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Congressional Daily Record
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March 27, 2026
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Download official House Record PDFReturn to issue contextMr. JACKSON of Illinois asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
Mr. JACKSON of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I rise today during Women's History Month with both reverence and sorrow to honor the life and legacy of Bettye Jean Mason Odom, a trailblazer whose recent passing marks the loss of a visionary leader and beloved pillar of the Chicago community.
In 1978, after studying in Paris, France, Mrs. Odom returned home with an idea: the concept of total skin care for the African-American community. She founded Bettye O, Incorporated, which has since become Chicago's premier and most imitated day spa. For more than four decades, her Hyde Park institution provided world-class wellness services, skin care, and affirmed the beauty and dignity of people of color through her groundbreaking Skins of Colour products.
Mrs. Odom's life is a remarkable tapestry of service and achievement. A graduate of Fisk University and Meharry Medical College, she served our Nation as a First Lieutenant in the United States Army Nurse Corps.
entrepreneur, and educator inspiring generations of young people through her lectures on confidence, purpose, and professional ambition.
Even into her later years, Mrs. Odom's light never dimmed. We celebrate her extraordinary life. We mourn her passing and give thanks for the profound and lasting impacts of Mrs. Bettye Odom.
Mrs. Odom is survived by her daughter, Lori Odom.
Mr. Speaker, may her memory continue to inspire all of us.