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CONGRESSIONAL BLACK CAUCUS CELEBRATES THE LIFE OF THE HONORABLE ALCEE
L. HASTINGS
The SPEAKER pro tempore (Ms. Manning). Under the Speaker's announced policy of January 4, 2021, the gentlewoman from Ohio (Mrs. Beatty) is recognized for 60 minutes as the designee of the majority leader.
General Leave
Mrs. BEATTY. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include any extraneous materials on the subject of this Special Order.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the gentlewoman from Ohio?
There was no objection.
Mrs. BEATTY. Madam Speaker, I rise this evening for the Congressional Black Caucus' Special Order hour, the CBC's Celebration of Life of Congressman Alcee L. Hastings, and to echo: Our Power, Our Message.
The Special Order hour is generally regarded as a solemn moment and gives the yCBC an opportunity to speak directly to the American people and to reflect on ideas and policies critical to our constituents.
I can't think of a better way to share the life and legacy of our friend and colleague. To his family, to Patricia, to his son, Alcee--or
``Jody,'' as we called him--to his daughter, granddaughters, and all watching, we say: Thank you for sharing Alcee with us.
Lastly, on behalf of the 56 members of the Congressional Black Caucus, we say: Thank you, Alcee, for a job well done.
Because it is without a doubt I can tell you that Alcee left this place, the people's House, better than he found it. All of us were enriched by his dapper style, his keen intellect, and his larger-than-
life presence. You never had to guess what Alcee thought or believed. He made it clear, whether you liked it or not. But he was the same man on the United States House floor; in the powerful Rules Committee; or in greeting foreign dignitaries under the auspices of the Helsinki Commission as he was on the streets of Florida, where he served his constituents so well.
Madam Speaker, to all gathered here today, I say to our brother: You will be sorely missed.
We will miss his smile. We will miss his wise counsel. And as I look to my left, in that chair, where he sat faithfully, we salute and honor him. Alcee did it his way.
Madam Speaker, it gives me great pleasure to yield tonight's anchor of the Special Order hour paying tribute to a legend, to a friend, to a colleague, to the gentlewoman from Texas, Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee.
Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee got to know Congressman Alcee Hastings in a very special way. Both scholars, both liking to debate, both being very clear in their message, both members of the Congressional Black Caucus. Oh, how great it was to watch Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee and Congressman Alcee Hastings take on an issue and mentor someone like me.
Madam Speaker, with great pleasure I turn the microphone over to Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee, who will manage the rest of the hour, and I yield back the balance of my time.
Ms. JACKSON LEE. Madam Speaker, with humility, gratitude, and a broken heart, I rise to anchor this Congressional Black Caucus Special Order in remembrance of Congressman Alcee Hastings, senior member of the Committee on Rules, a man who travelled the world leading congressional delegations to defend, protect, and strengthen democracies while serving as Chair of the Helsinki Commission, a highly respected and valued member of the Congressional Black Caucus, one of this House's greatest debaters, one of the first three African Americans elected to this body from Florida since Reconstruction, a member of Congress for 28 years, my mentor, a beloved colleague, and dear friend who died Tuesday, April 6, 2021, at the age of 84.
Madam Speaker, Alcee Hastings, who was affectionately referred to by his colleagues and constituents as ``Judge Hastings,'' was a statesman and strong supporter of equality, economic and social justice, civil rights, Israel, and human dignity for all.
He took to heart and lived the admonition he received from his father as a young child'' ``Be your own boss man,'' who through it all was his own man as he blazed trails and pioneered paths to improve the lives and life chances of the was so honored to serve.
Alcee Lamar Hastings was born September 5, 1936, in Altamonte Springs, to Julius Hastings, a butler, and Mildred nee Merritt, a maid.
His parents left Florida to find jobs .to earn money for Alcee's education, during which time he was raised by his maternal grandmother and attended Crooms Academy in Sanford, Florida, which was founded for African-American students, graduating in 1953.
Five years later, Alcee Hastings graduated from Fisk University with dual majors in zoology and botany.
Alcee Hastings started law school at Howard University before transferring to Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University in Tallahassee, from which he received his law degree in 1963.
Always a fighter and foot soldier for justice, Alcee Hastings was involved in early civil rights struggles, including the famous sit-ins in drugstore lunch-counters in North Carolina in 1959.
About those times, he later said: ``Those were the early days of the civil rights movement, and the people in Walgreens were breaking eggs on our heads and throwing mustard and ketchup and salt at us. We sat there taking all of that.''
``After graduating from Florida A&M law school, Alcee Hastings went into private practice as a civil rights lawyer in Fort Lauderdale, but when he first arrived a motel refused to rent him a room; a humiliating experience inflicted on African Americans whenever they traveled in the United States before passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
As a civil rights lawyer, Alcee Hastings successfully filed lawsuits to desegregate the public schools in Broward County, Florida, as well as the Cat's Meow, a restaurant that was popular with white lawyers and judges but would not serve African Americans.
It was poetic justice indeed when then Florida Governor Reuben Askew appointed Alcee Hastings to the circuit court of Broward County in 1977 and held the investiture ceremony at a high school he had helped desegregate.
In 1979, Alcee Hastings was nominated by President Jimmy Carter to serve as United States District Judge on the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida, becoming the first African American federal judge in Florida; he was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on October 31, 1979, sworn in on November 2, 1979, and served for a decade until leaving the bench in October 1989.
As a judge, Alcee Hastings established his own style, eschewing the typical judicial mien of grave reserve; he cracked jokes from the bench, dropped slang in rulings and interviews, and was unflinching in his support for the poor and the dispossessed.
