Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I rise to bring to the attention of my colleagues an important festival in my district this Sunday. On July 31, the Juan Pablo Duarte Foundation will be hosting the 6th anniversary of ``El Carnival del Boulevard,'' the Carnival of the Boulevard.

``El Carnival'' is an important celebration of the Dominican presence in the Washington Heights community. The festival will honor the memory of Juan Pablo Duarte who died July 15, 1844.

Juan Pablo Duarte is one of the founding fathers of the Dominican Republic. In resistance to the rule of the Haiti, Juan Pablo Duarte helped formed a secret dissident society, La Trinitaria, to support the Dominican demand for freedom and justice. Because of his heroism, the Dominican Republic was able to gain their independence form the Haitians on February 27, 1804. This year will mark the 161st anniversary of the independence of the Dominican Republic.

The pride and love of the Dominican people is alive and well in my district. This festival will celebrate and commemorate with honor and esteem the freedom and beauty of the Dominican Republic, its people, and its culture. I look forward to festivals as my district once again demonstrates its love and appreciation for our freedoms and its status as the soul of America.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to bring to your attention a crisis which is before many of our public schools today--the shortage of highly skilled teachers in our city's worst schools. This problem has not only affected schools in my state of New York, but is nationwide.

Excellence should be expected of every child. And the opportunity to excel must be guaranteed to every child. The right to a free, world- class public education has been the birthright of Americans for well over a century. It is a moral imperative that forms the foundation of democracy, the underpinning of the economy, and the cornerstone of America's greatness.

To provide every child the opportunity to excel, America must ensure that qualified, caring teachers educate and inspire their students in an environment that supports a love of learning. That means a vibrant classroom in a safe, modern school building equipped with the best learning technologies; supported by active, involved parents; and driven by a collective passion for educational excellence.

This opportunity must be guaranteed within the Nation's public schools and these sentiments are echoed by the outstanding staff and leadership at Teachers College at Columbia University. I commend them for not only seeing that the problem exists, but in advocating that something be done to address it.

I'd like to take this opportunity to submit to the Congressional Record, an article written by Arthur Levine, President of Teachers College at Columbia University and Darlyne Bailey, Vice President for Academic Affairs and Dean of the College which speaks to this issue and what our priorities should be.

Bringing Great Teachers to Struggling Schools: The Moment Is Now

(By Arthur Levine and Darlyne Bailey)

We live in a time when people rightfully have become

skeptical about the political process and the possibilities

for moving beyond rhetoric to action. Yet every now and then,

like the inverse of a perfect storm, forces align themselves

in ways that permit substantive change.

In New York City, we have just such a moment before us

right now--an opportunity to dramatically improve our public

school system by addressing the issue that, more than any

other, has limited the hopes and prospects of vast numbers of

low-income and disadvantaged children.

That issue is the dearth of highly skilled, experienced

teachers where they are needed most: in the city's worst

schools. Some 60 percent of our city's low-performing

students are concentrated in just one-third of our schools,

nearly all of them in high-poverty areas such as Bedford

Stuyvesant, Harlem, Washington Heights and the South Bronx.

The prospect of failure in these schools is so overwhelming

that teacher turnover is constant, with even the best and

most dedicated decamping for districts where the pay is

higher and working conditions allow them to be more

effective.

Back in April, a special commission of the New York City

Council outlined highly detailed recommendations for righting

these wrongs. In addition to calling for system-wide caps and

reductions in class sizes, the Commission recommended that

all teachers to be awarded salary incentives of 3 percent (to

be added to any negotiated increases) in order to align local

salaries with the regional labor market. To increase the

number of qualified teachers in low-performing, high need

schools, teachers in the most challenging schools would

receive as much as an additional 23 percent if they teach in

target schools that adopt an extended-year (11-month)

calendar. Teachers whose skills qualify them for a newly-

instituted designation of ``Master Teacher'' would receive a

further 10-percent increase, and Master Teachers who chose to

work in targeted high-needs

schools would join the ranks of the most highly paid teachers

in the state.

This is not a giveaway to teachers. To assure high quality,

these changes would be directly tied to rigorous performance

assessments. In fact, the entire structure of reform would be

subject to ongoing review by an Independent Office for

Research and Accountability that would identify target

schools for augmented support and determine whether the

Commission's intensified strategies are producing desired

results.

What hope is there that these ideas will be acted upon?

After all, similar proposals have been floated in the past.

The answer is that at this particular moment, we are

blessed with a rare opportunity that combines a potential

multi-billion dollar windfall for the city's school system

with contract renewal negotiations between the United

Federation of Teachers and the city and an upcoming

Mayoral election.

Clearly the biggest barrier to school reform has been

money. For decades, the city has been unable to offer the

kind of teacher salaries found in the suburbs and upstate

because it has not received a proportionate share of funding.

More recently, under the provisions of the federal No Child

Left Behind Act, city schools have been asked to meet clear

and specific targets for student achievement even as they

have been denied the wherewithal to do so. Now the courts

have recognized that this amounts to a violation of our

children's Constitutional right to a sound, basic education.

A panel of special judges has recommended that the state make

amends by providing the city with an additional $14 billion

in operating and facilities funds over the next five years.

That decision is being appealed, but many believe that within

the next year, money will actually change hands.

