In Loving Memory of Jack Bryant

Floor Speech

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Mr. HIMES. Madam Speaker, I rise today to remember one life of far too many we have lost to the sickness spread across our nation, that of an impactful leader and my good friend, Stamford's own Jack Bryant. Jack's quiet dignity and ebullient approachability belied the immense work he accomplished throughout his life, whether most recently as a member on the Board of Education, his long service in the Stamford NAACP, including as its president, as a deacon at Faith Tabernacle Missionary Baptist Church and involved community volunteer, and as a beloved father and family member. Whenever you needed something good for the community done, you didn't have to go to Jack. He was already there, and he welcomed your help with open arms.

Education and opportunity animated Jack. When he ran for Board of Education, he spoke movingly of his own education at Stamford's Westhill High, and watching his children achieve their own success. He dedicated his time and energy to removing the barriers too often found preventing educational attainment, particularly in communities of color. He did this civically, frequently coming to the Board of Education and Stamford's city government to testify and participate, and he did it through example in the community, leading local high school student visits to Historically Black Colleges and Universities for decades. Jack made sure these trips built more than resumes; they built character. Jack demonstrated how these young men and women could grow with the opportunities present today and build even stronger communities in the future by investing their talents in the following generation.

Nowhere was this more evident than his own family. One of those HBCU trips resulted in one daughter attending college at Howard University, then medical school. Today she is on the front lines of saving others from the devastating consequences of this pandemic. In her grief, his other daughter celebrates his life and encourages all in the community to follow in his footsteps. His son coaches at Stamford High, serving as the same kind of community role model that his father always did. And countless others are sharing their memories of ``Uncle Jack,'' and how we can all model our lives in his legacy.

I worked most closely with Jack during his decade-long presidency of the Stamford NAACP, looking to achieve justice for those who too often lack it and making sure the least of ours in the community get what they need in a tough world. We've worked together to register and empower voters; to combat the scourge of gun violence that claims too many urban victims; to remedy the historic injustices of our criminal justice system; and of course to help the next generation seize opportunities to get a world-beating education and better understand and improve the world they will soon enter.

Whenever we talked, I came away hopeful. Whenever we worked, I saw the grateful faces of those he served. Whenever we prayed, I knew Jack's earnest and sincere pleas flew up to the heavens above.

This world has lost a great leader, and that leader left a great legacy. I dedicate today to mourning and remembrance, yes, but more so to furthering his legacy of service and sacrifice, uplifting those who follow in his path and commending the others so inspired to do so now. To help feed the hungry, as the number of those who hunger grows; to provide a better future to the next generation, as the future grows more perilous; and to always keep fighting for justice and equality for all. May we all be even half as successful at Jack Bryant was at leaving the world a better place than we found it and loving our neighbor even more than ourselves.

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