rights icon struggled to find suitable employment after her refusal to surrender her seat on a Montgomery, Alabama bus during a city-wide boycott. . It was Chairman Conyers who offered her a job in his Detroit congressional office in 1965. Mrs. Parks was a trusted aide to Congressman Conyers until her retirement in 1988.
It was indeed a delightful and educational experience working with Congressman Conyers in the House of Representatives. He was a sincere and disciplined gentleman whose compassion was extended far beyond those he knew, and those he represented.
Everyone was aware that when Congressman Conyers entered a room, his very presence was regal and resolute. His matchless brilliance and his lawyerly manner preceded him as legions will rightfully testify, and as our nation’s history shall rightly record.
*Congresswoman Johnson represents the 30th congressional district of Texas in the United States House of Representatives. She also chairs the Committee on Science, Space and Technology in the House of Representatives.
