The Life of Reverend Dr. Wallace Hartsfield, Sr.

Floor Speech

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Mr. CLEAVER. Madam Speaker, it is with a heavy heart that I rise today to honor the life and memory of the late Reverend Dr. Wallace Hartsfield, Sr., a prominent religious and civil rights leader who devoted his life to the uplifting of mankind. Rev. Hartsfield's passion for community was only rivaled by the fierce adoration he had for his wife, four children, and many grandchildren. On Thursday, January 23, 2020, Rev. Hartsfield passed away after a deeply inspiring ninety years of life.

Born on November 13, 1929 in Atlanta, Georgia, Rev. Hartsfield was an only child, raised by his mother in Jacksonville, Florida. Reverend Hartsfield proudly served his country, completing a three-year tour of duty with the United States Armed Services in the Philippines before going on to attend Clark College, where he graduated in 1954. Rev. Hartsfield later earned his Master of Divinity from Gammon Theological Seminary and went on to serve churches in South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, and Wichita before settling in Kansas City. He served as senior pastor of Metropolitan Missionary Baptist Church, one of Kansas City's largest African-American churches, from 1962 to 1968 and again from 1972 until his retirement in 2008. Rev. Hartsfield's son, Pastor Wallace S. Hartsfield, II succeeded his father's tenure at Metropolitan Missionary Baptist and continues the legacy of faith and leadership that his father established.

In connection to his lengthy and dedicated career of spiritual work, Rev. Hartsfield played a crucial role in the civil rights movement. Growing up in the segregated south, he was no stranger to the dark and deeply painful realities of our nation's history. Rev. Hartsfield committed himself to the fight for a more just world, using the negative experiences he endured and witnessed as motivation in the fight for equality and a better life for African Americans. Marching alongside Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and working with Reverend Jesse Jackson on the PUSH campaign to improve economic opportunities for African Americans, Rev. Hartsfield embodied true leadership, compassion, and activism.

In all that he approached, Rev. Hartsfield did so with a fervent passion and steadfast desire for change. By serving on local, regional, and national boards, including as Chairman of the Congress of National Black Churches and President of the Baptist Ministers Union, creating the Concerned Clergy Coalition in an effort to combat crime, and leading a multi-million dollar campaign for Kansas City health centers, Rev. Hartsfield proved time and time again that he was truly a man of unparalleled dedication.

As an unwavering voice for doing what was morally just, Rev. Hartsfield helped to positively shape the future for generations to come. By serving as a beacon of light through dark moments in our history and ushering in hope in times of hopelessness, Rev. Hartsfield leaves behind a monumental legacy of service, courage, and perseverance.

Madam Speaker, please join Missouri's Fifth Congressional District in honoring the life of Reverend Dr. Wallace Hartsfield, Sr. Let us carry forth with the same sense of duty and compassion of Rev. Hartsfield, always remembering his profound words: ``I may not have the power to change things, but I can be a voice for change.''

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