Sen. John McCain Visits Gee's Bend Quilters; Judge's Order Due April 24 in Gee's Bend Lawsuits

Senator John McCain on the campaign trail stopped by Gee's Bend, AL yesterday and enjoyed "Do Lord, Remember Me" sung by several Sistah quilters. You can hear them sing on this CBC video. Or, you can read the report and see the video from this link. Apparently, the Senator also left a check for the quilters:

“I have heard of this wonderful place and I know that it has a place in history. I know Dr. [Martin Luther] King was here before the march in Selma, so they stopped running the Ferry. Now the ferry is running and I intend to ride the ferry back,” he said. McCain then pulled a check from his wallet and handed it to the quilters, toured the facility and shopped," said Senator McCain.

Local news station WSFA Channel 12 reports the Senator purchased three quilts. The New York Times reports that quilts similar in the large size that the Senator purchased sale for $2,500 each. You can see the WSFA report on YouTube. You can also hear who the Sistah quilters and local leaders felt about this political visit.



More news should come from the Gee's Bend area later this week as Judge Bert W. Milling Jr. had given the parties in the cases of Young, Pettway, and Franklin until Thursday, April 24, 2008 to file "a joint status report on their efforts towards a global settlement of all three actions. Do share your thoughts on Senator McCain's visit to Gee's Bend!