We Can't Breathe (Cong. Rec., May 28, 2020)

Summary

House pages of the Congressional Record for May 28, 2020, at page H2354. Under one-minute speeches headed Stop Police Brutality and We Can't Breathe, Mr. Jeffries and Mr. Johnson of Georgia speak about George Floyd, and Mr. Jeffries says those responsible must be prosecuted to the full extent of the law. Mr. Johnson also says that just 12 percent of Black and Latino business owners who applied for PPP report receiving what they asked for. Mr. Fortenberry, recognized for 60 minutes as the designee of the minority leader, yields to Mr. Shimkus, who recognizes the contributions of Reverend Dr. Dale A. Meyer upon retirement as president of Concordia Seminary in St. Louis.

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“We Can't Breathe (Cong. Rec., May 28, 2020).” Original at www.govinfo.gov. Archived at Pandemic Darlings, https://pandemicdarlings.com/source-documents/crec-crec-2020-05-28-crec-2020-05-28-pt1-pgh2354-2-e5fd870c35/, SHA-256 92f5eaf1f366fe70be00b227e4ecd5e10ad7f1d93f41b0a28a062520241513fe.

Full text

H2354 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — HOUSE May 28, 2020
Thomas Edison looked at 3,000 dif- ISSUES OF THE DAY Meyer, deliver milk for Dixie Dairy on
ferent filaments to invent one prac- The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mrs. the south side of Chicago, he was called
tical light bulb. It took him 2 years. HAYES). Under the Speaker’s an- to serve on a full and winding profes-
We need to test 3,000 different combina- nounced policy of January 3, 2019, the sional path. This path was so full of
tions of compounds, and we don’t have gentleman from Nebraska (Mr. FOR- wonder that he would often marvel at
2 years. TENBERRY) is recognized for 60 minutes the, ‘‘milkman moments’’ that un-
f as the designee of the minority leader. folded, remarking: ‘‘What am I doing
Mr. FORTENBERRY. Madam Speak- here? God has blessed me so.’’
STOP POLICE BRUTALITY Dr. Meyer completed his bachelor’s
er, I am going to remove my mask as I
(Mr. JEFFRIES asked and was given speak. We are appropriately socially degree in 1969 at Concordia Senior Col-
permission to address the House for 1 distanced here. I am grateful for the lege in Fort Wayne, Indiana, and
minute.) time. earned a master of divinity from
Mr. JEFFRIES. Madam Speaker, I Before I begin my own remarks, I am Concordia Seminary in 1973. He earned
respect those police officers in every going to yield to the honorable gen- a master’s degree a year later and a
community who are there to protect tleman from Illinois (Mr. SHIMKUS), a doctorate in 1986 in classical languages
and serve and those who have fallen in senior member of the Energy and Com- from Washington University in St.
the line of duty, but we cannot tolerate merce Committee, who will be depart- Louis. He also is a recipient of an hon-
police violence, and we cannot tolerate ing from us soon. He is in his last term, orable doctor of divinity in 1993 from
police brutality. has announced his retirement. Concordia Theological Seminary in
George Floyd was murdered by an It has been a pleasure to serve with Fort Wayne, Indiana.
out-of-control police officer. When will you, my friend. We have a long way to Dr. Meyer first joined the faculty at
it end? go, but it is always great to see you, Concordia Seminary as a guest instruc-
Amadou Diallo, 42 shots, police offi- and I look forward to your remarks. tor in 1979, going on to serve as head
cers found not guilty. CONGRATULATING REVEREND DR. DALE A. pastor of St. Salvator Lutheran Church
Sean Bell, 50 shots, police officers MEYER ON HIS RETIREMENT in Venedy, Illinois, and St. Peter Lu-
found not guilty. Mr. SHIMKUS. Madam Speaker, I theran Church in New Memphis, Illi-
Eric Garner, choked to death, police rise today to recognize the contribu- nois, both currently in my district, and
officers let go by the grand jury. tions of Reverend Dr. Dale A. Meyer at Holy Cross Lutheran Church in Col-
Decade after decade after decade, upon the occasion of his retirement as linsville, Illinois, which is my home
when will it end? president of Concordia Seminary in St.
This time must be different. Those congregation. These church commu-
Louis. nities are so beloved by the Meyers
perpetrators must be prosecuted to the In May of 2005, Dr. Meyer became the
full extent of the law, and Congress that they continue to worship at all
10th president of Concordia Seminary. three parishes to this day.
must do everything in its power to stop Over 15 years later, on June 30, 2020, It was at Holy Cross Lutheran that I
