A resolution recognizing the life and accomplishments of Desmond Mpilo Tutu, South African Anglican Archbishop of Cape Town, and Nobel Peace Prize recipient.

Madam Speaker, let me, first of all, thank my distinguished colleague, the manager of the bill and a distinguished member of the Foreign Affairs Committee, Chairman Faleomavaega, for the very kind words that he has offered; and to the ranking member of the Foreign Affairs Committee, Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, for her supporting words; and chiefly two very important persons who have assisted in this legislation, Chairman Lantos for his support and the very excellent committee staff that have supported us, along with our dear subcommittee Chair, Donald Payne, who is renowned for his commitment to Africa, and certainly we appreciate his friendship and support of this legislation.

Might I acknowledge the cosponsors who were eager to join to recognize this distinguished but bountiful with words and compassion in his small package of a man but yet his gigantic heart, mind, and spirit, Bishop Mpilo Tutu, who, as you can see, is a man that commands thousands for his vision.

We are proud to be able to, nearing the 76th birthday, acknowledge his 75th birthday and his 75th year. So might I also express appreciation for my staff, Yahannus Tsahani and Nina Besser, for their help in this legislation.

Let me say to you, Madam Speaker, that Archbishop Tutu was not lost with words or passion. He said, ``I am not interested in picking up crumbs of compassion thrown from the table of someone who considers himself my master. I want the full menu of rights.'' He is a man of immense courage and vision. He has long served as the moral voice of the oppressed populations. No one who has ever met, spoken to, or worked with Archbishop Tutu is the same afterwards.

He is, of course, linked with Father Mandela, arm in arm as Father Mandela maintained his life and his integrity for 29 years. It was Bishop Tutu who had a voice, steering the religious and faith community away from its closed attitude to open to the Beatitudes, that, in fact, ``Blessed are the merciful for they shall obtain mercy.'' Bishop Tutu believed in that.

As a tireless advocate for ending discrimination, Desmond Tutu's career is truly extraordinary. In 1975 he became the first black African Dean of Mary's Cathedral in Johannesburg, South Africa. From 1976 to 1978, he served as the Secretary-General of the South African Council of Churches, once again being the first black African to do so. He went on to head South Africa's Truth and Reconciliation Commission from 1996 to 1998, investigating prior apartheid-related crimes.

It would be interesting if we were at that point in Iraq, but we must set the picture of what it means to bring together a commission that addresses the pain and hurt, brutality and devastation of black Africans, South Africans, at the hands of apartheid. It was not easy. It would have been better to sit in accusatory fashion, point fingers, and never resolve. But it was the calm demeanor, the spirit, the religious faith of Bishop Tutu that allowed this process to go forward and to allow it to go forward as others have now looked back and said, well done, well done.

Archbishop Tutu is perhaps best known for his courageous opposition to the internationally condemned apartheid regime that persisted in his homeland until democratic elections were finally held in 1994. It was for his nonviolent struggle in opposition to apartheid that he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1984 in recognition of his courage, heroism, and peaceful methods. The Nobel committee called him a ``unifying leader-figure in the campaign to resolve the problem of apartheid in South Africa.'' The committee went on to state, ``the means by which this campaign is conducted is of vital importance for the whole of the continent of Africa and for the cause of peace in the world.'' In a press release discussing the award, the Nobel committee wrote, ``This year's award should be seen as a renewed recognition of the courage and heroism shown by black South Africans in their use of peaceful methods in the struggle against apartheid.''

How wonderful it would be if the conflicts around the world and in the Middle East would follow this straight and narrow path of a peaceful opposition.

``This recognition is also directed to all who throughout the world use such methods to stand in the vanguard of

the campaign for racial equality as a human right.''

In recognition of his vast intellectual ability, Desmond Tutu has received numerous honorary doctorates from several universities, including Harvard, Kent, Columbia, Aberdeen, and Howard. Let me also indicate as well that he has won the Order of Meritorious Gold Award; the Martin Luther King, Jr. Nonviolent Peace Prize; and a number of others.

He has also been a survivor of cancer. He is someone who has never stopped teaching, working, and understanding.

And for those of us who are products of America's civil rights movement, I thought would be appropriate to bring to light and to attention the reflection of two giants: Rosa Parks and Archbishop Tutu, to bring together the trials and tribulations, the struggles of African Americans in the United States with someone who fully understood what struggle was all about.