That's a huge step, and certainly little else can happen

without it. But it is only the beginning. Plaintiffs have won

similar lawsuits in other states, gotten their money, and

still were unable to enact meaningful reform. Usually this

was because they failed to bring together all school

stakeholders in a meaningful dialogue.

In New York City, the City Council commission began such a

dialogue with the public hearings it held during this past

year. But obstacles remain. One of the long-standing bones of

contention has been the seniority system that allows the most

experienced teachers to essentially choose their placements.

Given the low pay and working conditions in struggling

schools, most elect to work in higher-performing institutions

where they can make a decent living and be effective. Not

surprisingly, the union has fiercely defended this system.

The city government, for its part, has responded--with

justification--that its hands are tied.

Lately, however, there have been encouraging signs. Both

Randi Weingarten, the UFT president, and Joel Klein, the city

schools chancellor, have said that in principle, they believe

the key to turning around struggling schools is to populate

them with excellent, experienced teachers. Mayor Bloomberg,

who has made education reform the centerpiece of his first

term, is running for a reelection. It is a moment, in short,

when promises are being made; when compromise is in the air;

and when unprecedented new financial resources seem likely to

come our way.

That said, the beginning of the new school year is almost

upon us. The teacher contract talks are at a critical point.

So let's make the most of our opportunity. We have identified

a clear priority--to put great teachers in the schools that

need them most, as rapidly as possible. We have the political

will to do so, and soon we will have the money. If we fail to

deliver, history--and our children--will judge us harshly

indeed.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to John L. Procope, who was my friend and an extraordinary African-American businessman, entrepreneur, and role model. His passing earlier this month is a source of great sadness to a community of colleagues and friends who will greatly miss him. I know that Riverside Church, where he is being memorialized this morning, is filled with many tears, but with many more memories.

When the Black newspaper, the Amsterdam News, faced financial troubles and was threatened with closure, John L. Procope stepped forward to ensure that the African-American community in New York continued to have a voice and reliable source of information on the day's news. Knowing the important and significance of the Amsterdam News and other Black newspapers, John ensured that there would continually be a voice for a community that had so long been limited in its advocacy, expression, and information.

For generations, the Black press had been the communication hub of the Black community. It had been the voice for the community to its leaders and to each other. It connected the individuals of the community to one another and told the news and events of the day from their perspectives. The Black press questioned and challenged the system of segregation, highlighted and pointed out the social, political and economic inequalities of the community, and disputed and countered the official positions on issues of race and class. The Black press has historically been the pipeline of the concerns and issues of the Harlem community and other Black communities throughout the nation. It remains the compelling, focused, and thoughtful voice of the community and its residents, and it works against financial challenges, to maintain that role.

John recognized this important role of the black press as a voice to and of the community. He knew that for the community to flourish the press would have to remain strong. So, when John and his fellow investors saw the Amsterdam News faltering, they came to its rescue and the rescue of the community. John invested in and resurrected the paper. He ensured and maintained its role in Harlem and in Black communities throughout New York City. He continued the paper's important role as advocate, informer, and champion of the Black community.

The newspaper nonetheless was not John's only legacy. He ventured his business and economic skills into other arenas to become a successful entrepreneur and a powerful role model. He showed generations of African-Americans that to be successful, you had to be committed and dedicated, and that being successful did not mean forgetting your roots and your community.

I submit for the Record two articles from the July 26, 2005 edition of the CaribNews praising John's dedication and commitment to Harlem and the Black community. He will be missed in this community for all that he has done, but he may rest peacefully knowing that he has sowed the seeds for generations of progress.

[From the CaribNews; July 26, 2005]

Celebrating The Life of John Procope

John L. Procope, an entrepreneur and former publisher of

The New York Amsterdam News, died on Friday, July 15. He was

82 and lived in Queens. The cause was complications from

pneumonia.

Mr. Procope, a graduate of Morgan State University, was a

marketing and advertising executive at several companies

before he joined a consortium that bought The Amsterdam News

in 1971. He was one of six co-owners of the newspaper when he

succeeded Clarence B. Jones as publisher in 1974.

Mr. Procope earned his bachelor's degree in business from

Morgan State University, attended business school at New York

University and began his career in advertising. A native New

Yorker, he was a former president of the National Newspaper

Publishers Association. He was also a president of the Harlem

Business Alliance and served as a trustee of Howard

University for 15 years.

The Amsterdam News was founded by James Henry Anderson in

1909. W.E.B. Du Bois, Adam Clayton Powell and Malcolm X are

among the famous black Americans who have written for the

newspaper. Mr. Procope made waves in the Black community when

he denounced the looting that took place after the 1977

blackout in New York by publishing a blistering editorial

charging an apparent vacuum of leadership in the Black

communities. Subsequently, he was appointed chairman of an

Emergency Aid Commission which disbursed about $3 million to

grants to businesses hurt by the looting.

Mr. Procope left the newspaper in 1982 to focus on E. G.

Bowman, an insurance company that had been founded by his

wife, Ernesta G. Procope, that was one of the first major

African-American-owned businesses

on Wall Street. The company's client list started with

underserved Brooklyn homeowners but grew to include Fortune

500 companies.

