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IN RECOGNITION OF THE LIFE AND LEGACY OF CAROL COE
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HON. EMANUEL CLEAVER
of missouri
in the house of representatives
Thursday, February 25, 2021
Mr. CLEAVER. Madam Speaker, it is with a heavy but grateful heart that I rise today to honor the life and legacy of a formidable force from the place I call home. On Sunday, February 14, 2021, Kansas City lost one of its fiercest warriors. A trailblazer, a local civil rights icon, and a leader of the highest caliber, Carol Coe dedicated her every breath to speaking the truth and serving her community.
Born in Houston, Texas in 1947, the same year Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier in Major League Baseball, Carol would spend her entire life shattering barriers of her own and inspiring generations of local Black leadership. After moving to Kansas City in the mid-1960s and gaining a juris doctorate from the University of Missouri--Kansas City School of Law, she served as the City's first Black assistant city attorney. Carol brought an indisputable talent and unmistakable tenacity to the role, and her community noticed. She went on to serve in the Jackson County Legislature and eventually ran for, and won, a position on City Council in 1991.
While serving as Councilwoman for the 3rd District of Kansas City, Carol was appointed to the Finance Committee and the Convention and Visitors Bureau Board of Directors. During her time on the Board, Coe was dedicated to the revitalization of Kansas City's historic 18th & Vine district, pushing funding initiatives and supporting the use of Black contractors for various projects in the area. However, Carol's dedication to 18th & Vine was more than an administrative project; it was a lifelong labor of love. One never had to walk far to feel her presence in that historic place, but in October of last year, Kansas City's City Council formally recognized her immense impact on the historic district, naming a bridge at East 19th and Vine the ``Carol Coe Bridge of Opportunity.''
Besides our shared devotion to 18th & Vine, Carol and I also had in common a passion for improving public housing. I vividly remember the time she invited her City Council colleagues to spend the night with her in an apartment in the T.B. Watkins public housing project. The move sought to showcase what were, at the time, dangerous and unsafe living conditions endured by Kansas City residents. While there is still much work to be done, Kansas City has made great strides in public housing since that time, in large part because of Carol's advocacy. And while her work--the work of justice--was constant and unremitting, Carol accomplished these feats while balancing her responsibility of being a loving and devoted mother to her two children.
Carol's career is a story not of chapters but of volumes. She was involved with Freedom, Inc., a political club in Kansas City that has spent decades ensuring that the voices of Kansas City's Black community are heard in the halls of government. She helped establish Kansas City Friends of Alvin Ailey, a renowned local dance program. And then, of course, there is the Green Acres Urban Farm and Research Bio-Park, which she founded in 2010. Green Acres is an innovative aquaponics system, designed with a sustainable structure to address the impacts of climate change and local food insecurity. While urban farming may have seemed like an unlikely endeavor for Carol, the ambitious project was truly a perfect representation of who she had always been. Whether she was debating in the Jackson County Legislature, advocating for those she represented on the City Council, or building and operating an urban farm, Carol was committed to community-first, community-focused change. Embodying the spirit of servant leadership in all that she did, Carol Coe provided resources and opportunities to marginalized people to help improve their lives. With every vote she cast, Carol stood out as a servant of the people.
``The mouths of the righteous utter wisdom, / and their tongues speak what is just. The law of their God is in their heart, / their feet do not slip,'' says the holy scripture in Psalm 37:30-31. Carol Coe was a fighter. She fought not for herself, not for power or influence, but for her community. In her seventy-four years, I would venture to guess that Carol never once said anything but what she meant and believed to be true. She pushed and challenged me when I was Mayor of Kansas City, and I am a better public servant because of it. Her candor laid bricks; her tenacity moved legislation; and her tireless work in Kansas City has left an indelible footprint that will outlast us all.
My thoughts and prayers are with Carol's family, friends, and community. Madam Speaker, please join me and Missouri's Fifth Congressional District in recognizing and honoring Carol Coe's incredible life and the legacy that she leaves behind. The Kansas City community will forever remember Carol Coe as a vigorous and determined champion for those in need. Her righteous spirit brought wisdom to those who needed it, even when they did not want it. Her tongue lifted justice into being, even when the strongest of arms could not raise it. And never, not once, did her feet slip. Carol was Kansas City's anchor to the truth, and she held us in place for many, many years. I am heartened to know that she has now, at long last, found eternal rest. I hope she found peace in knowing that her fight for a more just community will continue through of the legions of righteous warriors she inspired. Madam Speaker, in our ongoing struggle for a better country and a better world, let us seek to emulate the example of Carol Coe. Let our feet not slip. Not for one second.
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SOURCE: Congressional Record Vol. 167, No. 36
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