The historic life and legacy of the late Congressman William “Bill” Clay Sr. will be celebrated during a public memorial service at 11 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 18, at the Blanche M. Touhill Performing Arts Center on the University of Missouri-St. Louis campus.

Clay, who died July 17 following a lengthy illness, was the first Black member of Congress elected from Missouri and a founding member of the Congressional Black Caucus.

“Congressman Clay helped build the CBC into a force for equity and accountability in American democracy,” U.S. Rep. Yvette Clarke of New York, chair of the CBC, said after Clay’s death. “As a member of Congress, he was a fierce defender of labor rights, education and social justice.”

A native of St. Louis, Clay earned a bachelor’s degree in history and political scienc

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