African-American Leaders Honor Rep. Donald Payne
Black leaders share fond memories of the late Donald Payne.
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Donald Payne - New Jersey Rep. Donald Payne, 77, lost his battle with colon cancer on March 6, leaving behind a legacy as a leader, a statesman and a citizen of the world. Here African-American leaders share memories and sentiments about the loss of a dear friend and colleague who was laid to rest on March 14. –Joyce Jones(Photo: REUTERS/Susana Vera)
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John Lewis (Georgia) - “Any American can be elected to public office, but not everyone can serve with dignity and great respect. Donald Payne, my friend, my brother, enjoyed the admiration of his colleagues because he led by example, and through quiet, determined diplomacy he accomplished a great deal.”(Photo: Courtesy US House of Representatives/wikicommons)
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Rep. Maxine Waters (California)\r - "We are going to miss [his] leadership. We are going to miss [his] dedication. We are going to miss this mild mannered man who loved his job, who loved his district. It will be hard to match the work that he did and his success and his achievements. We’re going to ask ourselves, what would Don have done and we’re going to follow the thinking of Don Payne on those issues."\r \rPhoto: Courtesy US House of Representatives/wikicommons)
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Rep. Sanford Bishop (Georgia) - "Donald was a great man. We have lost him. The family has lost a great man. We feel your pain, but the joy we share because we knew him will sustain us because we were blessed to know, love, be a part and to share life, as you did, with this great, great man." (Photo: Courtesy US House of Representatives/wikicommons)
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Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton (Washington, D.C.) - "Don was a leader on Africa, who did not work from the newspapers or journals, but traveled the continent and came back with firsthand information. For the Congressional Black Caucus Don was the go-to man. Nobody moved on a matter affecting Africa without going to Don first. Where will we find such a member today?"(Photo: Alex Wong/Getty Images)
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Rep. Gregory Meeks (New York) - "Thank you for your work and for your mission and for paving the way for someone like me so that I now don’t have to have a machete to cut away the grass. You’ve done it for us. Thank you, God, for sending us Donald Payne. I can see you now just saying to him, “Well done. Job well done, my good and faithful son." (Photo: Courtesy US House of Representatives/wikicommons)
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Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson (Texas)\r - "[Rep. Payne] was an advocate for children and worked to make college more affordable.… It is difficult to lose a member of the Congressional Black Caucus family. We’re small but very connected. Congressman Payne served the 10th District of New Jersey with dedication and served as chair of the Congressional Black Caucus as well."\r(Photo: Khalid Mohammed-Pool/Getty Images)
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"When I think of Donald Payne I will always remember that he was a person of honor. He honored his word. To his friends his word meant something, but more importantly, he honored his word to foes, people who disagreed with him. Once they had his word, they had a word they could count on." (Photo: Courtesy wikicommons)
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Del. Donna Christensen (Virgin Islands)\r - "There were only a few of us that knew that Donald was diagnosed with cancer and undergoing treatment. He was truly amazing. I thought he was even more feisty after his diagnosis than before, Donald was not only a respected member of the Congressional Black Caucus, which he chaired. He was loved by us all. We will miss him terribly, but we will remember him with such great affection and consider ourselves blessed to have known him, to have served with him and to have him call us his friend."\r(Photo: Courtesy wikicommons)
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Rep. John Conyers (Michigan) - Through his work as a member of the House Education and the workforce Committee and the Foreign Affairs Committee, Donald Payne led the fight to address inequities in every realm of existence. He was a great proponent for peace. I must say that he had the spirit and the philosophy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. that he lived and demonstrated every single day of his life. (Photo: Mark Wilson/Getty Images)
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President Barack Obama\r - "By any standard, Don lived a full and meaningful life. After serving as the first African-American president of the National Council of YMCAs, and then several years in local government, Don went on to become the first African-American Congressman to represent the state of New Jersey. In Washington, he made it his mission to fight for working families, increase the minimum wage, ensure worker safety, guarantee affordable health care and improve the educational system. He was a leader in U.S.-Africa policy, making enormous contributions towards helping restore democracy and human rights across the continent.”\r(Photo: Brendan Hoffman/Getty Images)
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Rep. James Clyburn, Assistant Democratic Leader (South Carolina)\r - “Don was a gentleman and a good friend. He was a strong leader for New Jersey and our country and Congress’s leading expert on African affairs. His impact will be felt for many years to come.… He will be missed.”\r(Photo: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
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Rep. Emanuel Cleaver, Congressional Black Caucus Chairman (Missouri) - “Donald Payne was my friend and my inspiration because he struggled with this ailment for a long time and he handled it in what in my tradition is saintly. I will miss him. At a time when there is great rancor and much animosity in politics, he remained a statesman.”(Photo: Kris Connor/Getty Images)
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Rep. Elijah Cummings (Maryland)\r - “Today serves as a reminder to all of us who are blessed to serve the people of our communities, that the time we have on this Earth can end much too fast, and that we must constantly be working to improve the lives of those around us. My good friend Donald Payne made that his goal each and every day of his life. Being the first African-American Congressman from New Jersey did not put a period on his life, but merely a comma. His tireless work for his own constituents was matched only by his desire to encourage better understanding of the cradle of civilization, Africa.”\r(Photo: Mark Wilson/Getty Images)
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Rep. Keith Ellison (Minnesota)\r - “Congressman Donald Payne was a trailblazer in New Jersey, the U.S. Congress and national politics. He was a tireless champion for human rights and workers’ rights worldwide. As if that weren’t enough, [he] taught us about the importance of the African continent, the value of public service and courage, and the crucial need to educate our children so they could chart their own course in life. He never backed down and was a strong advocate for fairness, justice and empowerment.”\r(Photo: Alex Wong/Getty Images)
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Rep. Keith Ellison (Minnesota)\r - “Congressman Donald Payne was a trailblazer in New Jersey, the U.S. Congress and national politics. He was a tireless champion for human rights and workers’ rights worldwide. As if that weren’t enough, [he] taught us about the importance of the African continent, the value of public service and courage, and the crucial need to educate our children so they could chart their own course in life. He never backed down and was a strong advocate for fairness, justice and empowerment.”\r(Photo: Alex Wong/Getty Images)
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Rep. Frederica Wilson (Florida) - “As a long-serving member of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, Donald was a leader in supporting democracy in Africa and throughout the world, and I worked with him closely on issues impacting Haiti and the rest of the Caribbean. I got to see first-hand his decency, empathy and leadership.”(Photo: Tom Williams/Roll Call/Getty Images)
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Rev. Jesse Jackson Sr. - “Congressman Payne stood out as a frame of reference because of his in-depth knowledge of every African leader and the challenges their countries faced. He used his knowledge and scholarly pursuits to help shape U.S. policies as they related to Africa. As he pursued expanding mutually beneficial ties with Africa, freeing [Nelson] Mandela, ending colonialism and expanding democracy in Africa, Donald Payne was a force for hope.”(Photo: AP Photo/Cliff Owen)