Floor SpeechCeremonial2026-06-11

HONORING THE LIFE AND LEGACY OF BENJAMIN SWAN, SR.

HousingCrime & JusticeCivil Rights

Context

On 2026-06-11, Representative Richard E. Neal (D-MA-1) delivered a floor speech titled "HONORING THE LIFE AND LEGACY OF BENJAMIN SWAN, SR." in the House.

Full Text

HONORING THE LIFE AND LEGACY OF BENJAMIN SWAN, SR.

Congressional Record, Volume 172 Issue 99 (Thursday, June 11, 2026) [Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 99 (Thursday, June 11, 2026)] [Extensions of Remarks] [Page E566] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [ www.gpo.gov ] HONORING THE LIFE AND LEGACY OF BENJAMIN SWAN, SR. ______ HON. RICHARD E. NEAL of massachusetts in the house of representatives Thursday, June 11, 2026 Mr. NEAL. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the remarkable life and legacy of Benjamin Swan, Sr., a son of the Civil Rights Movement, a champion of our great Commonwealth, and one of the most consequential figures western Massachusetts has ever produced. Born in 1933, Ben spent the next 92 years proving that one person, committed to justice and rooted in community, can change the arc of a city. From the marches of the 1960s, where he proudly stood alongside Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., to the great halls of the Massachusetts State House, where he served the people of Springfield for more than two decades, Ben Swan never stopped pushing and never stopped believing that this country could live up to its great promise. When Ben came to Springfield, he made it his own. He led the Greater Springfield NAACP. He championed desegregation in schools. He fought for police reform. He stood up for the homeless, the working poor, and every constituent who walked through his door or stopped him on the street. He served in the Massachusetts House of Representatives from 1995 to 2017, and during that time, he became not only a good legislator but also a mentor. Elected officials across this region trace their path to public service back to a conversation with Ben Swan. He gave people the courage to run, the wisdom to serve, and the living example of how to do it with grace. Springfield named a street for him. Springfield named a school for him. Those are extraordinary honors, and yet no honor will ever adequately reflect his legacy. The truest monument to Ben is the generations of leaders he inspired and the constituents whose lives he forever changed. Mr. Speaker, I ask you and my colleagues to join me in recognizing the extraordinary life and service of Benjamin Swan, Sr. My thoughts and prayers are with his family and loved ones during this difficult time. Ben Swan gave everything he had to this community, and it is this community that will carry his legacy forward. ____________________

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HONORING THE LIFE AND LEGACY OF BENJAMIN SWAN, SR. Congressional Record, Volume 172 Issue 99 (Thursday, June 11, 2026) [Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 99 (Thursday, June 11, 2026)] [Extensions of Remarks] [Page E566] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [ www.gpo.gov ] HONORING THE LIFE AND LEGACY OF BENJAMIN SWAN, SR. ______ HON. RICHARD E. NEAL of massachusetts in the house of representatives Thursday, June 11, 2026 Mr. NEAL. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the remarkable life and legacy of Benjamin Swan, Sr., a son of the Civil Rights Movement, a champion of our great Commonwealth, and one of the most consequential figures western Massachusetts has ever produced. Born in 1933, Ben spent the next 92 years proving that one person, committed to justice and rooted in community, can change the arc of a city. From the marches of the 1960s, where he proudly stood alongside Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., to the great halls of the Massachusetts State House, where he served the people of Springfield for more than two decades, Ben Swan never stopped pushing and never stopped believing that this country could live up to its great promise. When Ben came to Springfield, he made it his own. He led the Greater Springfield NAACP. He championed desegregation in schools. He fought for police reform. He stood up for the homeless, the working poor, and every constituent who walked through his door or stopped him on the street. He served in the Massachusetts House of Representatives from 1995 to 2017, and during that time, he became not only a good legislator but also a mentor. Elected officials across this region trace their path to public service back to a conversation with Ben Swan. He gave people the courage to run, the wisdom to serve, and the living example of how to do it with grace. Springfield named a street for him. Springfield named a school for him. Those are extraordinary honors, and yet no honor will ever adequately reflect his legacy. The truest monument to Ben is the generations of leaders he inspired and the constituents whose lives he forever changed. Mr. Speaker, I ask you and my colleagues to join me in recognizing the extraordinary life and service of Benjamin Swan, Sr. My thoughts and prayers are with his family and loved ones during this difficult time. Ben Swan gave everything he had to this community, and it is this community that will carry his legacy forward. ____________________