HONORING WILEY PRICE

On 2026-02-04, Representative Wesley Bell (D-MO-1) delivered a floor speech titled "HONORING WILEY PRICE" in the House.

HONORING WILEY PRICE

Congressional Record, Volume 172 Issue 25 (Wednesday, February 4, 2026) [Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 25 (Wednesday, February 4, 2026)] [House] [Pages H2013-H2014] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [ www.gpo.gov ] HONORING WILEY PRICE (Mr. BELL asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.) Mr. BELL. Mr. Speaker, as we celebrate Black History Month, it feels right to honor someone who has spent a lifetime making sure Black history in St. Louis was seen, recorded, and remembered. [[Page H2014]] After more than 40 years, Wiley Price is retiring. For decades, Wiley documented St. Louis through the lens of The St. Louis American. That matters because Black St. Louis has not always been seen clearly or treated as central to this city's story. Wiley made sure it was. Wiley was there for the joy and the grief, from church basements and street corners, and for Presidents, moments of celebration, and moments of strife. While others passed through, Wiley stayed, year after year, building trust, bearing witness, and creating a record that cannot be erased. If someone wants to understand Black St. Louis over the last 40 years, they won't start with official reports or headlines written elsewhere. They will start with Wiley Price's photographs, which tell a story that could never be written. As he retires, he leaves behind more than images. He leaves behind a history of this city, told honestly and with care. His work will never fade, and St. Louis is a better place because of him. ____________________