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R E S O L U T I O N
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WHEREAS, At the age of 109, Emma Primas of Houston ranks among |
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the most venerable Americans, and she delighted the president of |
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the United States by traveling to Washington, D.C., to meet him at |
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an Easter prayer breakfast held on April 7, 2015; and |
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WHEREAS, Born in Maynard on August 5, 1905, 15 years before |
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women's suffrage, Mrs. Primas has long exercised her right to vote, |
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and she paid poll taxes when she had to in order to make her voice |
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heard at the ballot box; she became a member of the NAACP and the |
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Progressive Civic Club, and in 2008, she did her part as a voter to |
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help Barack Obama become the nation's first African American |
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president; on the occasion of her visit to the White House, she was |
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rewarded with a kiss on the cheek from the leader of the free world; |
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and |
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WHEREAS, Mrs. Primas grew up in the country and helped with |
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every task on the family farm, learning the value of hard work, |
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discipline, prudence, and strong community relationships; she |
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began her formal education around the age of 10, and as a teenager, |
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she took after-school jobs washing dishes in homes; following her |
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marriage to Charlie Williams, she became the proud mother of a |
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daughter, Ella Bernice, and in 1938, she moved to Houston; and |
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WHEREAS, Hearing of better opportunities in California, |
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Mrs. Primas and her family relocated in 1943 to San Francisco, |
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where she worked as a server at the Sir Francis Drake Hotel and then |
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as a streetcar driver; she later became a school dietician and was |
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quickly put in charge of menus for five schools; all the while, she |
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managed her money carefully, and when she returned to Houston, she |
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opened a grocery store; she helped numerous customers during hard |
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times by allowing them to take what they needed and defer payment |
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until circumstances improved; in addition, she was a matron of the |
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Heroines of Jericho for 50 years and held many offices; and |
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WHEREAS, Mrs. Primas now shares a home with her |
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granddaughter, Denise Mickey; she is the oldest member of the |
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Houston Chapter of the National Council of Negro Women, and she is a |
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longtime member of First Shiloh Missionary Baptist Church; |
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moreover, she has continued to participate in community events, and |
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she remains a staunch advocate for the democratic process, urging |
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younger people to vote; and |
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WHEREAS, An inspiring role model, Emma Primas has earned the |
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deep admiration of her fellow citizens, and by sharing her |
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thoughtful perspectives on more than a century of change, she |
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enriches the lives of all who are privileged to know her; now, |
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therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 84th Texas |
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Legislature hereby honor Emma Primas for her contributions to her |
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community and extend to her sincere best wishes for continued |
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happiness; and, be it further |
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RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be |
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prepared for Mrs. Primas as an expression of high regard by the |
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Texas House of Representatives. |