Floor SpeechCeremonial2026-04-30

HONORING THE LIFE AND LEGACY OF THE HONORABLE MARY JO HAYWOOD

TaxesEducationSocial SecurityAgriculture

Context

On 2026-04-30, Representative Sanford D. Bishop, Jr. (D-GA-2) delivered a floor speech titled "HONORING THE LIFE AND LEGACY OF THE HONORABLE MARY JO HAYWOOD" in the House. The speech addressed taxes and also covered education, Social Security.

Full Text

HONORING THE LIFE AND LEGACY OF THE HONORABLE MARY JO HAYWOOD

Congressional Record, Volume 172 Issue 76 (Thursday, April 30, 2026) [Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 76 (Thursday, April 30, 2026)] [Extensions of Remarks] [Pages E394-E395] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [ www.gpo.gov ] HONORING THE LIFE AND LEGACY OF THE HONORABLE MARY JO HAYWOOD ______ HON. SANFORD D. BISHOP, JR. of georgia in the house of representatives Thursday, April 30, 2026 Mr. BISHOP. Mr. Speaker, I rise today with a heavy heart and the deepest respect to honor the life and legacy of the Honorable Mary Jo Haywood of Camilla, Georgia--a servant-leader whose faith, courage, and tireless work transformed a community and lifted countless lives. A funeral service to celebrate her remarkable and dedicated life will be held on Saturday, May 2, 2026, at the Open Door Church of Praise in Camilla, Georgia. Mayor Mary Jo Haywood's story is the story of this Nation at its best: a life shaped by faith and duty, tested by hardship, and fulfilled through relentless service. Born in 1948, she carried the values of Oak Grove Missionary Baptist Church into every role she embraced--as a devoted Sunday School teacher, a mentor, a paralegal advocating for the most vulnerable, a civic leader, and a history- making mayor. Her faith was not private sentiment but public action: she taught, organized, wrote, counseled, and stood watch so that others might find justice and dignity. She was a daughter who bore loss with courage, a single mother who raised a brilliant daughter, Dr. Chanta M. Haywood, and a loving grandmother whose pride in Jordan, [[Page E395]] Logan, and Kalen was visible in every warm story she told. She was a guardian to nieces and nephews, a trusted confidante to friends, and a pillar for a community that came to depend upon her steady hand and fearless voice. Professionally, Mayor Haywood was a relentless advocate for equity. As a senior paralegal and later a self-employed practitioner specializing in Social Security disability cases, she stood with those denied a fair chance. She helped open the first Black law firm in Camilla, forging a path for justice where there had been barriers. In the NAACP, in voter drives, in fundraising for families shattered by tragedy, and in campaigns for fairness in city employment, Mayor Haywood's leadership moved people to action and moved systems toward justice. In 2007, history was made as she became the first woman and the first African American elected mayor of Camilla. She wore both distinctions not as trophies but as responsibilities--to ensure transparency, accountability, and equal opportunity for every resident. Her term as mayor, and her continued civic engagement afterward, changed the civic fabric of Camilla for the better. In 2024, the city rightfully honored her by dedicating the Honorable Mary Jo Haywood Council Chambers, a testament to a life that taught us how public service should be practiced. Mayor Haywood's work reached beyond policy: she was a keeper of memory. For years, she maintained a quiet vigil remembering the victims of the 1868 Camilla Massacre, refusing to let their names be lost to time. She championed the legacy of Georgia B. ``Miss Bea'' Williams, ensuring that the midwife who delivered thousands--in an era of segregation and exclusion--received the recognition and dignity she deserved. Her honors were many, yet she remained the same humble servant who believed that the truest measure of life is how it is devoted to others. From induction into the Southern Rural Black Women's Hall of Fame to recognition as a Woman of Distinction by the Georgia NAACP, she accepted accolades with gratitude and returned them to her community through continued work and mentorship. Today we mourn a devoted daughter, mother, grandmother, aunt, friend, and stateswoman. We grieve the passing of a woman who taught us that persistence, faith, and love are powerful forces for change. We give thanks for the guidance she offered, the doors she opened, and the lives she touched. Her extended family, and the people of Camilla who called her mayor and mentor, should know that their loss is felt across Georgia and beyond. We join them in sorrow, and we pledge to carry forward the values she embodied: service without hesitation, courage in the face of injustice, and an unshakable belief in the dignity of every person. Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues in the U.S. House of Representatives to join my wife, Vivian, and me, along with the more than 765,000 people of Georgia's 2nd Congressional District in honoring the life and legacy of Mayor Mary Jo Haywood. Mary Jo Haywood believed, as she lived, that God had a plan. By that grace and by her work, she became what she was called to be--a leader who opened pathways for others to follow. May her memory be a blessing, and may her life continue to inspire us to build communities of fairness, compassion, and opportunity. ____________________

