Paul Tonko, NY
Linked statement
“I am honoring Bishop McKinley B. Johnson, who died last week. He served the Albany community for 70 years as a religious leader and fought for civil rights.”
“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.”
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.