[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 61 (Monday, April 10, 2023)] [Extensions of Remarks] [Pages E303-E304] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
Date: 2023-04-10
Chamber: EXTENSIONS
Ms. SEWELL: I rise today to honor the extraordinary career of a legal trailblazer, Civil Rights activist, scholar, former State Senator, pioneering lawmaker, and my special mentor, the Honorable Judge U.W. Clemon, as he celebrates his 80th birthday on April 9, 2023. A native of Alabama's 7th Congressional District, Judge Clemon was born to Addie and Moses Clemon in Fairfield in 1943. He began his education in the then-segregated Jefferson County School System, graduating valedictorian of Westfield High School in 1961, then attended Miles College. At Miles College, Clemon excelled in academics and student activism, serving as SGA President and a leading voice for civil rights on campus. Clemon played a pivotal role in the ``Selective Buying Campaign'' to boycott segregated stores in downtown Birmingham. Because of that boycott, a young Clemon was confronted by ``Bull'' Conner, when he petitioned the Birmingham Commission to remove its segregation laws. Clemon marched in many student demonstrations under the direction of Dr. King, and blazed trails, successfully desegregating the Birmingham Public Library. Upon graduating from Miles College as valedictorian of the Class of 1965, Clemon fulfilled his childhood goal of becoming an attorney, receiving his law degree in 1968 from the Columbia Law School in New York City. While a law student, Clemon clerked at the NAACP Legal Defense Fund. This clerkship led to a life-long association with the organization as local counsel on numerous civil rights lawsuits brought in Alabama. After law school, Judge Clemon brought his immense talents back home to Birmingham. He spent the next 12 years as a premier civil rights attorney, dedicated to addressing the racial barriers against Black people in Alabama. Clemon was an effective fearless lawyer taking on Coach Paul ``Bear'' Bryant to desegregate the ``all-white'' University of Alabama football team, leading lawsuits against local school boards, large and small employers, and major corporations, including the United States Steel Corporation, which led to the desegregation of the American steel industry. By 1974, Judge Clemon made history as one of the first two African Americans elected to the Alabama State Senate since Reconstruction. Serving the 15th District for five years, Senator Clemon took the same fearless advocacy to the Alabama State Legislature, chairing two powerful Senate committees--Rules and Judiciary--and was an unrelenting critic of Governor George Wallace's stance on the death penalty and exclusion of African Americans from state boards and agencies. His successful legal career gained the attention of United States President Jimmy Carter, who appointed then-Senator Clemon to serve on the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Alabama. Ascending to the bench, Judge Clemon made history as Alabama's first Black Federal Judge in 1980 and served as Chief Judge from 1999 through 2006. During his almost three decades as a federal judge, Judge Clemon presided over numerous federal cases on a variety of issues. His decisions changed the face of our judiciary, and his legacy has had profound effects on Alabama systems and practices in housing, criminal justice, education, employment discrimination, and environmental injustices changing and influencing the landscape of Alabama for generations to come. Judge Clemon was a highly respected jurist both inside and outside the courtroom, known as a tough but fair judge, demanding that lawyers before him represent their clients competently and effectively. As Chief Judge, the Court developed a better relationship with the community by adopting a more juror-friendly approach, insisting on a diverse jury pool, prioritizing minorities in the court's workforce. In 2009, Judge Clemon retired from the bench submitting his retirement letter to President Barack Obama. It was befitting that Judge Clemon was succeeded by his law clerk Abdul Kallon. Judge Clemon received numerous prestigious awards, holds three honorary degrees, two street names, and an elementary school in his name. Judge Clemon continues to be a vibrant member of the Birmingham legal community. Now in private practice, he continues to take on cases of the underrepresented, vulnerable, and underserved. A man of faith, Judge Clemon served as Chairman of the Board of Trustees for his home church Jones Chapel AME Church and is a current member of the Sixth Avenue Church, where he serves as a deacon. Judge Clemon is a loving and proud husband of Mrs. Barbara L. Clemon for over fifty-five years and the doting father to their daughter Michelle who is a lawyer in Birmingham, following in his footsteps as a graduate of Columbia Law School, and his son Isaac who is a musician in New York City. On a personal note, Judge U.W. Clemon is a special mentor to me, a trusted advisor and loving father figure. My most formative legal experience was serving as a law clerk for Judge Clemon after graduating from law school in 1992. I learned more about the practice of law and saw first-hand what ``justice'' looks like by witnessing him in the courtroom. Sitting with him in his chamber was always an educational experience. The Judge tested my knowledge, stretched my legal acumen, challenged my moral values, and inspired me tothink and be a better lawyer and person. There is not a major life decision that I made that I didn't get his wise counsel and advise including running for Congress. I know that I now serve as Alabama's first Black Congresswoman because I was blessed by the transformative experience of serving as a law clerk to Alabama's first Black Federal Judge. To say ``thank you'' to him seems woefully inadequate. As we celebrate his 80th birthday, I want to express my sincere gratitude to Judge Clemon for all the guidance he has given me in my life's journey, and I want to thank Mrs. Barbara and Michelle for sharing the Judge with me. His extraordinary legal career is a testament to the power of one person to change the world. Through his hard work, brilliant mind, fearless determination, and thoughtful legal decisions, he has changed lives. May the seeds he has sown into so many of us, continue to bear the fruit of change. Congratulations for a life well led. Happy 80th Birthday. Here's to many more years. On behalf of Alabama's 7th Congressional District, I ask my colleagues to join me in wishing Happy Birthday and to celebrate the extraordinary career of an exceptional jurist, lawmaker, and public servant, Judge U.W. Clemon, for his decades of service to the State of Alabama and this Nation.