Mr. Procope and his wife were a driving force behind the

creation of the Fair Access to Insurance Requirements plan in

1968 to help make insurance available to all residents of New

York State. He and his wife were also highly visible in

political and philanthropic circles.

In addition to his wife, he is survived by two sisters, Dr.

Jean Martin of Bloomfield, Conn. and Jonelle Terrell of

Manhattan.

Mr. Speaker, in the aftermath of the G-8 summit, there has been much hope for the prospects of the African continent. While I too share in these hopeful sentiments I am well aware that we must remain vigilant in guarding against threats to the continent's development. A July 28th report from the San Diego Union Tribune entitled ``South American drug cartels lured to West Africa,'' is one of a number of recent reports which detail the increasing presence of narco-traffic in West Africa.

Apparently, international drug cartels are increasingly using West Africa as a hub for drug shipments into Europe and North America. The political instability and inadequate government capacity which these countries experience provides the perfect environment for these cartels to operate. Even countries such as Ghana, which have been lauded for their good governance, will be challenged to dedicate resources to stopping this activity, when they have so many other issues to address.

The increasing problem of African drug trafficking is just one more reason why the Bush Administration must keep its promise to significantly increase aid to Africa, as the stakes continue to grow.

[From the San Diego Union Tribune, July 28, 2005]

South American Drug Cartels Lured to West Africa

(By Nick Tattersall)

Dakar.--South American drug cartels are moving their

logistics bases to West Africa, lured by lax policing in an

unstable region and the presence of small, underground

criminal groups, United Nations experts say.

Drug cartels are increasingly using West Africa as a hub

for smuggling, working with criminal networks from the region

who market cannabis, cocaine and heroin in Europe and North

America, according to the U.N. Office on Drugs and Crime

(UNODC).

``If you look at recent seizures of cocaine, the biggest

are all linked to groups with operations on the West African

coast,'' Antonio Mazzitelli, head of UNODC's regional office

for West and Central Africa, told Reuters in an interview.

Consignments of cocaine would mainly come in from Latin

America through the Cape Verde islands off the Atlantic

coast, or through Ghana, Nigeria and Togo, from where they

would be re-exported to markets including Spain, Portugal and

the United Kingdom.

Spanish authorities seized nearly three tons of cocaine on

a Ghana-registered vessel in international waters off the

African coast just three days ago, arresting 12 Ghanaians,

four Koreans and two Spaniards.

Spain said the traffickers had picked up the drugs in an

unidentified South American country and refuelled along the

African coast before setting off for Europe.

Major shipments of heroin produced in southern Asia were

also transiting through West Africa, particularly Ivory

Coast, after being flown by air couriers from Kenya and

Ethiopia, UNODC said in a recent study on crime in Africa.

hard to crack

West Africa is seen as an attractive transit centre for

international drug traffickers because the criminal networks

already in place around the region have proven notoriously

difficult for police and customs officers to break.

Operating as flexible networks of individuals rather than

large-scale, hierarchical organizations, they can market

illicit products to diaspora populations in drug consuming

countries and recruit couriers among a cheap labor force

available at home.

``One of the reasons these networks can abandon traditional

command-and-control relations is that many of them are

grounded in a common ethnicity,'' UNODC said in its study.

``Betraying compatriots is not only in violation of deeply

ingrained values, it can result in exclusion from this vital

support base,'' it said.

While war crimes prosecutors in Sierra Leone have said

international terrorists have used the West African diamond

trade to fund their operations, UNODC said no clear links had

been established to the drugs trade, though that could

change.

``This is the sort of environment within which organised

criminal and terrorist groups can grow. There are many well-

proven cases of terrorist groups going hand in hand with drug

cartels,'' Mazzitelli said, taking Taliban fighters in

Afghanistan and rebel groups in Colombia as examples.

``In Spain the terror attack was financed if not entirely

then partially through drug trafficking,'' he said, referring

to bomb attacks which killed 191 people in packed rush hour

trains in Madrid in March 2004.

Mindful of the threat posed by criminal groups operating

across borders, police forces around Africa have linked up to

a global satellite communication system run by Interpol which

is supposed to track fugitives and stolen goods.

Interpol Secretary-General Ronald Noble told reporters in

Ghana this month that 31 African countries were now connected

to the system.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to submit to the Record an article from the July 26, New York Carib News in support of citizen rights for Caribbean immigrants. Caribbean migrants have worked in the country for centuries. The Caribbean is the source of the U.S.'s earliest and largest Black immigrant group and the primary source of growth of the Black population in the U.S. The region has exported more of its people than any other region of the world since the abolition of slavery in 1834. The fact that there are close to 50 major Caribbean carnivals throughout North America attests to the permanence of the Caribbean immigration experience.

Caribbean music, such as soca, calypso, reggae, and now reggaeton, is having a profound impact on U.S. popular culture. Other Caribbean cultural expressions, like food, dance and art, are becoming established in mainstream America. The prominence of first-and second- generation Caribbean figures in U.S. labor and grassroots politics for many decades also testifies to the long tradition and established presence of the Caribbean population.

Today many Caribbean workers can be found in the hospital, construction, service and hotel industries, but there is also a growing professional sector. Estimates of the Caribbean population in the U.S. range upwards from 2.6 million, depending on how one defines the Caribbean.

While the largest Caribbean immigrant sources to the U.S. are from Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Jamaica and Haiti, U.S.-citizen migrants also come from Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands.

