U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor (FL14) honored the accomplishments of three renowned national leaders during her annual Black History Month event yesterday in Tampa - all of whom reside in Tampa. Joli Cooper-Nelson, current national president of Jack and Jill of America, Inc., Carolyn House Stewart, Esq., immediate past international president of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. and Paulette C. Walker, immediate past President of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc., have made an impactful difference nationwide and served as role models for their community. U.S. Rep. Castor will provide statements in honor of each in the Congressional Record, which will forever mark their legacies.

In addition to celebrating the invaluable contributions of these three women, U.S. Rep. Castor announced that after leading a bipartisan effort to urge the Florida Legislature to replace the U.S. Capitol statue of Confederate Gen. Kirby Smith with a statue of the great educator Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune, that the bill to do so had finally been passed this week.  Florida will be the first state to be represented by an African American in National Statuary Hall in the U.S. Capitol. Please read U.S. Rep. Castor’s letter to her colleagues for details on the effort and steps to come.

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