Florida Senate - 2022 (NP) SR By Senator Rodriguez 39-03477-22 20221992__ CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions. Senate Resolution A resolution remembering former United States Congresswoman Carrie P. Meek and honoring her legacy of leadership, advocacy, and public service and her countless contributions to this state. 5

WHEREAS, Carrie P. Meek was born in Tallahassee on April 7 29, 1926, to Willie and Carrie Pittman, who began their lives together as sharecroppers, and

WHEREAS, as the granddaughter of “Miss Mandy,” a slave born and raised in Lilly, Georgia, Carrie P. Meek grew up during the turbulent Jim Crow era but would overcome many racial, gender, 12 and educational barriers during her lifetime, and

WHEREAS, in 1946, Carrie P. Meek earned a Bachelor of Science in Biology and Physical Education from Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University (FAMU), where she was a member of the Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., and

WHEREAS, in the 1940s, a state law prohibited Black students from attending public graduate schools, which forced Carrie P. Meek to enroll out of state at the University of Michigan, where she earned a Master of Science in Public Health and Physical Education, and

WHEREAS, upon graduating from the University of Michigan, 23 Carrie P. Meek accepted a position at Bethune-Cookman College as an instructor and became the institution’s first female basketball coach, and

WHEREAS, Carrie P. Meek later returned to FAMU as a health and physical education instructor, a position she would hold until 1961, and Florida Senate - 2022 (NP) SR 1992 39-03477-22 20221992__ CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.

WHEREAS, after leaving FAMU, Carrie P. Meek continued her career in higher education at Miami Dade Community College, 31 where she became the first Black professor, associate dean, and assistant to the vice president of the college, and

WHEREAS, in 1978, Carrie P. Meek ran for the Florida Ho use of Representatives and defeated other candidates to win her place in the Florida Legislature, serving from to and chairing the Education Appropriations Subcommittee, and

WHEREAS, in 1992, Carrie P. Meek continued her trailblazing political career, representing Florida’s 17th Congressional District as a member of the United States House of Representatives and becoming one of the first Black members from this state elected to the United States Congress since the Reconstruction era, and

WHEREAS, while serving in the United States Congress, 53 Carrie P. Meek was a member of the powerful House Committee on Appropriations and worked to secure $100 million in aid to rebuild Dade County as the area recovered from Hurricane Andrew, 56 and

WHEREAS, Carrie P. Meek built her legacy on advocating for Florida Senate - 2022 (NP) SR 1992 39-03477-22 20221992__ CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions. equal and fair treatment for all individuals, regardless of the color of their skin, stating, “I didn’t go into politics with a chip on my shoulder, but I let people up there know I expected to get the same results as anybody else,” and

WHEREAS, after leaving the United States Congress, Carrie P. Meek returned to her community to fully dedicate herself to charitable activities through the Carrie Meek Foundation, which serves as an extension of the public service to which she was committed throughout her lifetime, and

WHEREAS, on November 28, 2021, Carrie P. Meek passed away, 68 leaving behind a legacy that will significantly enrich future generations of Florida residents,

NOW, THEREFORE, 70

Be It Resolved by the Senate of the State of Florida: 72 That former United States Congresswoman Carrie P. Meek is remembered and her legacy of leadership, advocacy, and public service and her countless contributions to this state are honored. 77 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this resolution, with the Seal of the Senate affixed, be presented to the family of former United States Congresswoman Carrie P. Meek as a tangible token of the sentiments expressed herein. 81