Sanford D. Bishop Jr.

22/07/2024 | Press release | Archived content

CONGRESSMAN BISHOP MOURNS THE LOSS OF BERNICE JOHNSON REAGON, CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT LEADER & FOUNDER OF THE FREEDOM SINGERS

CONGRESSMAN BISHOP MOURNS THE LOSS OF BERNICE JOHNSON REAGON, CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT LEADER & FOUNDER OF THE FREEDOM SINGERS

July 22, 2024
ALBANY, Ga. -Congressman Sanford D. Bishop, Jr. (GA-02) issued the following statement upon the passing of Bernice Johnson Reagon, a leader in the Albany Movement within the U.S. Civil Rights Movement and founding member of the Freedom Singers, a part of the Student Non-violent Coordinating Committee.

"Southwest Georgia and our country have lost a fearless, resilient, and pioneering leader for social change and civil rights. Bernice Johnson Reagon transitioned from labor to reward. Her labor was long and changed the lives of millions.

"Understanding the power of song to tell the story of community and convey the emotions that drove a movement for justice, Bernice was an early leader in the Civil Rights Movement and founder of the Freedom Singers.

"She went on to become a musician and an academic, sharing the Movement's history of struggle and sacrifice with subsequent generations, through her work as an educator and curator at the national Smithsonian Institute, so that Americans will continue to cherish the freedoms for which the Movement fought, reaffirm the values for which it stood, and remember that our society must always strive for justice and equality.

"My wife, Vivian, and I want to give our heartfelt condolences to her family, friends, and all those that loved her. Her legacy survives in the lives she made better and the new generations of leaders she inspired."

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