this type of tragedy from ever hap- Dr. Meyer will start a new season in and my wife, Karen, came to know Dr.
pening again. life, retiring and turning over the reins Meyer and his family. Our lives have
f of this beloved institution to new lead- been intertwined, to say the least:
WE CAN’T BREATHE ership. Diane sold us our first home; I taught
His contribution to the seminary was the oldest of his two daughters, Eliza-
(Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia asked and immense. During his tenure,
was given permission to address the beth, civics at Metro East Lutheran
Concordia’s long-term debt was elimi- High School and ran many of 5k races
House for 1 minute and to revise and nated, its endowment quadrupled, and
extend his remarks.) to come with his youngest daughter,
it earned top marks from its most re-
Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia. Madam Katie; my own children played music
cent accreditation by the Higher
Speaker, ‘‘I Can’t Breathe’’ is a poem I in their daughter’s wedding; and my
Learning Commission and the Associa-
delivered on this floor 6 years ago when wife, Karen, served as the head organ-
tion of Theological Schools.
Eric Garner got choked out by the po- From the start of his tenure to the ist at Holy Cross with Dale; and so on.
lice. Dr. Meyer moved on from Holy Cross
end, Dr. Meyer worked alongside his
Today, I am here for George Floyd, in 1989 after being selected to serve as
wife, Diane; the faculty; and key staff
another Black man who died facedown a speaker on ‘‘The Lutheran Hour’’
to cultivate a culture that was service
on the hot pavement, suffocated to oriented and external facing. This radio program at Lutheran Hour Min-
death by a police officer as he begged meant instituting activities designed istries. ‘‘The Lutheran Hour’’ is the
for his life for 8 minutes. to instill a spirit of community vol- world’s oldest continually broadcast
Black folks in America in 2020 are unteerism into first-year students. gospel radio program, first airing in
caught between being suffocated to This meant adding benches on campus 1930.
death by the COVID–19 coronavirus or Dr. Meyer also hosted a national tel-
and expanding holiday displays each
being choked to death by rogue, year so visitors knew they were wel- evision show, ‘‘On Main Street,’’ for
uncaring, and unconcerned police offi- come at this place. Lutheran Hour Ministries. In 2001, ‘‘On
cers. It meant working with his wife, Main Street’’ episodes received two
Black folks in America are caught up Diane, and Gayle Zollmann-Kiel, coor- prestigious Emmy awards from the Na-
in three pandemics, when you add the dinator of campus grounds, to create tional Academy of Television Arts and
reality that our businesses are getting community gardens for people to enjoy Sciences, St. Louis/Mid-America Chap-
choked out of PPP. Black people bear all summer and fall, thereby feeding ter. During this time, he took part in
an unparalleled burden in this country. the community both spiritually and some of his favorite ‘‘milkman mo-
When just 12 percent of Black and figuratively. And it meant, during the ments,’’ including opening both the
Latino business owners who applied for current pandemic, having the bell U.S. Senate and the U.S. House of Rep-
PPP report receiving what they asked tower on campus play music to lift the resentatives in prayer.
for, something is wrong. spirits of all those around. In addition to his published writings,
When we make up 13 percent of the No wonder the seminary received sev- Dr. Meyer served in numerous leader-
population but 60 percent of COVID eral civic awards, including being ship practices, such as third vice presi-
deaths, something wrong. named among the 100 Top Workplaces dent of the Lutheran Church-Missouri
When we have armed vigilantes and in St. Louis in 2015. Synod, a charter board member of the

SSpencer on DSK126QN23PROD with HOUSE
rogue police officers killing us on the Dr. Meyer’s retirement marks a sea- Association of Lutheran Older Adults,
streets, something is terribly wrong. son of change for the seminary. How- an honorary director of God’s Word to
The American Dream should not be a ever, it also marks the closing of a the Nations Bible Society, and as a
nightmare for any of her people. It is chapter of a long career of service for board of trustee of the American Bible
time to bring an end to open season on him personally. Society.
Black people in America. We can’t While Dr. Meyer’s first job was help- Dr. Meyer finally returned home to
breathe. ing his parents, Arthur and Norma Concordia Seminary in St. Louis in

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