| 1 | House Resolution |
| 2 | A resolution honoring the dedication and contributions of |
| 3 | Congresswoman Carrie P. Meek. |
| 4 |
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| 5 | WHEREAS, born on April 29, 1926, as the granddaughter of a |
| 6 | slave and the daughter of former sharecroppers, Congresswoman |
| 7 | Carrie P. Meek spent her childhood in a then-segregated |
| 8 | Tallahassee and graduated from Florida Agricultural and |
| 9 | Mechanical University in 1946, a time when African Americans |
| 10 | were not permitted to attend graduate school in Florida, and |
| 11 | WHEREAS, after traveling north to continue her education |
| 12 | and graduating from the University of Michigan with a master's |
| 13 | degree, Carrie P. Meek worked as an educator at Bethune Cookman |
| 14 | College in Daytona Beach and at her alma mater, FAMU, before |
| 15 | moving to Miami to serve as special assistant to the vice |
| 16 | president of Miami-Dade Community College, a segregated school |
| 17 | at which she played a central role in pushing for integration, |
| 18 | and |
| 19 | WHEREAS, active in community projects in the Miami area, |
| 20 | Carrie P. Meek was elected as a state representative in 1979 and |
| 21 | was the first African-American female elected to the Florida |
| 22 | State Senate in 1982, during which time she served on the |
| 23 | Education Appropriations Subcommittee and helped pave the way |
| 24 | for the construction of thousands of affordable rental housing |
| 25 | units in her district, and |
| 26 | WHEREAS, in 1992, Senator Meek was elected to the United |
| 27 | States House of Representatives from Florida's 17th |
| 28 | Congressional District, a feat which made her the first African- |
| 29 | American lawmaker elected to represent Florida in Congress since |
| 30 | Reconstruction, and |
| 31 | WHEREAS, upon taking office, Congresswoman Meek faced the |
| 32 | task of helping her district recover from the devastation |
| 33 | wrought by Hurricane Andrew, her efforts helping to provide $100 |
| 34 | million in federal assistance to rebuild Dade County, NOW, |
| 35 | THEREFORE, |
| 36 |
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| 37 | Be It Resolved by the House of Representatives of the State of |
| 38 | Florida: |
| 39 |
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| 40 | That the House of Representatives honors Congresswoman |
| 41 | Carrie P. Meek for her lifetime of dedication to the citizens of |
| 42 | the State of Florida and the United States of America and |
| 43 | recognizes her for her significant contributions that, |
| 44 | throughout the state and the nation, have helped nurture |
| 45 | children, strengthen communities, and improve the democratic |
| 46 | process. |
| 47 | BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this resolution be |
| 48 | presented to Congresswoman Meek as a tangible token of the |
| 49 | sentiments expressed herein. |