I am delighted to join with my colleagues asking for your full support in honoring Archbishop Desmond Mpilo Tutu, a man who stood between the schism of two oceans, bringing America and Africa together through the idea of unity, peace, generosity, justice, and opportunity for all.

Congratulations, Bishop Tutu. I ask my colleagues to support this legislation.

Madam Speaker, I rise in strong support of H. Res. 34, which honors the life and accomplishments of Desmond Mpilo Tutu, South African Archbishop of Cape Town and recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize. I have been pleased to work with the Committee on Foreign Affairs on this important legislation, and I would like to thank Chairman Lantos for his support for this legislation.

Madam Speaker, Archbishop Tutu once stated, ``I am not interested in picking up crumbs of compassion thrown from the table of someone who considers himself my master. I want the full menu of rights.'' He is a man of immense courage and vision, and he has long served as the moral voice of oppressed populations. No one who has ever met, spoken to, or worked with Archbishop Tutu is the same afterwards.

As a tireless advocate of ending discrimination, Desmond Tutu's career is truly extraordinary. In 1975, he became the first black African Dean of Mary's Cathedral, in Johannesburg, South Africa. From 1976-1978, he served as the Secretary-General of the South African Council of Churches; once again, being the first black African to do so. He went on to head South Africa's Truth and Reconciliation Commission from 1996-1998, investigating prior apartheid related crimes.

Archbishop Tutu is perhaps best known for his courageous opposition to the internationally-condemned apartheid regime that persisted in his homeland until democratic elections were finally held in 1994. It was for his non-violent struggle in opposition to apartheid that he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1984, in recognition of his courage, heroism, and peaceful methods. The Nobel committee called him a ``unifying leader-figure in the campaign to resolve the problem of apartheid in South Africa.'' The committee went on to state, ``the means by which this campaign is conducted is of vital importance for the whole of the continent of Africa and for the cause of peace in the world.'' In a press release discussing the award, the Nobel committee wrote, ``This year's award should be seen as a renewed recognition of the courage and heroism shown by black South Africans in their use of peaceful methods in the struggle against apartheid. This recognition is also directed to all who, throughout the world, use such methods to stand in the vanguard of the campaign for racial equality as a human right.''

In recognition of his vast intellectual ability, Desmond Tutu has received numerous honorary doctorates from several universities including Harvard, Kent, Colombia, Aberdeen, and Howard. In addition to the Nobel Peace Prize, Archbishop Tutu has received numerous other prestigious awards, including the Order of Meritorious Gold Award, Martin Luther King, Jr. Non-Violent Peace Prize, the Archbishop of Canterbury's Award for Outstanding Service to the Anglican Communion, Prix d'Athene, Albert Schweitzer Prize for Humanitarianism, Maguebela Prize for Liberty, as well as the International Gandhi Peace Prize.

Archbishop Desmond Mpilo Tutu will celebrate his 76th birthday on October 7, 2007. This legislation recognizes this important date, honors his accomplishments, and extols the contributions that he has made to South Africa, the United States, and to the international community.

I strongly urge my colleagues to join me in recognizing the life and accomplishments of this truly extraordinary man. I conclude with another quote from Archbishop Tutu: ``If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor. If an elephant has its foot on the tail of a mouse and you say that you are neutral, the mouse will not appreciate your neutrality.'' Archbishop Tutu has spent his life in defense of the mouse, and his work has proven that, with proper pressure and leverage, the elephant can be forced to move.

Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 34) recognizing the 75th birthday of Desmond Mpilo Tutu, South African Anglican Archbishop of Cape Town, and Nobel Peace Prize recipient, as amended.

Madam Speaker, again I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the resolution under consideration.

Madam Speaker, I rise in strong support of this resolution and yield myself such time as I may consume.

First of all, I would like again to thank our distinguished chairman of the committee, the gentleman from California (Mr. Lantos), and our senior ranking member of the committee, the gentlelady from Florida (Ms. Ros-Lehtinen) for their support in bringing this legislation to the floor.

I would particularly like to thank my distinguished colleague, the chief sponsor of this legislation, the gentlelady from Texas (Ms. Jackson-Lee) for introducing this important resolution to honor Archbishop Desmond Tutu of South Africa for his lifetime of human rights work.

Madam Speaker, Archbishop Tutu is unquestionably one of the most important and accomplished advocates of human rights and peace on the face of this planet. In the past few years, Bishop Tutu has worked tirelessly to promote religious freedom and self-sovereignty around the world, using his reputation and his work in South Africa as a launching pad to do good. For instance, he has worked to highlight the horrendous human rights situation in Burma and repeatedly called on the Burmese Government to free the champion of democracy there, Aung San Suu Kyi.