Many of the undocumented immigrants from the Caribbean islands have been living, working and making vital contributions to our country for many years. In New York it is almost impossible to walk down the streets of Harlem or Brooklyn without hearing a Caribbean accent or coming across a Jamaican eatery.

The members of the Caribbean community are hard working, pay into our social security system and have U.S.-born children who do not know a home other than the United States.

In the great state of New York alone, undocumented workers pay more than $1 billion in taxes a year.

I believe that members of the Caribbean community who have had a long working record and qualify for U.S. naturalized citizenship should apply. The United States is historically a nation of immigrants. Our ancestors all had the possibility to fulfill their American Dream and I think that the same opportunity should be given to hard working newcomers who came to this country from the Caribbean.

I introduce in the Record the article from the July 26 NYCarib.

The Importance of Citizens--We Must Hear It Over And Over

It may have not been a fresh bit of advice and it certainly

wasn't an observation by an elected official that we hadn't

heard before.

Still, when U.S. Representative Gregory Meeks, a democrat

of New York City said it, his point resonated with a lot of

us.

Yes, they should become citizens, it makes a lot of sense,

said the member of the U.S House of Representatives from

Queens when asked about Caribbean immigrants becoming

citizens of the United States.

``Too many people from the Caribbean are eligible for

citizenship but they fail to step forward,'' he complained.

Perhaps, he needs to repeat it again and again so that more

people in and out of his Sixth Congressional District and

across the country would act.

People from the Caribbean, who have made the United States

their home have every good reason to become naturalized

American citizens. One is that it opens opportunities, such

as jobs, scholarships and the like that are often reserved

for citizens.

Another, it protects them from capricious actions by

immigration authorities who would like to do nothing more

than to ``send

them back where they came from.'' Thirdly, it enables them to

vote so they can make choices about who should run the

country, state or city.

Voting is something that comes naturally to people from the

English-speaking Caribbean where parliamentary democracy is

taken seriously. People routinely join political parties,

become candidates for elected office or campaign for persons

they believe are best suited to serve in national parliaments

or local government bodies.

That experience should prove to be a powerful magnet for

citizenship and political participation.

That's why it is so baffling that so many of them fail to

become citizens.

The reluctance can't be explained simply by a devotion to

their original nationality. After all, almost every Caribbean

state recognizes dual citizenship, meaning that

naturalization adds to their life but doesn't detract from

their standing as people from the Caribbean.

One possible explanation is that some can't be bothered to

go through the process. The result is they often end up

placing their children and themselves at a disadvantage.

That's a crying shame. It explains why Congressman Meeks'

appeal was relevant and should be listened to.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to recognize the importance of the fifteenth anniversary of the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act, the ADA. This legislation has played a vital role in ensuring that all Americans are granted the opportunity to fully participate in all aspects of society.

With the bipartisan support of this body and the Senate, President George H.W. Bush signed the Americans with Disabilities Act as a mechanism to ensure that ``every man, woman and child with a disability can now pass through once closed doors into a bright new era of equality, independence, and freedom.''

Thanks to the ADA, we have taken significant steps towards the achievement of that goal. The Act required educational facilities to become accessible to those in wheelchairs, opening the doors to learning and opportunity for thousands of Americans. It ensured the availability of transit, entertainment, and communications systems to the hearing-impaired and the blind, guaranteeing them an opportunity to participate in cultural events, media events, and public engagements.

The ADA has substantially moved this country forward in terms of our relationship with a group of Americans who had once been unfairly excluded for their physical abilities. We have taken important steps to increase the opportunities and lower the barriers to the equal and just treatment of all Americans. We have opened doors through the ADA for the full participation and contribution of individuals to our society.

Despite the efforts of the last decade and a half, we still have further to go. We still have more work to do to assist our citizens with disabilities. Today, approximately two-thirds of people with disabilities of working age are still unemployed. While many factors influence the high rate of unemployment for the disabled, a third of non-workers with disabilities reported their need for some type of accommodation as a major factor in their unemployment. An interesting aspect of this is their requests are minor accommodations-- elevators, closer accessible parking, and special worksite features modifications that are not particularly expensive to make, especially with advance planning.

Likewise, proposed cuts in housing, assistance technology, training, and other assistance programs threaten to undo many of the advances we have made in the last 15 years to help those with disabilities.

Whether it is the costs involved or the unwillingness to reach out to this brave segment of our national workforce, people with disabilities are still discouraged from opening some doors of opportunity. They still need more assistance in their fight for justice.

I encourage the Members of this chamber, as well as citizens and employers across the country, to pursue reinvigorated efforts at ensuring that every man, woman, and child is afforded an opportunity to success. Let us find ways to help every citizen build a better life as we create the conditions for a better America.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to bring to the attention and consciousness of this body the important and significant battles of a courageous warrior for justice, peace, and equality, Mr. Damu Smith. Damu has been a constant and consistent champion of peace and continues his fight for love and justice despite his struggle with cancer. I applaud this simple man, this mighty activist, and this concerned citizen of the world for his tireless struggle to make the world a better place. I encourage him to continue his fight, knowing that others are aware of his struggle and continue to need his leadership.

