Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I would also like to honor and pay tribute to Mr. Earl Neal, a lawyer from my hometown whose untimely death on February 13, 2005, has left a void in the halls and the streets of Chicago.

My deepest sympathies go out to his wife Isobel Hoskins Neal, his son Langdon Neal and the rest of his extended family. Although his presence will be sorely missed, the contributions he left behind are considered hallmark treasures of Chicago.

The Dan Ryan Expressway, the University of Illinois at Chicago, the United Center, U.S. Cellular field and the Midway Expansion Centers were all made possible as a result of Neal's strategic counsel and vast knowledge. His contributions serve as main thoroughfares to Chicago and home to the city's sports teams. Working diligently to ensure that all parties walked away winners, there was no greater team player than Earl Neal.

Neal served as a trusted aide and confidante to six mayors of Chicago over the past 50 years, which included Richard J. Daley, Bilandic, Byrne, Washington, Sawyer and Richard M. Daley. Earl was responsible for using his law background to find common ground with the community and the city.

Born in Chicago in 1929, Mr. Neal's future was guided by his educational path, which included Englewood High School, the University of Illinois and the University of Michigan Law School.

In 1975, Neal was appointed the first African American president of the University of Illinois Board of Trustees. A man who approached obstacles as opportunities, Neal attended the U. of I during a time in the 40s when African Americans were not allowed to live in the dorms or eat in the campus food halls. Throughout his life, Neal consistently rose from the bottom to the top, leaving an indelible impression along the way.

In 1983, Earl Neal was appointed chairman of the board of the First Federal Savings and Loan. He served on several business and civic boards and his legal career included more than 200 jury trials.

Many people leave legacies that you just hear about. Earl Neal has left a legacy that's tangible and will be experienced for many years to come.

Mr. Speaker, it is with great honor and privilege that I rise today to introduce our guest chaplain, the Reverend John H. Parker, the pastor of the Central Baptist Church, located right here in Washington, D.C.

Reverend Parker was born and raised in Monroeville, Alabama. He is married to the former Diane Elois Harvey, and they are the proud parents of two lovely daughters, Chandra and Lynne.

After serving in the U.S. Army for 20 years, Reverend Parker moved to Washington, D.C. in 1980 where he became a member of the Central Baptist Church. In 1984 Reverend Parker received his calling into the ministry to preach the Gospel. He was licensed and later ordained as the Pastor of Central Baptist Church in 1988, where he has become the source of much pride and admiration, not only in his church, but also in his surrounding community.

Reverend Parker graduated from the Washington Bible College in 1996, with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in biblical studies and urban ministries. Respected for his dynamic leadership, Reverend Parker thanks God for his guidance and support and he is deeply grateful to the Almighty for saving him so that he might become an instrument for spreading God's word.

Mr. Speaker, again it is an honor for me to introduce and welcome to the U.S. House of Representatives the Reverend John H. Parker, pastor of the Central Baptist Church in Washington, D.C., to deliver our opening prayer.

Mr. Speaker, first of all I want to thank my friend, the gentleman from New York (Mr. Towns), for yielding me this time; and I want to commend him for his many, many years of outstanding leadership not only on the issue of HIV/AIDS but on other issues that face the American people.

I want to thank my colleague, the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Lee), a person I have known for many years; and I commend her for her leadership not only on this issue but on many issues facing the American people. I want to thank her for introducing this fine piece of legislation, this resolution supporting the goals of the National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day.

Mr. Speaker, if you take a look at the AIDS crisis today, you will find some startling, disturbing, and, quite frankly, unacceptable statistics. Even though African Americans only make up 12.3 percent of the population, they account for 3 percent of all AIDS cases since the epidemic began. Black women have been hit the hardest, absolutely the hardest, with 72 percent of all AIDS cases for women being African American. The worst statistic of all, however, is that black Americans have the worst survival rate among all racial and ethnic groups, with only a 55 percent survival rate after 9 years, compared with 64 percent survival rates for whites.

Mr. Speaker, these statistics illustrate in the starkest terms that racial disparities continue to exist when it comes to HIV/AIDS. This is a crisis within my community and it needs to be addressed, and it needs to be addressed with urgency, and it needs to be addressed with speed.

Black Americans continue to suffer from unequal access to quality health care. Moreover, it is vitally important that black Americans undergo testing for HIV in order to detect the virus early and to prevent its spread within the community.

