Correspondent
I Messenger Media
DALLAS — Community members, elected officials, family, and educators gathered recently in Dallas at Gilley’s Music Hall, to honor a long-time legislator with the unveiling of the Eddie Bernice Johnson Memorial Highway, celebrating her decades of public service and trailblazing legacy.
Johnson, who represented North Texas for five decades, was remembered not only as the first registered nurse elected to Congress but also as a fierce advocate for education, science, and equity.
Speakers highlighted her reputation for diligence and compassion, noting her many firsts: the first Black woman from Dallas elected to public office, the first African American and first woman to chair the House Committee on Science, and a leader who secured $700 million in federal grants to expand Dallas’ light rail system to Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport.
“Eddie Bernice Johnson, for me, was my hero. Growing up, she worked at the Dallas VA with my mother,” said Diane Ragsdale, former Dallas Deputy Mayor Pro Tem…