[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 60 (Thursday, April 6, 2017)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E484-E485]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




         HONORING THE LIFE AND LEGACY OF MR. LOLIS EDWARD ELIE

                                  _____
                                 

                        HON. CEDRIC L. RICHMOND

                              of louisiana

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, April 6, 2017

  Mr. RICHMOND. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life and legacy 
of Mr. Lolis Edward Elie, a prominent New Orleans, Louisiana civil 
rights lawyer, who passed away on April 4, 2017 at the age of 89.
  Mr. Elie was born on February 9, 1928 in New Orleans, Louisiana. He 
attended Gilbert Academy, a Methodist high school. After high school he 
did a six-month stint as a merchant seaman and wound up in New York 
City, where he was impressed by the music clubs and the Apollo Theater. 
To support himself, Mr. Elie did menial work such as shining shoes and 
delivering stationery.
  When the Korean conflict broke out, Mr. Elie was drafted into the 
Army and sent to California, where he was trained as a clerk. 
Afterward, he attended Howard University, and then transferred home to 
Dillard University, where he helped to organize a sizable student

[[Page E485]]

chapter of the NAACP. It was suspended in 1956 after the Legislature 
required civil rights groups to publicly reveal their membership lists, 
putting members at risk.
  In 1959, Mr. Elie received his law degree from Loyola University Law 
School, got an office on Dryades Street and opened what became the 
legendary firm of Collins, Douglas & Elie with Loyola Nils Douglas and 
Robert Collin.
  In 1960, Mr. Elie and his colleagues represented the New Orleans 
chapter of the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE) following a sit-in 
campaign. The case, centered on CORE chapter President Mr. Rudy Lombard 
and three others who were arrested for staging a sit-in protest, paved 
the way for a watershed decision that redefined racial justice in 
America. They appealed the case all the way to the United States 
Supreme Court which, in its decision, declared the city's ban on sit-
ins unconstitutional.
  Later in his career, Mr. Elie was one of seven supporters of the 
Freedom Riders who met with Attorney General Robert Kennedy, when 
Kennedy encouraged them to register black Southerners to vote to 
increase their political power. He also represented the `Deacons for 
Defense and Justice' in their negotiations with the Governor's office 
and Bogalusa City Council defending their right to self-defense.
  Mr. Elie remained active in New Orleans and continued to mentor the 
next generation of leaders through his training program for new black 
lawyers. Though he is no longer with us, his influence and example will 
live on through the many young black men and women who continue to be 
inspired by his legacy, myself included.
  Mr. Elie's survivors include his son Mr. Lolis Eric Elie, his 
daughter D. Migel Elizabeth Elie; three grandchildren; and three great-
grandchildren.
  Mr. Speaker, I celebrate the life and legacy of Mr. Lolis Edward 
Elie, a beloved husband, father, and grandfather.

                          ____________________