National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day is celebrating its fifth anniversary, and I think it is a good public relations campaign to encourage exactly this type of early testing and intervention. The gentlewoman from California needs to be thanked again and again and again for introducing this resolution. I admire her courage and her commitment and her compassion.

But, Mr. Speaker, we need more than just talk and good will; we need action. We need ABC, abstinence, faithfulness, and condoms. Mr. Speaker, I hope that this Congress will address this issue with resources and conviction.

Mr. Speaker, I certainly want to concur with the remarks of my friend from the southern part of Illinois (Mr. Costello), and I want to stand here and really speak a few words about a gentleman who comes from a different part of town, of Chicago, but someone who I identify with immeasurably, and someone who has been both a friend and someone who has been a mentor to me since I arrived here in this Congress.

Mr. Speaker, a familiar phrase that sometimes we speak about or we discuss in the city of Chicago, a phrase coined by the first Mayor Richard Daley, Mayor Daley I, Richard J. Daley, went something like: ``Don't send me nobody, nobody's sent.'' And I think that that really kind of captures the attitude, the political attitude of Bill Lipinski.

Bill Lipinski was a person who cared about people, cared about people not only in his district but about people across this Nation. Even though he rose to heights here in Washington, D.C., in this Congress, he never forgot his role as a Democratic ward committeeman, a ward committeeman who handled the political affairs of the 23rd ward in the City of Chicago. And to a great extent his remarkable career here in this Congress, and the many things he was able to accomplish here not only for his district but for the people of the State of Illinois and also for the City of Chicago, was really a reflection of his true calling as a Democratic ward committeeman there in the City of Chicago. He was an old-time politician who understood how to work a precinct and how to get others to work a precinct and how to deliver a vote in the City of Chicago. And as a result of that, he achieved remarkable success.

Mr. Speaker, Bill Lipinski was somebody that was sent. He was sent and he represented the true nature of the people of his district, the Third Congressional District in Illinois. His nickname, which some of us tease him with, was ``Bungalow Bill,'' because he represented the bungalow folks, people who lived in the bungalows in his district. The true grit, or the common, ordinary person. And Bill Lipinski never forgot who sent him. So he indeed was somebody who was sent not only to Washington, D.C., but prior to that, he was sent to the Chicago City Council, and prior to that he was sent to work at the Chicago Park District.

When I arrived here in Washington, he befriended me. I did not know what to expect. He and I did not share or come from the same political sector. We competed quite often in terms of local politics. But when I arrived here in Washington, he befriended me, he advised me, he helped me out, he gave me real true counsel, and we shared many stories about our similar activities there in the City of Chicago.

He is somebody who I really call a friend and someone who will always be my friend. Mr. Speaker, I will miss him so much when he retires from this Congress. I will miss him. I will miss his counsel, his friendship, and his advice. I will miss sitting on this floor just reminiscing about some of the good political battles that we engaged in in the inner city of Chicago.

And to Bill: Bill you were sent. You were somebody that was sent, and you made everybody proud. And I am sure your family is proud and Dan is proud and Rose Marie is proud. And I really will miss you and look forward to working with you as a fellow ward committeeman within the City of Chicago.

Mr. Speaker, I yield back to my colleague.

Mr. Speaker, Taiwan has been excluded from the United Nations since 1971 and since then, Taiwan's 23 million people have had no representation in the United Nations. Exclusion of Taiwan is a violation of the United Nations principle of universality.

I, therefore urge my colleagues and friends of Taiwan to support Taiwan's return to the United Nations because Taiwan's political reforms should be recognized by the international community. Taiwan's return to the United Nations will not hinder the eventual reunification of Taiwan with the Chinese mainland as long as such reunification has the approval of the 23 million people of Taiwan.

Mr. Speaker, I would also like to take this opportunity to welcome Taiwan's ambassador, Dr. David Lee, to Washington. Prior to his Washington assignment, he was Taiwan's premier diplomat in Europe and Taiwan's Political Vice Foreign Minister. I had the pleasure of having Ambassador Lee and his wife at my table during the Congressional Black Caucus' dinner during the Annual Legislative Conference. Ambassador Lee struck me as highly intelligent, poised and well-mannered. My colleagues and I look forward to working with him and his deputies.

