Detroit, MI - Congressman John Conyers, Jr. Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee issued the following statement following the death of Congresswoman Juanita Millender-McDonald (D-CA):

I wish to express my deepest condolences to the family of Juanita Millender- McDonald. Congresswoman Juanita Millender-McDonald will long be remembered as a trailblazer and a visionary.

 Congresswoman McDonald was the embodiment of determination. She was never content to do an adequate job at any of the tasks she undertook. Her commitment to excellence led her to achieve a series of political firsts including becoming the first African American to give the Democratic response to President Bush’s weekly radio address, the first African-American woman to serve on the Carson City Council and the first African-American woman to serve as chairwoman for two powerful California State Assembly Committees (Insurance; and Revenue & Taxation) in her first term.

As the first African American woman to hold the distinguished position of Ranking Member on the powerful Committee on House Administration she fought tirelessly to end election fraud and insure that every American had the right to cast their ballot and have their vote count. I have no doubt that she would have accomplished even greater things during her tenure as chairwoman of that committee.

In 1997 readers of Glamour Magazine identified Congresswoman McDonald as a woman that would change the world, little did they know how much. The passing of Congresswoman McDonald has left a void that will not be easily filled. The world has lost a great leader and I have lost a dear friend.

 ##04-23-2007##