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TRIBUTE TO ETTA SMITH PERKINS

Speaker
B001319
Subject
B001319
Source
Congressional Record · original
Chamber
senate
Published
Monday, March 31, 2025

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Congressional Record, Volume 171 Issue 57 (Monday, March 31, 2025) [Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 57 (Monday, March 31, 2025)] [Senate] [Page S1921] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [ www.gpo.gov ] ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS ______ TRIBUTE TO ETTA SMITH PERKINS Mrs. BRITT. Mr. President, I wish to honor the life and legacy of Mrs. Etta Smith Perkins, an extraordinary Alabamian who has helped shape our State with courage and conviction. Mrs. Perkins moved to Selma, AL, at the age of 4, and grew up on Selma University's campus where she attended elementary and secondary school through 12th grade. She was the fourth of ten children born to Henry Daniel Smith, Sr., and Rebecca Sanders Smith As a young child, she was baptized at West Trinity Bap…

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Congressional Record, Volume 171 Issue 57 (Monday, March 31, 2025) [Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 57 (Monday, March 31, 2025)] [Senate] [Page S1921] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [ www.gpo.gov ] ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS ______ TRIBUTE TO ETTA SMITH PERKINS Mrs. BRITT. Mr. President, I wish to honor the life and legacy of Mrs. Etta Smith Perkins, an extraordinary Alabamian who has helped shape our State with courage and conviction. Mrs. Perkins moved to Selma, AL, at the age of 4, and grew up on Selma University's campus where she attended elementary and secondary school through 12th grade. She was the fourth of ten children born to Henry Daniel Smith, Sr., and Rebecca Sanders Smith As a young child, she was baptized at West Trinity Baptist Church, where she developed her love for our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, serving others, and congregational singing. It was in church where she met the love of her life, James Perkins, Sr. Together, they shared an extraordinary 71 years of marriage, 4 children, 7 grandchildren, 13 great-grandchildren, and several godchildren who affectionately called her ``Momma.'' Her favorite scripture, Proverbs 3:5, guided her extraordinary life of faith and service. She began her professional nursing career at the Good Samaritan Hospital School of Practical Nurses. Her dedication to caring for others led her to further her education at Wallace Community College- Selma, where she graduated as a registered nurse in 1973. As a nurse during the civil rights movement, she fought to integrate waiting rooms in the segregated doctors' offices. Her efforts were later documented in the documentary film ``Sisters of Selma: Bearing Witness for Change,'' which was broadcast nationwide. Her commitment to service was not limited to her professional career. Mrs. Perkins truly inspired future generations of leaders when she became Selma-Dallas County's first African-American Girl Scout troop leader. She was also appointed as the first African-American board member of the Selma-Dallas County Public Library and a charter member of the National Council of Negro Women. Her leadership also extended to organizations like the American Red Cross, Head Start, Vaughan Home Health Boards, and the Selma-Dallas County AARP. Mrs. Perkins' remarkable contributions have been memorialized across the State of Alabama. Her story has been written in numerous publications, including ``The Alabama Nurse'' and ``Advances of Nursing Science.'' Her 35 years of outstanding service were forever cemented in history when she was featured as one of four inaugural nurses in the book ``Alabama Notable Nurses.'' This Women's History Month, I am honored to recognize Mrs. Perkins on behalf of the people of Alabama as a truly trailblazing woman who made significant contributions to her community and our state. Her legacy serves as a powerful reminder that Alabama women don't just witness history; they make it. ____________________

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