Finally Mr. Speaker, my best wishes to Taiwan President Chen Shui- bian for his well-received Inaugural speech on May 20. His conciliatory attitude toward mainland China is most laudatory. President Chen should be recognized for his work towards permanent peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the bill, H.R. 5107.

Mr. Speaker, I want to congratulate the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Sensenbrenner), the chairman of the full committee, and I certainly want to congratulate and commend the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. Delahunt).

The gentleman's tireless work, his dedicated work over the many years has certainly borne fruit in this legislation, and I want to extend my congratulations to all those who have played such a vital role in bringing this legislation to the floor here this morning.

Mr. Speaker, the legislation that we are considering provides grants, approximately $2 billion over 5 years, to States and local governments for DNA testing. This bill would help eliminate the backlog in the testing of DNA samples from criminal defendants and inmates, including those from rape kits. It would also enhance access to DNA analysis by inmates and improve the quality of legal representation in State capital cases. But, Mr. Speaker, more importantly, this bill will also provide victims of crimes with new rights, such as the right to a reasonable, accurate and timely notice of any public court proceeding involving the crime of or the release or the escape of the accused, so vital, so necessary for the victims of crime in our country today. It would also allow victims to be reasonably heard at any public proceeding involving the release, plea or sentencing of the accused.

Mr. Speaker, as it has been stated time and time again, something is wrong with our criminal justice system here in America. I believe that the criminal justice system here in America is broken. Time and time again we have seen innocent people spend years on death row for crimes that they did not commit.

Mr. Speaker, we can all agree that a death sentence is the ultimate punishment in the criminal justice system, and the imposition of such a sentence warrants absolute certainty, a 100 percent certainty that the person accused is guilty of the crime committed. That said, Mr. Speaker, all safeguards should be utilized, including DNA testing, before capital sentences are imposed.

Mr. Speaker, the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. Delahunt) and others have alluded to the actions of our State, our Governor, and, Mr. Speaker, I am proud to stand in support of this legislation. I think it is a testimony to his courage that the Congress is now considering this bill.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to support S. Con. Res. 137, calling for the suspension of Sudan's membership on the United Nations Commission on Human Rights. For nearly 20 months now, there have been atrocities in Darfur, Sudan. The group that have been committing these killings are called ``Janjaweed.'' The Janjaweed are a Sudanese government sponsored militia group.

There is a creditable amount of testimony to confirm that the Sudanese government have been using the Janjaweed as an extension of their military to forcible remove the Black Africans in Darfur from their land. The Janjaweed have been linked to brutal executions, rape, pillage and burning of villages.

Recently, the Secretary of State had no choice but to acknowledge the genocide publicly. He has returned to the UN with a new resolution calling for sanctions if Khartoum refuses to disarm militias in Darfur and to allow more African Union soldiers in to monitor.

We are aware that there are American companies with interest in Sudan but principles must come before profits.

I rise to ask all Members to join us and call for Sudan's membership on the United Nations Commission on Human Rights to be revoked and I unequivocally support this resolution.

Mr. Chairman, last Thursday, during the House's consideration of H.R. 5006, the Fiscal Year 2005 Appropriations for the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education and related agencies, I inadvertently voted for the Hayworth/Boehner amendment. I would like the record to reflect that I am opposed to the Hayworth/Boehner amendment and should have voted against it.

The Hayworth amendment would have exempted more than 400,000 workers employed by tribally-owned casinos from coverage under the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA). While I strongly support sovereignty for tribal governments, I do not believe that Native American sovereignty was meant to deny the right to freely associate or collectively bargain to casino employees. A recent NLRB decision held--in fact--that Indian tribal enterprises are subject to the NLRB. In light of that decision, this House took the appropriate action in turning back the Hayworth/ Boehner amendment, and passing H.R. 5006 without it.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the memory of Mr. Lutrell ``Lu'' Palmer, a noted and respected Chicago leader and national leader. I am saddened to announce that Lu Palmer has been called to glory by our God in Heaven. He made his transition early Sunday morning at his home.

Lu Palmer's life was a life of courage, commitment, and compassion. His extraordinary sacrifices made on behalf of the voiceless, the disinherited, and the disadvantaged are legendary. Lu Palmer sacrificed a successful career as a columnist for the Chicago Sun Times because he would not compromise his principles and write what the editors wanted. He resigned rather than cave in to those who tried to silence and censor his voice.