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HONORING THE LIFE AND LEGACY OF THE HONORABLE MARY JO HAYWOOD Congressional Record, Volume 172 Issue 76 (Thursday, April 30, 2026) [Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 76 (Thursday, April 30, 2026)] [Extensions of Remarks] [Pages E394-E395] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [ www.gpo.gov ] HONORING THE LIFE AND LEGACY OF THE HONORABLE MARY JO HAYWOOD ______ HON. SANFORD D. BISHOP, JR. of georgia in the house of representatives Thursday, April 30, 2026 Mr. BISHOP. Mr. Speaker, I rise today with a heavy heart and the deepest respect to honor the life and legacy of the Honorable Mary Jo Haywood of Camilla, Georgia--a servant-leader whose faith, courage, and tireless work transformed a community and lifted countless lives. A funeral service to celebrate her remarkable and dedicated life will be held on Saturday, May 2, 2026, at the Open Door Church of Praise in Camilla, Georgia. Mayor Mary Jo Haywood's story is the story of this Nation at its best: a life shaped by faith and duty, tested by hardship, and fulfilled through relentless service. Born in 1948, she carried the values of Oak Grove Missionary Baptist Church into every role she embraced--as a devoted Sunday School teacher, a mentor, a paralegal advocating for the most vulnerable, a civic leader, and a history- making mayor. Her faith was not private sentiment but public action: she taught, organized, wrote, counseled, and stood watch so that others might find justice and dignity. She was a daughter who bore loss with courage, a single mother who raised a brilliant daughter, Dr. Chanta M. Haywood, and a loving grandmother whose pride in Jordan, [[Page E395]] Logan, and Kalen was visible in every warm story she told. She was a guardian to nieces and nephews, a trusted confidante to friends, and a pillar for a community that came to depend upon her steady hand and fearless voice. Professionally, Mayor Haywood was a relentless advocate for equity. As a senior paralegal and later a self-employed practitioner specializing in Social Security disability cases, she stood with those denied a fair chance. She helped open the first Black law firm in Camilla, forging a path for justice where there had been barriers. In the NAACP, in voter drives, in fundraising for families shattered by tragedy, and in campaigns for fairness in city employment, Mayor Haywood's leadership moved people to action and moved systems toward justice. In 2007, history was made as she became the first woman and the first African American elected mayor of Camilla. She wore both distinctions not as trophies but as responsibilities--to ensure transparency, accountability, and equal opportunity for every resident. Her term as mayor, and her continued civic engagement afterward, changed the civic fabric of Camilla for the better. In 2024, the city rightfully honored her by dedicating the Honorable Mary Jo Haywood Council Chambers, a testament to a life that taught us how public service should be practiced. Mayor Haywood's work reached beyond policy: she was a keeper of memory. For years, she maintained a quiet vigil remembering the victims of the 1868 Camilla Massacre, refusing to let their names be lost to time. She championed the legacy of Georgia B. ``Miss Bea'' Williams, ensuring that the midwife who delivered thousands--in an era of segregation and exclusion--received the recognition and dignity she deserved. Her honors were many, yet she remained the same humble servant who believed that the truest measure of life is how it is devoted to others. From induction into the Southern Rural Black Women's Hall of Fame to recognition as a Woman of Distinction by the Georgia NAACP, she accepted accolades with gratitude and returned them to her community through continued work and mentorship. Today we mourn a devoted daughter, mother, grandmother, aunt, friend, and stateswoman. We grieve the passing of a woman who taught us that persistence, faith, and love are powerful forces for change. We give thanks for the guidance she offered, the doors she opened, and the lives she touched. Her extended family, and the people of Camilla who called her mayor and mentor, should know that their loss is felt across Georgia and beyond. We join them in sorrow, and we pledge to carry forward the values she embodied: service without hesitation, courage in the face of injustice, and an unshakable belief in the dignity of every person. Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues in the U.S. House of Representatives to join my wife, Vivian, and me, along with the more than 765,000 people of Georgia's 2nd Congressional District in honoring the life and legacy of Mayor Mary Jo Haywood. Mary Jo Haywood believed, as she lived, that God had a plan. By that grace and by her work, she became what she was called to be--a leader who opened pathways for others to follow. May her memory be a blessing, and may her life continue to inspire us to build communities of fairness, compassion, and opportunity. ____________________