Congressman Dwight Evans (PA-03) joined members of the late Congressman William H. Gray III’s family and fellow lawmakers today for the signing of a formal agreement with Amtrak for the renaming and memorial to Gray at 30th Street Station.
“This is a great day for Philadelphia, for Pennsylvania and for the nation! Congressman William H. Gray had a national and international impact, but he never forgot his North Philadelphia community or the people he represented back home,” Evans said.
“It has taken a cooperative effort by so many people to reach this point. Former Congressman Chaka Fattah moved the renaming bill through the House, and Senator Bob Casey was a strong supporter helping the bill to become law in 2014. The Gray Foundation and House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn have played important roles. I thank all of my Philadelphia and Pennsylvania colleagues who have supported this well-deserved honor for Bill Gray, and I thank everyone who has brought us to this moment.”
Evans, who was first elected to Congress in 2016, has worked with the Gray family and Pennsylvania colleagues for completion of the renaming and the memorial.
Justin Gray, son of the late congressman and chairman of the William H. Gray III Memorial Foundation, said, “We are so grateful for Congressman Evans’ partnership and great care for this process. His articulation of why there could be no further delay in memorializing Bill Gray’s legacy in and for our Philadelphia community was instrumental in helping the Gray Foundation reach agreement with Amtrak.”
Current House Majority Whip James E. Clyburn, D-S.C., said, “I thank Andrea and Justin Gray for their tenacity that brought us to this important day. I am proud to have played a role in helping them secure the naming of 30th Street Station in Philadelphia in honor of their husband’s and father’s legacy. Throughout my political career, Bill Gray was there to support my efforts. He joined me when I launched my campaign in Florence in 1992. He literally passed the ‘whip’ to me when I became the second African American to serve as House Majority Whip in 2007. He deserves this recognition.”
Evans said, “When the memorial is complete, the tens of thousands of people who pass through or work at Gray 30th Street Station will have the opportunity to remember or learn for the first time, the gift of Gray’s service to our city, our nation, and the world. I look forward to seeing the memorial to Gray’s service to his Bright Hope Baptist Church family and the North Philadelphia community, the barriers he broke for African Americans in the U.S. Congress; his fights for funding Amtrak; his immense contribution to ending apartheid in South Africa; and so much more.
“Gray 30th Station will be a memorial to a great man, and it will symbolize the ethic of using one’s personal station and power for good, as he always did. No matter where we find ourselves, we may help another, and indeed, that is our duty.”
Evans represents the 3rd Congressional District, which includes Northwest and West Philadelphia and parts of North, South, Southwest and Center City Philadelphia.