Mr. Palmer's radio commentaries on WVON entitled ``Lu's Notebook'' were heard on radio each and every day. And again, although his commentaries were very popular and eagerly anticipated by thousands of listeners, his sponsors tried to again silence his voice by withdrawing their sponsorship, thereby removing his ``Lu's Notebook'' from the radio waves. Lu Palmer remained steadfast. Lu Palmer still would not be silenced.

Mr. Palmer's community activism created a campaign which ultimately elected Harold Washington as the first black mayor of the city of Chicago. His ``We shall see in '83'' motivated a movement the likes of which were and still are unprecedented.

Mr. Speaker, it is exceedingly difficult, if not impossible, to capture Lu Palmer's life in the brief time that I have. The impact that Lu Palmer has made on the local and national arena will require much more than what is encapsulated here. All over the country, Lu Palmer has conducted seminars and has participated in workshops where his expertise and his messages have been that of imparting valuable information and providing direction for untold masses of people from Boston to Marquette University, to Carlton and St. Olaf's College, to Valparaiso, to Missouri and Colorado and Mississippi and Georgia, and to countless other States and college campuses and meeting halls. He transmitted a powerful image to and for the enrichment and uplifting of African Americans.

In Chicago, alone, Lu Palmer led such fights as the removal of asbestos from Chicago public schools and the fight against the wrongful draft of African Americans in the armed services. Behind the scenes, he helped in the mobilization to unseat the notorious Edward Hanrahan as Cook County state's attorney after the murders of Fred Hampton and Mark Clark of the Illinois chapter of the Black Panther Party, and he also provided assistance in the mobilization against police brutality in the 1970s.

Lu Palmer also provided vital research to the groups that fought overcrowding of schools in African American neighborhoods and did the same for groups that coalesced to have the first African American selected as the superintendent of the Chicago School Board. This group ultimately became CBUC, Chicago Black United Communities.

In 1981, the organization launched a historical march toward a black mayor, and it was very successful. It was Lu Palmer who solidified Kwanzaa as an African American observance. On his above-mentioned radio program, he presented the 12 principles of Nguzo Saba on a daily basis, to the extent that listeners began to understand, absorb, and seek more clarity and participation in the African-based cultural rhythms.

Thousands and thousands read Lu Palmer's articles and columns in mass media newspapers, but even more heard his insightful and incisive commentaries on ``Lu's Notebook.''

Mr. Speaker, Lu Palmer made his transition. We have lost a giant. And, Mr. Speaker, my condolences and the condolences of my family are extended to Georgia Palmer and to her entire family. We mourn the loss of Lutrell ``Lu'' Palmer. We will miss him.

Carry on, brother. God bless.

Mr. Speaker, I am here this evening because of this resolution. I cannot think of another resolution, another matter before this body in the last few months or years that is more important than this resolution, the Payne resolution.

Mr. Speaker, we have at this time an opportunity to stand up for justice and to stand up for peace and to stand up for what is right. We have an opportunity at this time to stop the genocide that is occurring in the Sudan. And, Mr. Speaker, now is the time when we must take action as a body. It is on us. We have had the horrible experience of witnessing and apologizing indeed for the Rwandan holocaust, and now we are faced here 10 years later with something similar going on in the Sudan.

Mr. Speaker, we cannot afford to allow this genocide that is occurring in the Sudan to continue. We must rise up to the occasion. We must forget about those partisan things that divide us. We must come together as a body, as a Congress, indeed, as a nation; and we must show the world the way to eliminate the kind of racial and religious hatred that exists in this world. We must rise up and show the example.

The future of this nation, the future of this world is at stake, because if we allow genocide to occur in the Sudan, if we do not do anything about it, then, Mr. Speaker, genocide will occur in almost any place throughout this world.

We have an opportunity and we have an obligation. Let us not fail the people of the world.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H. Res. 646, a resolution expressing the sense of the House that the Congress should establish a National Community Health Centers week. I want to commend my good friend and colleague from Chicago, Congressman Danny Davis, for introducing this resolution, to recognize the vitally important work that community health centers do in both urban and rural areas in this nation.

Community, migrant, and homeless health centers play an absolutely critical role in providing quality health care services to the poor and uninsured citizens in this nation. In Illinois generally, and Chicago, especially, these centers provide the only access that some of our citizens have to health care. The providers in these facilities are in the trenches each and every day and our constituents are served well by their dedication and devotion.

