I was saddened to learn about the death of US Rep. Julia Carson (D-IN) to lung cancer on December 15 at age 69. There was a lively memorial service for her in the Indiana Statehouse Rotunda Friday night and Rep. Carson's funeral was yesterday.
When I moved to Da Ville in 2001, because the congressional rep for this city at the time was the odious Anne Northup (R-KY) and I'd never been without Congressional Black Caucus representation in my life since the group's founding in 1971, I considered Julia Carson my congresswoman even though her district was up I-65 from me in Indianapolis. I shared that tidbit with the staffers in her office when I visited it during the lobby days I participated in back in May.
While I'm happy that John Yarmuth (D-KY) now ably represents the KY 3rd District and I've talked to him on a few occasions about various issues, I still considered Julia my rep as well. I found out later during my visit that she was actually born in Louisville, but grew up in Indy.
She was a remarkable and trailblazing woman that touched many people's lives. As I mentioned, she was born in Louisville in 1938 to an unwed teenage mother, but rose from those circumstances to get elected in 1972 to the Indiana state house. She ran in two dozen local, state and congressional races without ever suffering a defeat.
She became the first Black and first woman to represent Indianapolis and Indiana's 7th District in Congress when she won the first of her seven congressional terms in 1994. She'd announced that she wouldn't run again after she revealed that she had cancer.
"Not only did she make it, but she reached back to help other people to achieve and other people to make it, too," said Jeffrey Johnson, pastor of Eastern Star Church, where her four-hour long funeral service was held and attended by 2000 people. "She was for the poor, she was for the seniors, she was for our soldiers, she was for our country and she was for the community that she came out of."
The funeral and state house remembrance attendees came from all over the country and included some of her CBC colleagues, Rev. Jesse Jackson. Sr.,Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels (R-IN), Sen. Richard Lugar (R-IN) and Sen. Evan Bayh (D-IN), Former Indiana Sen. Birch Bayh (D-IN), former Indianapolis mayor Bart Peterson and longtime friend and former Gary, IN mayor Richard Hatcher.
The people of Indianapolis, the state of Indiana and the nation lost a giant woman on December 15. Whoever succeeds her in that seat will have a giant pair of shoes to fill. This country would be a much better place if we had more public servants and members of Congress like her. She will definitely be missed.
2 comments:
John Yarmuth will have an African-American challenger in the 2008 election.
As I documented here, Erwin Roberts recently challenged Yarmuth on his votes on the Christmas and Ramadan resolutions.
Roberts commented on Yarmuth's votes in an email to his supporters:
"By his votes, Mr. Yarmuth has shown that he does not grasp one of the most fundamental principles of our American Constitution: Government must treat all religions with equal respect. Everyone in the 3rd District -- particularly Christians -- should be offended that their elected representative has, by his official actions, elevated one religion over another. Everyone in the 3rd District should be disturbed that Mr. Yarmuth chose to ignore a fundamental constitutional principle in order to play sectarian favorites. And until the voters of the 3rd District remove him from office next November, the message to Mr. Yarmuth should be loud and clear: At least for now, he represents all the people of the 3rd Congressional District, including Christians."
Erwin Roberts is about as African-American as Condoleezza Rice.
He has as much chance of beating John Yarmuth this November as George W. Bush showing up as the honored guest at a crab boil in New Orleans 9th Ward.
Roberts was one of the people involved in the recently departed Fletcher administrations Transportation Cabinet scandal.
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