A passionate believer in peace and global peace movements, Damu has fought to raise the awareness of the world community of the

ugliness of apartheid in South America, the brutality of government injustice and gun violence, the need for environmental awareness and justice, and the international fights against racism, injustice, and discrimination. He has advocated peace instead of nuclear arms. He has sought reconciliation rather than violence. He has battled intolerance in lieu of understanding.

A mere perusal of his life story would demonstrate to any of us that Damu has been a consistent champion of peace and justice wherever hatred and injustice reside. His humanitarianism knows few limits and his sense of person responsibility is not bound by social expectations.

Damu, this champion of justice and peace, nonetheless is currently waging a battle with cancer. I wish him well in his persistent fight against the disease.

I hope the struggle of Damu Smith does not go unnoticed by my colleagues in this body. I hope we see the challenges and struggles that face our relentless pursuers of peace, justice, and equality. I hope we take steps to prevent Damu's struggle from being repeated on future generations of Americans. While he is a true fighter to the core, Damu's struggle has not been easy. Yet he continues to persist in his advocacy of peace and justice.

What is more disturbing about Damu's case is that there appears to be both genetic and environmental causes behind his disease: A family history and a location in ``Cancer Alley''--a small section of Louisiana with a number of industrial plants and facilities and high rates of cancer, lung conditions, and skin irritations. It would seem that the Congress could do more to address whether there is a correlation between these incidence and the industrial population of the community.

I nonetheless praise the continued struggle of this fighter for justice and warrior for peace. I submit the following article written by Shantella Y. Sherman of the Afro-American highlighting Damu's struggle and his fight. I thank Ms. Sherman for bringing this to the Nation's attention.

Faith and Deliverance: Damu Smith Wages War on Cancer

Damu Smith's name bounces around rooms with the same quiet

reverence often reserved for more popularly known figures:

Nelson Mandela or Desmond Tutu. Sometimes, there's a knowing

smile or two. Smith is a kind of modern-day superstar among

activists: fierce, passionate, courageous, God-fearing. His

celebrity has reached far and beyond Washington, D.C., into

the far corners of the Earth. Where there is any semblance of

injustice, rest assured, Damu Smith is planning strategic

countermoves.

Smith's activism rallied civic consciousness against

apartheid in South Africa, gun violence, police brutality and

government injustice. He worked to effect peace and a freeze

on nuclear weapons, and advocated for environmental justice,

both in America and abroad. In fact, Smith was in Palestine,

heading up a delegation of protest against unfair treatment

suffered by Palestinians at the hands of the Israeli

government, when he collapsed, subsequently being diagnosed

with colon cancer.

As a result, Smith has always appeared larger than life,

particularly to this reporter, who met him more than 20 years

ago as a pre-teen. Interviewing Smith became a challenge that

15 years of reporting experience couldn't overcome. I was

nervous. I wasn't sure what to expect, so I stood outside his

apartment door for a solid five minutes, willing each knock

to become just a little more audible to him on the other

side. Finally, I entered at his behest, ``Come on in, the

door is open.''

Once I'd taken off my shoes and peered around the corner, I

was able to get a full glance at Damu. His eyes were bright,

his skin flawless and his smile brighter than ever. He

bustled around his apartment with a small contingent of

associates: his friend and doctor of more than 30 years,

Jewel L. Crawford; a friend from St. Louis; and others who

came and went in fluid motions.

There is a handwritten note attached to a hand-carved

mirror, one of the many African treasures decorating Damu's

home. Above a litany of daily affirmations, is written,

``With God All Things Are Possible.'' All along, Damu

answered questions and telephone calls, gave directions to

Dulles International Airport, passed out fresh juice and

(laughed).

Dr. Crawford answered my question and confusion without me

asking: ``Damu approached his disease the same as he does

everything in his life. He's a fighter, and he's getting

stronger because of his faith.''

Crawford would know. She was one of the first people Smith

spoke with following his hospital admission. While Crawford

says she cannot be certain of how cancer struck Smith, she is

certain he will beat it.

``Damu has a family predisposition to this type of cancer:

His paternal grandmother and his father both had it. It's

hard to put a definite on it, because even though Damu is a

vegetarian, never smoked [and] never drank, he was in one of

the most toxic areas on the planet for an extended period of

time. Being in Louisiana all that time could have been the

element that pushed him over into being affected,'' said

Crawford.

The area Crawford referred to is known as ``Cancer Alley,''

a small section of Convent, LA., where a smorgasbord of

industrial plant run-off brought on cancers, lung conditions

and skin irritations among residents. In the early 1990s,

Smith led an all-out campaign against the Japanese owners of

the Shintech plants, and lived with some of the area's

residents.

Smith himself agrees that living in a toxic environment

could be the culprit in the development of cancers, including

his own, but says the family factor should not be overlooked.

``The air we breathe, the water we drink, the foods we eat

and the homes in which we live are toxic. This is a very

toxic environment we live in this millennium. I live a

healthy lifestyle: I don't drink, don't smoke, never did an

illegal drug. I'm a vegetarian and I eat organic food. And

yet, I end up with colon cancer. Why? Could be a number of

things,'' he surmised.

``Could be the toxic environment, could be the fact that

within my family there's a genetic marker of colon cancer. My

father died of it. My grandmother, his mother, had it. She

didn't die from it, but she had it. So, according to

conventional medical doctors, I'm at greater risk because I

have this family marker,'' said Smith.