Mr. Speaker, it is fitting that I take a moment while we are debating this issue to commemorate the life of one of the leaders in community health care in the state of Illinois.

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my colleague from Illinois (Mr. Jackson) for not only yielding time to me this morning but also for his outstanding leadership that he has displayed on a number of issues that come before this Congress and certainly on this issue which we are addressing today. I want to also acknowledge and express my appreciation to the gentleman from California (Mr. Lewis) and the gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Kolbe) and the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Wolf) for their outstanding leadership on this important matter.

Mr. Speaker, I rise for two reasons today. One, I rise in support of this motion to instruct the Defense appropriations to support the highest level of funding for the humanitarian crisis in the Sudan. Secondly, Mr. Speaker, I rise to talk this morning just for a moment on shame.

Mr. Speaker, what is going on in the Sudan right now is a tragedy. It is unconscionable, and it is a shame. Mr. Speaker, what we have today in genocide is a shame. It is a shame, Mr. Speaker, when we get on this floor and speak in the highest of our voices, cry out from this place about terrorism; and yet, Mr. Speaker, we cannot and do not commit or do not connect terrorism with genocide.

Mr. Speaker, terrorism is genocide and genocide is terrorism. It is a shame, Mr. Speaker, that nearly 30,000 Sudanese have lost their lives and more are dying on a day-to-day basis and there is no immediate action taken on our part. It is a shame.

Mr. Speaker, the international community cannot do this all by themselves. They need our help, the help of this Congress, the help of this administration, to stop these killings.

Mr. Speaker, 10 years ago this Congress sat idly by while hundreds of thousands of Rwandans were killed and slaughtered in Rwanda. That was a shame. Sadly, it seems that history is repeating itself. And if we sit by and allow the same kind of genocide to take place in the Sudan as took place in Rwanda, that would be a shame. I cannot, Mr. Speaker, in good conscience as a Member of this Congress

sit on the sidelines and not raise my voice and raise the voices of the people in my district to deal with and to discuss this tragedy. We have a moral obligation to come together, to send a message to Sudan and to the rest of the world that genocide and terrorism go hand in hand, that genocide is terrorism and that terrorism is genocide.

Mr. Speaker, we cannot allow the Sudanese killings, we cannot allow the blatant killing of innocent lives in the Sudan to continue. We must act now. We must act now. Mr. Speaker, to do anything less would be a shame, a disgrace, a shame, and a shame.

Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentlewoman for yielding, and I rise to enter into a colloquy with my dear colleague, the gentlewoman from Ohio (Ms. Kaptur).

Madam Ranking Member, due to the issues of education, migration, and disinformation, many African Americans have lost real property once in their possession or in the possession of their families because of fraudulent

practices by dishonest and unscrupulous people. As my colleague knows, many African American families migrated to the North and left their land behind with the understanding that they still retained ownership to their property. However, what occurred and what is still occurring is a blatant land grab among some in the South, thereby robbing many African American families of their ownership rights.

Madam Ranking Member, today, African Americans residing inside and outside of Southern States may still have legal claims to these lands. There is a group of law students who are working on a program called ROSA, Reclaiming Ownership of Southern Assets, that is helping African American families reclaim their stolen land. And Madam Ranking Member, I sincerely hope that the Federal Government can also join in this effort to help right a wrong.

It is for this reason that I would respectfully request that the Office of Civil Rights within the Department of Agriculture research this issue and provide technical assistance to these families who have been illegally deprived of their property. This is an urgent matter. It is a very, very important matter; and I respectfully ask that the gentlewoman from Ohio (Ms. Kaptur) take this issue to the conference committee and champion this cause along with the law students who are involved in this program called ROSA, Reclaiming Ownership of Southern Assets.

Mr. Chairman, I rise to revise and extend my remarks. I would like to thank the chairwoman for her leadership today.

Madam Chairwoman, due to issues of education, migration and disinformation, many African Americans have lost real property once in their possession or in the possession of their families because of fraudulent practices by dishonest and unscrupulous people. As you know, many African-American families migrated to the North and left their land behind with the understanding that they still retained ownership to their property. However, what occurred and what is still occurring is a blatant ``land grab'' among some in the southern States thereby robbing many African-American families of their ownership rights.

