Adams' Bill Honoring Julius Chambers Signed into Law
H.R. 4981 is Adams’ second bill to rename a US Post Office facility after a civil rights icon to be enacted, joining a 2016 measure to rename the Center City Post Office in Winston-Salem, North Carolina after the poet Maya Angelou.
Washington, D.C. – A bill introduced by Congresswoman Alma S. Adams, Ph.D., (NC-12) to name a Charlotte Post Office in honor of civil rights legend Julius Chambers passed the Senate and was signed into law by President Donald Trump last night. H.R. 4981 is Adams' second bill to rename a US Post Office facility after a civil rights icon to be enacted, joining a 2016 measure to rename the Center City Post Office in Winston-Salem, North Carolina after the poet Maya Angelou.
In a February speech on the bill, Adams said, "my state and our nation are undoubtedly better for the life of Julius L. Chambers. During this Black History Month, I hope that my colleagues will join me in voting in favor of this legislation and help me honor this civil rights legend in a community he worked so hard to improve."
"I'd like to first thank Congresswoman Adams for making this great honor of dedication happen," said Derrick Chambers, son of Julius Chambers, "On behalf of the Chambers Family we are humbled and thankful for this great honor."
Robert Keene, chair of the Chambers-McCain Foundation, provided the following quotes in celebration of the passage of the bill:
Julius Chambers' longtime partner and friend, James Ferguson said, "I've seen him upset at things that were not right, at injustice, but it was never a personal kind of thing. He didn't have the focus or time to hate. He was too busy trying to make things better for people who needed help."
"My father had worked on this gentleman's tractor trailer. My father was a mechanic. This gentleman would not pay him, and no lawyer in North Carolina would represent my father in suing this leading white citizen of my community," said Julius Chambers in 2002, reflecting on growing up in Montgomery County, North Carolina. That experience became the driving force in his life's pursuit of justice.
North Carolina Representative Brandon Lofton said, "I moved to Charlotte to work for Julius Chambers. He taught me how to practice law. More importantly, he showed me what service looks like. He worked tirelessly with an unfailing optimism that we could make things better. His work changed our nation for the better and I am grateful Congress is honoring his legacy."
H.R. 4981 designates the US Post Office facility at 2505 Derita Avenue in Charlotte, North Carolina as the Julius L. Chambers Civil Rights Memorial Post Office. The post office is in North Carolina's 12th Congressional District; for reference, it is located in State Senate District 38 (Mohammad), State House District 107 (Alexander), County Commission District 3 (Chair Dunlap), and City Council District 4 (Johnson).
This is Adams' second bill that has been signed into law during the 116th Congress. As of press time, Adams is one of only 20 Members of the House of Representatives who have had two or more stand-alone bills signed into law this year.
Congresswoman Alma Adams represents North Carolina's 12th Congressional District (Charlotte) and serves as Vice Chair of the House Committee on Agriculture. Additionally, she serves on the House Financial Services Committee and the House Education & Labor Committee, where she serves as Chair of the Workforce Protections Subcommittee. She is a leader on Postal Service issues in the House of Representatives, and she was the first Member of Congress to call on Postmaster General Louis DeJoy to resign.