Though he says he should have seen a doctor regularly, like

most minorities, he didn't make it a top priority, especially

since he was so health-conscious.

``I should have been at the doctor every year getting

checked. I wasn't. I have to be honest with you, I used to

think about going to get a checkup and I'd say to myself, `I

don't want to find out anything bad. I just can't imagine

anything bad happening to me because I eat so well.' I used

to say that stuff. So, this is one of the things I want to be

a poster child for: getting screened and checked for colon

cancer,'' said Smith.

But how does a poster child maintain in the fight for his

life? According to Smith, with an unwavering conviction in

God.

``First of all, I have to have faith in God--in a higher

power, greater than us. And so, that's the most important

thing to me, having faith in God and knowing that he can

deliver me from this,'' said Smith.

``I was told by one of the doctors when I was initially

diagnosed at the end of March that people in my condition,

statistically, have only three to six months to live. And he

made it a point of saying to me twice during our

conversation, 'Don't hesitate about anything.' That was

Easter Sunday morning of this year. I had to really reflect

on that.''

Doctors also informed Smith that his liver was three-

quarters full of tumors--a condition that effectively made

the illness terminal. After going through what he called

``about 30 minutes of anguish and seeing my whole life race

in front of me like a video clip,'' Smith announced he was

fighting it.

``There are a lot of people out there, when they hear that,

allegedly, they have only three months, six months, a few

days or a few weeks to live, they plan their lives

accordingly. I plan to be here for several more years, and

I'm thinking in that direction,'' said Smith.

The reality of death is all the more gripping because he

lost a close friend to colon cancer around Christmas. Unlike

his friend, who went in for surgery and passed a few days

later without a moment to prepare, Smith said he is grateful

for the opportunity to fight for his life.

``Here I am. I've been alive three months since I was told,

and I'm feeling great right now. Those tumors are shrinking.

I'm sitting here with you now doing this interview and

drinking this organic kale and carrot juice, and I am

drinking it as much as possible because it heals the liver .

. . I'm taking chemotherapy, acupuncture, sound healing,

breathology, everything in the toolbox of healing. I'm

picking up and using on my body right now. And I'm keeping

God at the center of everything. So, I don't plan to lose.''

Smith is only human, and is clear about what his body is

going through. He says that having a clear understanding of

his body's day-to-day function and how to improve those

functions while his body is under attack is essential. Even

this though, he says, takes a back seat to faith.

``I'm also a very practical person. I understand that I

have a very serious disease occupying my body, but I'm

claiming victory! . . . I am expelling that disease from my

body by having faith in God and having faith in my family and

the community of angels who have descended upon me and who

surround me now,'' he said.

Still, others wonder why Smith would make such a personal

struggle public. The answer for Smith is an echoed sentiment

understood by everyone who encounters him. He wouldn't be

Damu Smith if he wasn't helping out the next man--even during

his own crisis.

``So many people hide what's wrong with them and stuff, and

he was open and went public with it so that he could possibly

help someone else,'' said Crawford. ``Even facing a life-

threatening situation, Damu is {still} organizing and trying

to touch someone else's life.''

``When I was lying in the bed at Providence Hospital once I

returned from Palestine in late March, I decided that I had

to, one, walk publicly in this journey of healing [and], two,

that I had to organize people to help me and organize people

to help others understand that they don't want to go through

what I was about to go through.

``There were literally hundreds of people who came to see

me at Providence Hospital,

and some of my friends were getting upset, saying I needed my

rest. But I knew what I was doing. God knew what I was doing.

I needed to organize my friends and family first, and I told

them that we've got to fight this, because it's not just me.

People have to go get checked, and we need to organize around

this.''

Out of those bedside meetings, Smith was able to establish

the Spirit of Hope campaign, which seeks solutions to health

disparities among minority and poor Americans. The campaign

focuses on universal health care, education about the need

for screening measures, addressing astronomical health care

costs and promoting general well-being among minority and

poor people.

``The whole spectrum of wellness is what the Spirit of Hope

campaign is focusing on, and I wouldn't have it any other

way. It wouldn't be me if it didn't focus on something other

than me,'' said Smith.

Smith says that despite the cost and fear associated with

the procedure, it is imperative that people of color and

those living below the poverty line get regular checkups,

including colonoscopies.

``What are you going to fear most? [If] you want to live,

you cannot fear doing what you have to do to live.

Colonoscopies are expensive. They're between $700 to $900

dollars. And if you're not insured, that's a major problem.

For Black people, and people of color and poor people, that's

a major problem.

``It's very important we organize a campaign that insures

that everyone has access to effective, holistic,

comprehensive, prevention health care and access to treatment

facilities so they get what they need when they need it,'' he

argued.

Smith is also thinking about access for his l2-year-old

daughter Asha, who he lovingly refers to as ``Asha Boo-Boo''

and the ``crown jewel of his life.'' ``I don't want her to go

through this. I want her and all of her little friends to get

screened when the time is right. So, I have to work for them

too,'' said Smith.

As my time with Smith draws to a close, I begin to wonder

if maybe he hadn't been misdiagnosed. The wristband, which

resembles a hospital clasp, is in fact a tag from the Essence

Music Festival that he's simply neglected to remove. Damu

Smith is doing life Damu Smith-style: happy, brilliant and

winning the fight.