But of all his work for humankind, he is perhaps best known for chairing the South Africa Peace and Reconciliation Commission after the scourge of apartheid ended in that nation.

Under the rule of the Afrikaner Nationalist Party, black South Africans were subjected to unspeakable dehumanizing social policies and draconian laws. These terrible measures separated families, denied a decent education to millions of children, and forced hundreds of thousands from their homes into segregated territories, or bantustans.

Given the nature of the oppression, South Africa could have been a country washed in blood by black Africans seeking revenge once white minority rule ended. But through his characteristic patience and wisdom, Bishop Tutu helped guide South Africans, black, brown and white, through a national process of reconciliation, a forum where the horrors of apartheid were told by both victims and perpetrators. And most importantly, there was no retribution, only truth and reconciliation.

Bishop Tutu and his colleagues traveled throughout South Africa, from village to village, and allowed apartheid's victims to speak as long as they needed to tell their stories. For days at a time he sat and listened to stories of the hellish nightmare innocent victims of apartheid had to endure.

The process of simply telling proved an enormous healing experience for individuals in the South African nation. And the stories have been archived so that South Africans in the future can know their past and can appreciate their present.

This effort, and his spiritual leadership throughout the trying times of his nation made Bishop Tutu an international hero. He is a human rights

champion and has been the winner of numerous awards, including the prestigious Nobel Peace Prize in 1984.

Madam Speaker, as we celebrate Bishop Tutu's 76th birthday next month, we should be mindful of the lessons he has brought in his service to mankind, particularly in this troubling time when human rights violations are still so widespread around the world.

As he said famously in his Nobel Peace acceptance speech, ``Oppression dehumanizes the oppressor as much as, if not more, the oppressed.''

That axiom, to me, Madam Speaker, is a profound admonition to tyrants around the world.

And I cannot help, Madam Speaker, but to say that if you say something about Bishop Tutu, you have to add his colleague, Nelson Mandela. Now here was a man that was in prison for 29 years, almost 30 years. And you would think that there is nothing on his mind than to seek vengeance and retribution against what the apartheid government did to him for all those years, but instead, as far as I'm concerned, the most Christ-like person that has ever come out of that prison, Mr. Mandela, and for the leadership that he displayed in bringing all different factions, nationalities and ethnicities in South Africa together to build a good nation.

I remember years ago, Madam Speaker, the World Cup. I don't know if my colleagues are familiar with the sport of rugby, but the World Cup rugby tournament is on in France right now. Years ago, the all-black rugby national team representing New Zealand had a very difficult time playing against the Spring Boks from South Africa, especially if they had an Amari Polynesian or a Samoan Polynesian as a member of that all- blacks team. The Spring Boks of South Africa refused to play the all- blacks of New Zealand simply because there are two people of color that are members of the team representing New Zealand. They got the two countries pretty heated at times. There was no question about the bigotry and the racism that existed at that time as far as apartheid is concerned.

Madam Speaker, today we honor Bishop Desmond Tutu and all that he represents, and I call on my colleagues to vote to support this important legislation.

Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

I thank my colleague and dear friend from Florida for her statement in support of this resolution.

At this time, Madam Speaker, it is with pleasure that I yield 5 minutes to my good friend, the chief sponsor of this proposed bill, the gentlewoman from Texas, senior member of the Judiciary Committee and also a member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee (Ms. Jackson-Lee).

(Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas asked and was given permission to revise and extend her remarks.)

Madam Speaker, it is my honor to yield 5 minutes to my good friend and senior member of our Foreign Affairs Committee, the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Payne).

Madam Speaker, I have no further speakers on this proposed bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, as my good friend and colleague, Representative Eddie Bernice Johnson, has already stated, House Concurrent Resolution 34 honors the life of Dr. Percy Lavon Julian, a pioneer in organic chemistry, research and development.

Dr. Julian identified and synthesized, and my trusty assistant had to tell me how to pronounce it, physostigmine. I should know that from medical school. Dr. Julian, though, synthesized that, and it is a drug used to treat glaucoma. I think we all know about glaucoma and the ravages of that, particularly with our elderly, more recently to improve memory in Alzheimer's patients and as an antidote to nerve gas.

He also made great advances, Madam Speaker, in synthesizing the drug known, as we all know, as cortisone, and making it affordable treatment back then for arthritis, and of course, it is used for that and many other things today.

