Press Releases

Today, Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) Chairman G. K. Butterfield (NC-01) released the following statement on the passing of 104-year-old civil rights icon Amelia Boynton Robinson:

“Today we mourn the passing of a remarkable citizen, Mrs. Amelia Boynton Robinson, a civil rights activist and one of the leaders of the 1965 Bloody Sunday march of 1965.  Often referred to as the matriarch of our country’s Civil Rights Movement, Mrs. Boynton Robinson worked tirelessly on the behalf of those who were discriminated against and disenfranchised, and she stood courageously in the fight to ensure voting rights for every citizen in this nation.  Mrs. Boynton Robinson was committed to equality until her death and was a champion for African Americans when our voices were not yet heard.  Fifty years ago, Mrs. Boynton Robinson walked bravely across the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma to ensure that all African Americans had equal opportunity and the right to vote.  Her walk was not in vain, and we remain forever grateful for her contributions and dedicated service to civil rights in America.”  

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Since its establishment in 1971, Members of the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) have joined together to empower America’s neglected citizens and address their legislative concerns.  For more than 40 years, the CBC has consistently been the voice for people of color and vulnerable communities in Congress and has been committed to utilizing the full Constitutional power and statutory authority of the United States government to ensure that all U.S. citizens have an opportunity to achieve the American Dream.  To learn more about the Congressional Black Caucus, visit http://cbc-butterfield.house.gov.

Media inquiries: Candace L. Randle at (202) 593-1331 or Candace.Randle@mail.house.gov