``This has been one of the happiest times in my life, in

the midst of this crisis. Now some people might say, `How is

that possible?' It's possible because I have seen the love

come to me in such wonderful ways. I cannot begin to describe

how profound, how rich and warm and beautiful the love has

been from my family and friends and God. I thank God for this

moment and for the chance to fight,'' said Smith.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to commemorate the 31st anniversary of a series of festivities honoring the wonders of Harlem, my home community which I am privileged to represent in the Congress. Harlem Week 2005 is a cultural, educational, and entertaining series of activities designed to highlight the history, traditions, and future of the Harlem community that has grown from its modest beginnings to become a major attraction for the residents of the community and thousands of visitors annually.

A lifelong resident of Harlem, I have long been proud of the many facets of my community. From the music and arts of the Harlem community to the politics and strategies of Harlem's activists and leaders, this is a community that is rich in diversity, entertainment, culture, and love. It is a community that embraces its differences and its commonalities in order to represent the rainbow of beauty and culture that characterizes our great city of New York.

Harlem Week is a celebration of this embrace. It is a time for the community and the families that make up that community to come together, to be exposed to their variety of traditions and customs, and to affirm their individual identities as well as their American consciousness. This community will always, in my mind, represent the essence of America. And, during Harlem Week, we pay tribute to the soul of America.

Harlem Week is not simply a series of festivities and parties. It is an educational experience where individuals are taught to appreciate the arts and the history of the community. This summer, in theatrical performances, dance exhibitions, story-tellings, and other artistic expressions, the Harlem community will come alive in recognizing its rich and beautiful cultural attributes. The accomplishments and history of the African-American cinema will be highlighted alongside a celebration of Jazz and music that has originated in Harlem. Harlem will applaud the history of a diverse community that has struggled with the soul and legacy of generations of Americans.

Harlem Week is also a family event. Children of all ages will be entertained throughout this recognition of the wonder and cultural diversity of Harlem. Petting zoos, story-tellers, fashion shows, and interactive arts--all with an emphasis on achievement and education-- will be displayed throughout the events of Harlem.

This year, attendees will also be exposed to the diverse sports and entertainment heritage of Harlem. The National Black Sports & Entertainment Hall of Fame will induct such entertainment luminaries as Phylicia Rashad, Bonnie Raitt, Marian Anderson, Alvin Ailey, Pearl Bailey, Ray Baretto, Donald Byrd, Kenny Gamble, Frankie Crocker, Symphony Sid, and Tito Rodriguez. Sports stars such as John Chaney, Fritz Pollard, Rafer Johnson, Lou Carneseca, Zina Garrison, Jack Johnson, Elston Howard, Johnny Sample, and Al Maguire will also be inducted in the Hall of Fame.

Harlem Week 2005 promises to be one of the best celebrations of the vitality of the Harlem community this year. It will be an important celebration of the soul of America and the community that has long nurtured that soul. This celebration, exposure, and education of the community will truly be instrumental in understanding and appreciating the beauty of the Harlem community.

As always, I welcome the Members of this Congress, as well as all citizens of these United States of America, to join me and the Harlem community during Harlem Week 2005. You will not regret your time there. I submit for the Record the calendar of events for Harlem Week and I look forward to seeing you in Harlem.

Harlem Week 2005: The Legacy Continues

New York's Premiere Festival Continues to Celebrate Decades of

Community Service

June 29, 2005 (Harlem, USA)--Back by popular demand, HARLEM

WEEK, which celebrates its 31st Anniversary, returns with a

spectacular line up of exciting events, outdoor activities,

concerts, and fun for the entire family. Themed ``The Legacy

Continues'', the culturally-rich affair swung into gear on

Wednesday, July 13, as Mayor Bloomberg and the city of New

York paid tribute to HARLEM WEEK, with a special private

celebration and concert at Gracie Mansion. The festive affair

will include a special harmonious presentation from the hit

musical, ``Three Mo' Tenors'', along with soulful, rhythmic

selections from Ron Anderson and the Harlem Jazz & Music

Festival All Stars.

On Sunday, July 31st, HARLEM WEEK salutes the grand village

of Harlem during its ``Great Day in Harlem'' celebration at

Ulysses S. Grant National Memorial Park, 122nd Street and

Riverside Drive. This all-day, three-part affair opens with

the ``Family Unity Day Cultural Festival'' at 1:00 p.m.,

featuring family-oriented outdoor activities including

theatrical excerpts, dance performances, story-telling,

spoken word, and more. The celebration continues with the

Harlem Jazz & Music Festival's fashion extravaganza,

featuring the latest, cutting-edge creations and accessories

from emerging and leading urban designers. Runway activities

begin at 5:00 p.m. The festive day will end with the annual

Concert Under the Stars. The Harlem Jazz & Music Festival and

WBLS FM invites the entire family to join them for this

enchanting moonlit night of great music as Meli'sa Morgan,

Layla Hathaway, Freddie Jackson, the Alvin Ailey Dance

Theater and other surprise guests pay homage to Harlem's

legacy. This spectacular affair, sponsored by Time Warner and

Citibank, runs from 6:00 p.m.-9:00 p.m.