Madam Chairwoman, today African-Americans residing inside and outside of southern States may still have legal claims to these lands. There is a group of law students who are working on a program called ROSA (reclaiming ownership of southern assets) that is helping African- American families reclaim their stolen land. I hope that the Federal Government can also join in their effort to help right a wrong.

It is for this reason that I would like to respectfully request that the Office of Civil Rights within the Department of Agriculture research this issue and provide technical assistance to these families that have been illegally deprived of their property.

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the gentleman from Missouri for yielding me this time.

I certainly want to also thank my colleague, the gentleman from the adjoining district in Illinois (Mr. Davis), for his kind remarks, his gracious comments on this resolution, and for all that he does for the entire State of Illinois and the Nation, particularly for the 7th Congressional District.

Additionally, Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the gentlewoman from Virginia (Mrs. Jo Ann Davis) and others for their efforts in bringing this legislation to the floor today. I owe a great debt of gratitude to the entire Illinois delegation for their cosponsorship of this worthy piece of legislation.

Mr. Speaker, I am honored to rise in support of H.R. 3340, a bill that I introduced back in September of last year, which designates the U.S. post office located at 7715 and 7748 South Cottage Grove Avenue in my hometown of Chicago as the James E. Worsham Post Office Building.

This bill pays fitting tribute to Mr. James E. Worsham, who has served the Chicago community with considerable distinction as a hard- working and dedicated postal worker. Before joining the postal service, Mr. Worsham served in the U.S. Air Force for 4 years and then the city of Chicago as a traffic court clerk for 4 years.

Mr. Worsham began what would become an illustrious postal career on the southeast side of Chicago at the Grand Crossing Station on January 16, 1963, the station that we are proposing to name after him today.

Mr. Speaker, back on January 16, 1963, it was an infamous day in the city of Chicago. On that particular day in the city of Chicago, the actual air temperature reached 27 degrees below zero; and Mr. Worsham, a new letter carrier, having no experience as a letter carrier, was sent out into the elements to deliver the mail. It was his first day, and he was not appropriately dressed for the prolonged exposure to the severe weather conditions in Chicago; and as a result, he suffered extreme frost bite to his ears. Undaunted by this initial experience, he returned to work the next day and adhered to the literal meaning of a carrier's creed: neither rain nor snow, heat nor cold, nor frost- bitten ears shall stay a carrier from his appointed rounds.

Mr. Speaker, Mr. Worsham's coworkers were first to recognize his leadership skills and his fiery and staunch determination to get the work done. Because of this, his coworkers elected him to become their shop steward, and Mr. Worsham continued to climb the professional and leadership ladder. He held numerous high-profile positions such as sergeant at arms, auditor and chief steward for Branch 11. In January of 1979, while holding these positions, he ran for the president of Branch 11 and won overwhelmingly.

Mr. Speaker, as president, his skills became known throughout the Nation and the national president of the association recruited him to become a national trustee at the same time that he maintained his position as president of Branch 11.

Upon retirement, Mr. Worsham did not stop there, nor did he slow down. He became director of Retired Members for the Letter Carriers here in Washington, D.C. for the last 4 years. Mr. Worsham continues to fight for the rights of postal employees, and he continues to ensure that the public receives the services that they are entitled to.

Mr. Speaker, again, I believe that this legislation is a fitting tribute to Mr. James Worsham, and I strongly encourage my colleagues to support H.R. 3340.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today with great sorrow and sadness to mourn the loss of Myron Dukes, Lauren Dukes, Christopher Dukes and Jauntrice Deadmon, who died yesterday at the Fort Worth Water Gardens while attending the National Baptist Convention in Fort Worth, Texas. This is a profound loss for the Chicago community.

Mr. Myron Dukes, his 8-yr. old daughter Lauren, his 13-yr. old son Christopher, and 11 yr. old Jauntrice, were all members of the Antioch Baptist Church, located in the Englewood community that I represent, the First Congressional District of Illinois.

Mr. Speaker, Mr. Dukes did what any father would have done: try and save his children from drowning in a deep swirling pool. He made the ultimate sacrifice for his heroic efforts with his life. As we approach Fathers Day, I ask that this Congress and the entire nation join the members of the Antioch Baptist Church in mourning the passing of this loving family. The City of Chicago and the world pray that God will give all the family members strength to endure this horrific tragedy in the coming days, and to know that they lived their lives in the service of our God.