In 1981, Judge Hastings exasperated the Department of Justice when he extended a court order blocking the deportation of 76 Haitians after the Immigration and Naturalization Service had stepped up removals.
Many thought that with his departure from the federal bench, Alcee Hastings's career in public service had come to end but they underestimated this irrepressible and indomitable human being, who never forgot the lesson taught him years ago by his father: ``Be your own boss man!''
So three years later, in 1992, Alcee Hastings ran for Congress from the newly created 23rd Congressional District of Florida and won election in November of that year and, along with Congresswomen-elect Carrie Meek and Corrine Brown, became the first African Americans elected to Congress since Reconstruction, where he would go to be a productive and constructive member as Dean of the Florida Congressional Delegation, Vice-Chair of the Committee on Rules, and Vice-Chair and senior member of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence.
One of the great joys of my life was serving with Alcee Hastings when he chaired the Helsinki Commission, the Organization for Cooperation and Security in Europe, and we traveled often to distant capitals to meet with our counter-parts in Europe and work on ways to strengthen economic and political ties and support their democratic aspirations.
Alcee Hastings was held in such high esteem by international legislators that he was elected the first African American president of the 323-member OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, an institution of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe charged with facilitating inter-parliamentary dialogue, an important aspect of the overall effort to meet the challenges of democracy throughout the OSCE area.
Madam Speaker, in these days of trial and challenge, I am reminded that our dear departed colleague Alcee Hastings always counseled us to remain steadfast, saying:
``Continuing to do nothing in the face of continued threats to our people and our way of life is hardly what the American people elected us to do.''
Alcee Hastings, the recipient of numerous honors and awards bestowed on him from organizations both at home and abroad, firmly believed that progress and change can be achieved through mutual respect and appreciation, and that individuals and communities can see beyond the limits of parochialism, enabling them to better understand each other.
And we all know how proud he was to be a Nupe, a member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc., and a member of the National Bar Association.
Alcee Hastings' commanding presence will forever be missed; we all mourn his loss and extend our deepest sympathies to his wife Patricia Williams; his children, Alcee Hastings II, Chelsea Hastings and Leigh Hastings; his stepdaughter, Maisha; and all the relatives and friends who loved him so dearly.
My deepest sympathies go out to them, and I pray they find consolation in the certain knowledge that the Judge is now resting in the Heavenly Chorus.
Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Madam Speaker, I rise today to join my colleagues in honoring the life and legacy of our dearly departed friend and colleague Congressman Alcee Hastings, who passed away earlier this month.
Alcee and I were both elected to Congress in 1992. We were part of a historic class of new African American lawmakers from the South. Few would make such a tremendous and impactful mark on this institution than Alcee Hastings. He was one of Congress' most steadfast advocates for civil and human rights, working families, and the most vulnerable in our society.
He bravely battled pancreatic cancer for the last year and a half. And despite this devastating diagnosis, Alcee remained a powerful and active voice for his constituents and the state of Florida.
I will miss seeing him on the House floor. I will miss his sharp-
witted questioning in the House Rules Committee. I will miss his friendship.
Madam Speaker, our nation lost one of its most dedicated public servants. And in Alcee Hastings, we lost one of our most unique, friendly and hardest working colleagues. My thoughts and prayers are with his wife Patricia, children, staff, constituents and many, many friends.
Ms. ADAMS. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor our friend and colleague, Alcee Hastings--a pillar of our Congressional Black Caucus.
Congressman Hastings was a compassionate leader who always spoke his mind and served his constituents with purpose.
For nearly thirty years, he used his position in Congress to speak truth to power and advocate for our country's most vulnerable.
I admired both his courage and his unique ability to bring reason and deep thought to the many conversations we had together. He was a friend and mentor we all respected.
One thing I'll never forget about Congressman Hastings is his wonderful sense of style, his fun, colorful socks, and--I have to say--
his great taste in hats.
And, while he will be deeply missed here in Congress and within our Caucus, we will carry on in his memory by advocating for the causes he dedicated his life to--supporting working families, communities of color, children, immigrants and all those in need.
His legacy as a civil rights activist, judge, and powerful, passionate leader in Congress will live on, and be a model for us all.
Mr. PAYNE. Madam Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to Congressman Alcee Hastings.
Congressman Hastings spent more than 30 years in Congress and fought for racial equality during his storied and historic life. At the time of his passing, he was the Dean of the Florida Congressional delegation as the Representative from Florida's 20th District. Before that, he was Florida's first African-American federal judge and a strong civil rights advocate. Congressman Hastings died on April 6, 2021 after a long bout with pancreatic cancer.
Congressman Hastings was a life-long public servant. He served as a Circuit Court Judge in Broward County, Florida and then became a U.S. District Court Judge for the Southern District of Florida. After his election to Congress in 1992, Congressman Hastings was a leading member of the Congressional Black Caucus and a senior Democratic whip. He served as a member of the House Rules Committee and a senior member of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, where he was chairman of the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations. He was an esteemed member of Congress throughout his time there.
Personally, I am devastated at the loss of my colleague and mentor, the Honorable Alcee Hastings. We would talk about his time spent in Newark as a child and his fond memories of growing up there. While voting, I would spend many days sitting next to him and listening to the wisdom he imparted on me. His blunt honesty and brilliance as a legislator were second to none. We even shared our love of colorful socks. The Lord has another one of my Fathers on the Floor of Congress with him no and I will miss him dearly.
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SOURCE: Congressional Record Vol. 167, No. 69
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