Norton Celebrates the Life of Former Congressman Parren Mitchell (5/29/07)
Norton Celebrates the Life of Former Congressman Parren Mitchell
May 29, 2007
Washington, DC-Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) today released the following statement on the passing of former Maryland Representative Parren Mitchell:
"Our country has lost a great public servant with the passing of Parren Mitchell, a man of great commitment and sophistication I counted as a friend and role model. Parren Mitchell distinguished himself well beyond becoming Maryland's first African American member of Congress and a founding member of the Congressional Black Caucus. Most Americans who were ‘first' are remembered thereafter for little more than an important breakthroughs, but former Representative Mitchell's most memorable contributions were not only his ‘firsts.' Parren Mitchell was the father of equal opportunity in government contracting. He advanced equal opportunity beyond the familiar boundaries of jobs and voting into the un-chartered territory of economic competition from which African Americans had been wholly excluded. His 10 percent set aside federal legislation led to similar efforts in the states and localities and are still at work, eliminating discriminatory systems of awarding contracts with public dollars that excluded Blacks and others. Parren Mitchell died with the knowledge that his work has now reached to all who experience public contracting discrimination, with Disadvantaged Business Enterprise programs now addressing contracting discrimination against all socially and economically disadvantaged individuals.
"I cannot help but note that Parren's passing also marks the final passing of one of the 20th century's founding civil rights families. Parren's brother Clarence Mitchell, Jr. the late, influential head of the NAACP's Washington office was a major force in the passage of the major civil rights bills and his wife the late Juanita Jackson Mitchell was long the leader and counsel of the Maryland NAACP. Distinguished service doesn't run in genes but it certainly was a hallmark of the Mitchell family."