Monday, May 11, 2009

Julia may be gone, but...

the public is still being asked to support she and her family. Good grief. I think my contribution probably got lost in the mail.

Family remembers Julia Carson on Mother's Day
Updated: May 10, 2009 10:28 PM

Julia Carson's family remembered her Sunday at Crown Hill Cemetery.

A new monument is dedicated to Carson's memory.

Carson's signature is carved on the monument.
Cat Andersen/Eyewitness News

Indianapolis - A woman known as a political giant was remembered Sunday as a mother.

Congresswoman Julia Carson's family visited her gravesite at Crown Hill Cemetery with a gift - a custom-made monument.

"What'll grab you first is the heart that says 'We Love Julia'," said her grandson, Sam Carson, Jr. "That is her trademark."

"She is a loss. A void that can never be replaced in the family or in the community. She's an original," said .

"She was the kind of nurturing figure that was so necesary in this community," said her grandson Andre Carson, who holds his grandmother's seat in Congress.

Her family says the basis of Carson's political platform started in the home. They say she wrote the book on "kitchen table issues" before the term became political jargon.

"Every second was a sermon. It's amazing. You'll talk to her and she'll pause for a second to answer your question after careful thought and it'll be something you hold with you for the rest of your life," Sam Carson, Jr. said.

"She would always say, 'Keep your eye on the prize'," said Andre Carson. "It sounded so hokey at the time, but what a great piece of advice. Keep your eye on the prize despite distraction, despite demands, despite criticism, keep your eye on the prize in that the people of the 7th Congressional district are represented."

"She had a saying, 'If you ever look down on a person, extend a hand and pull them up," said her son, Sam Carson, Sr.

Her family says even when she went to Washington, Carson never stopped being a mother.

"She was a person that always spoke her mind," said Sam Carson, Jr. said. "She had a unique personality that would humble the mot pompous person."

They say it was because Carson herself was so humble.

"She always said, 'I'm just Julia'," said Sam Carson, Jr.

Carson's family says she was just like any other mom on the block, she just happened to be the one that took an entire district under her wing.

The family is accepting donations to finish the monument. The Julia Carson Memorial Fund is set up at Old National Bank.