In addition to his glaucoma and arthritis treatment contributions, Dr. Julian's impressive achievements also include the invention of a soy-based fire extinguishing foam used on Navy ships during World War II, various improvements in paints and coatings while employed with the Glidden Paint Company, with which he was affiliated, I think, for over 18 years; and he developed a method to filter chemicals in soybean oil to mass produce hormones for medical application.

Once again, Madam Speaker, as a retired OB/GYN physician, I know a little bit about the use of hormones for medical conditions.

As an African American in the early 20th century, Dr. Julian overcame great adversity to succeed and to make his mark on society. The National Academy of Sciences recognized and honored his significant contributions to organic chemistry when they inducted him in 1973.

Madam Speaker, I remember to this day my organic chemistry teacher at Georgia Tech in those 5, 6-hour labs that we had twice a week in addition to all the classroom work. I wish I had had the privilege of being taught by Dr. Julian, but Dr. Cherry was a fine professor in his own right.

I encourage my colleagues to give Dr. Julian the same recognition today and support this resolution honoring him and his great life.

Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I had one other request for time, but he is detained at this point. Right now, I don't have any other speakers.

Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, just a few words in closing. We talked about Engineers' Week in the previous suspension resolution. I was just listening to my good friend, Rush Holt, talk about the importance of making sure that we encourage people of color and someone like Dr. Julian and many more like him to get an opportunity.

I am sure it must have been awfully difficult back in those days, and actually in 1961, that was when I was a student at Georgia Tech, and there were literally no African-American students at school. I don't remember any at that time, and that was just, what, 46 years ago. It is unbelievable.

But, thank God, you know, times have changed; and certainly to learn about Dr. Julian, I didn't know of him until my colleagues on the majority side, on the Science Committee, brought forward this resolution.

I am honored to manage for the ranking member, Mr. Hall, on this side of the Science Committee and to get to know more about the life of Dr. Percy Julian, talking about the work he did in developing and manufacturing a process for the production of cortisone. Madam Speaker, I can really appreciate him in regard to that, because just yesterday morning, I was lying on an operating table getting cortisone injected into my arthritic neck, and I feel better already. I will say, Thank you, Dr. Julian, for that discovery, and I appreciate it very much.

But it is an honor to pay respect to this gentleman. I am pleased in a reading of his life that, unlike a lot of other people who do great things, and they get honored 25 years after their death, and everybody else seems to capitalize on their discovery, the fact that he was not only honored in his lifetime by the National Academy of Sciences, but also was able to get financial remuneration for his work in the sale of his company to a big pharmaceutical, I think it was Smith, Kline & French or one of the major pharmaceutical companies back in 1961 purchased his company for $2.1 million. Well, that is great, and I am very happy that occurred and happy for him and his family.

It is great to have these good bipartisan opportunities, Madam Speaker. I want to ask all of my colleagues on this side of the aisle, and I know all my colleagues on the other side of the aisle, to support this resolution.

Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the concurrent resolution (H. Con. Res. 34) honoring the life of Percy Lavon Julian, a pioneer in the field of organic chemistry research and development and the first and only African American chemist to be inducted into the National Academy of Sciences.

Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and to include extraneous material on House Concurrent Resolution 34, the resolution that is now under consideration.

Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mine is a simple concurrent resolution honoring the life of Dr. Percy Lavon Julian. Dr. Julian was an outstanding chemist and, as a black man, overcame countless obstacles to achieve international recognition for his scientific accomplishments.

He spent his youth in Birmingham and Montgomery, Alabama. When he decided to leave home to go to college to DePauw University in Indiana, his entire family came to see him off at the train station, including his 99-year-old grandmother, a former slave, and his grandfather who was also there.

His grandfather's right hand was two fingers short. The fingers had been cut off for violating the code forbidding slaves to learn to read and write.

At DePauw University, Julian worked in the attic of a fraternity house. His support and tuition came

from his earnings as a waiter. Often he worked as a ditch digger during the day and attended classes in the evening.

Though at the top of his class in college, he was discouraged from pursuing graduate studies because of potential racial sentiment on the part of future coworkers and employers.

Madam Speaker, I firmly believe that no one should be discouraged from pursuing their dreams. Nancy Pelosi, our first female Speaker of the House, is a prime example of someone who ignored the words of naysayers. We must hold these people up as examples. Let them light the paths of others.

Dr. Julian earned a fellowship to study chemistry at Harvard University, where he received his master's degree; and in 1931, he earned his Ph.D. from the University of Vienna.

