HONORING LIFE OF BISHOP McKINLEY B. JOHNSON

On 2026-07-23, Representative Paul Tonko (D-NY-20) delivered a floor speech titled "HONORING LIFE OF BISHOP McKINLEY B. JOHNSON" in the House.

HONORING LIFE OF BISHOP McKINLEY B. JOHNSON

Congressional Record, Volume 172 Issue 121 (Thursday, July 23, 2026) [Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 121 (Thursday, July 23, 2026)] [House] [Page H5191] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [ www.gpo.gov ] {time} 1110 HONORING LIFE OF BISHOP McKINLEY B. JOHNSON (Mr. TONKO asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.) Mr. TONKO. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life and the legacy of Bishop McKinley B. Johnson, who passed away last week after seven decades of service to the Albany community as a faith leader and a powerful moral conscience. As his family said last week, Bishop Johnson always believed that ``the work of the Gospel and the work of justice were never separate errands.'' Through every step of his long and transformative career, Bishop Johnson personified these powerful ideals of justice and faith. From the pulpit of the Greater Saint Johns Church of God in Christ in Albany's South End, Bishop Johnson never hesitated to speak truth to power. Time after time, he and his wife, Sue, advocated fiercely for their beloved community and stood at the forefront of decades of struggles for civil rights and equality. While I join Bishop Johnson's many loved ones in mourning this tremendous loss for our community, I also know that his legacy will live on forever in the battles he fought, the changes he spurred, and the people he inspired. May his memory continue to be a blessing. ____________________