Dr. Julian synthesized a chemical treatment for glaucoma, and he synthesized cortisone for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis. He is also noted for inventing a foam used during World War II to extinguish gasoline and oil; and over the course of his career, he acquired more than 100 patents.

Percy Julian received wide recognition by the scientific community for his research and was elected into the prestigious National Academy of Sciences. He was a bright, talented individual who excelled in science in the face of overwhelming challenges.

My bill, House Concurrent Resolution 34, honors his life. We have 12 cosponsors, as well as partnership with the other body from the gentleman from Illinois. I am pleased that the leadership has chosen to pass a bill celebrating the success of an African American. He is a role model, and we want our young people to know that you can make it even in spite of some of the hardships that you have.

So for future generations coming along, the minority students, I feel it important to uplift women and minorities to excel in math, science and engineering. I hope the House leadership will consider substantial policies to encourage more women and minorities to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering, and math. They need more help than what is currently being provided.

But, again, I thank Chairman Gordon and my colleagues for their support of this resolution. It is a good start, and I hope a bellwether for future legislation.

Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Davis).

(Mr. DAVIS of Illinois asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to Dr. Holt, the gentleman from New Jersey.

Madam Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I urge support of this resolution.

Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Madam Speaker, today I rise in strong support of H. Res. 34, which gives long overdue recognition to a great American, Dr. Percy Lavon Julian. Dr. Julian was a brilliant African- American scientist, inventor, civil rights leader and an unsung hero. A pioneer and widely acclaimed for his work in organic chemistry, Dr. Percy broke the color barrier in science. During his lifetime, he made great strides in the field of chemistry. In 1973, he was elected to the National Academy of Sciences in recognition of his outstanding lifetime achievements. He received 19 honorary degrees and was awarded 105 patents, among them a foam fire retardant, a treatment for glaucoma, and a low-cost process to produce cortisone.

Born in 1899, in Montgomery, AL, the grandson of slaves, Dr. Julian overcame many obstacles and racism and went on to be the first member of his family to attend college. He was the valedictorian of his graduating class at DePauw University in 1920, then went on to receive his M.S. from Harvard University in 1923 and later getting his Ph.D. from the University of Vienna in 1931.

At a time of inequality for African-Americans, Dr. Julian persevered and pioneered a commercial process to synthesize cortisone from soy beans and yams, enabling the widespread use of cortisone as an affordable treatment of arthritis. Dr. Julian also became the first to discover a process to synthesize physotigmine, the drug used in the treatment of glaucoma.

Dr. Julian broke down barriers to achieve many significant firsts in his lifetime, one of which was becoming the first Black scientist hired for a high-level corporate research position as director of research at the Glidden Company. It was here during his 18-year tenure that he launched a process for the chemical synthesis of cortisone whose affordability promulgated its widespread use.

Not only was Dr. Julian an esteemed scientist and innovator, he was also a leader in his community and a champion for civil rights. In 1950, on Thanksgiving Day, before moving in to his new home in the exclusive Chicago Oak Park neighborhood, his home was firebombed. Not one to crumble in the face of adversity, Dr. Julian instead fought tirelessly for integration and went on to encourage the Human Relations Commission in the village government and the Oak Park Housing Center in Illinois towards becoming one of the most efficient systems of integration in the country.

Dr. Julian's business savvy was showcased in 1954 when he left the Glidden Company to establish his own laboratories, Julian Laboratories. There he specialized in producing his synthetic cortizone and established Laboratorios Julian de Mexico in Mexico City and used wild yams in Mexico, which he found to be more effective than soy beans for some of his products. His business savvy was further evidenced when he sold the Oak Park plant to Smith, Kline, and Smith for $2.3 million, an astounding amount of money for anyone during that time period.

Dr. Julian played an integral role in his Chicago community as a civil rights activist. He founded the National Negro Business and Professional Committee for the Legal Defense fund, raised funds for the NAACP and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Many African-American pioneers and leaders, who came long before the civil rights movement for equality, were not recognized for the contributions they made to this Nation and were never thanked for bettering our society and contributing to humanity. Too many were forgotten and unrecognized for their diligence and commitment to their field of work and their contribution that continues to affect each and every one of our lives today.

As we draw closer to the month of February and Black History month is recognized, let us take a moment to honor an unsung hero, let us declare that his memory is not forgotten. I urge my colleagues to support this bill and honor Dr. Julian Percy because he embodies the ideals that make America a great nation: pioneering spirit, hard work, innovation, perseverance, and dedication.