From August 2nd-6th, EBONY Magazine, in concert with HARLEM

WEEK, presents Hollywood in Harlem. This annual four day

affair, which celebrates the accomplishments and history of

African-Americans in cinema, will take place at various

venues in the Harlem community. On each evening, there will

be a VIP reception, film screenings, and award presentations.

With this event, EBONY continues a 60 year tradition of

giving recognition to African-American actors, actresses, and

filmmakers.

On August 20th and 21st, HARLEM WEEK invites everyone to

come to uptown New York and take part in one of the city's

most exciting weekends, beginning on Saturday, August 20th,

with the annual ``Uptown Saturday Nite'' music festival. This

all-day celebration consists of a plethora of exciting events

as attendees take to the streets throughout Harlem, enjoying

outdoor cultural arts, crafts, exotic foods and live

entertainment from a variety of stages along West 135th

Street (between Malcolm X Blvd and St. Nicholas Avenue). The

annual ``Flava'' fashion show burst onto the stage on Uptown

Saturday Nite, and concert acts will be provided by stations

Power 105, WKTU-FM, and Lite FM. Also taking place on August

20th is The Children's Festival which features such

activities as a petting zoos, story-tellers, and interactive

arts, all with a strong emphasis on education and

achievement, sponsored by Washington Mutual, The New York

Post, and WWRL 1600.

Sunday, August 21st, is HARLEM DAY and the good times

continue to roll. The entertainment stages and the Children's

Festival remain on 135th Street along with the addition of

several exiting events: The Children's Festival adds a

fashion show featuring the hottest back-to-school fashions;

The 16th Annual Upper Manhattan Auto Show includes a display

of cars from antiques to 2005 preview models; students and

families discover college options and how to pay for them at

The National Historic Black College Fair & Expo; and The NYC

Health Fair & Expo features free health information and

screenings. Music and other entertainment will be courtesy of

Kiss-FM, Hot 97, & CD 101.9.

On August 30th, the National Black Sports & Entertainment

Hall of Fame Induction Gala will be held, honoring both live

and posthumous luminaries in the fields of sports and

entertainment. This year's inductees in the area of

entertainment include Donald Byrd, Iman, Kenny Gamble & Leon

Huff; Phylicia Rashad, Ray Baretto, Bonnie Raitt, Frankie

Crocker, Marian Anderson, Alvin Ailey, Pearl Bailey, Symphony

Sid, and Tito Rodriguez. In the area of sports, inductees

include John Chaney, Fritz Pollard, Rafer Johnson, Lou

Carneseca, Zina Garrison, Jack Johnson, Elston Howard, Johnny

Sample and Al Maguire. Vignette tribute for various inductees

will air on WNBC-4 throughout the summer.

If HARLEM WEEK only accomplished giving people a sense of

pride and enjoyment, that alone would be a worthy feat;

however, HARLEM WEEK does that while also addressing other

community needs. With the support of sponsors and elected

officials, HARLEM WEEK, Inc. has been a proponent for

advancing education by giving grants to educational

organizations, plus scholarships to thousands of students who

have worked diligently inside the classroom and outside in

the community. The relationship between those parties and

HARLEM WEEK has not only garnered higher enrollment, but also

provided internships and careers for students. Scholarships

and grants are presented at virtually every HARLEM WEEK,

Harlem Jazz & Music Festival, and National Black Sports &

Entertainment Hall of Fame event. HARLEM WEEK also hosts

events focused on economic development and on the welfare of

Senior Citizens. Perhaps this is why mayors, governors,

senators, members of congress, foreign leaders, and other

inspirational figures, have opted to address HARLEM WEEK

audiences over the years.

The HARLEM WEEK's 31st Anniversary is a great celebration

of accomplishment through unity. Those unable to attend can

still partake in the festivities by listening to live radio

broadcasts on stations throughout the New York City area.

HARLEM WEEK invites you to come discover the treasures of a

proud community. Discover Harlem. For further information

about the excitement and culture that is HARLEM WEEK, log on

to www.HarlemDiscover.com

Mr. Speaker, I rise to bring to the attention of my colleagues and the country an important conference and series of events being held in Washington this week. On Wednesday, July 27, the National Urban League will celebrate its 95th anniversary with

a conference-summit on the challenges and advances in the empowerment of our communities to change the daily lives of Americans.

With a broad and exemplary series of panels and discussion sessions, the Urban League will continue its legendary service in support of raising awareness of the limited job opportunities, challenging health care costs, increasing economic and social disparities, and disappointing gaps in educational equality. The Urban League will not only highlight and question the challenges and limitations faced by communities across the county, but they will also propose and examine solutions for those communities.

For almost a century now, the Urban League has championed and advanced solutions to the crippling disparities that exist within our communities. They have long been involved with the struggle for equality and opportunity that faces the Black community, in particular, but economically disadvantaged groups nationwide.

In reaction to the Supreme Court's 1896 Plessy v. Ferguson decision approving segregation in the United States, Black Americans were quickly relegated to the most menial jobs, the poorest conditions of housing and health care, and the least access to quality education. Individuals, such as Mrs. Ruth Standish Brown and Dr. George Edmund Haynes, led the effort to adopt and prepare Black Americans for their economic struggles in urban America. Their efforts led the Committee on Urban Conditions, the Committee for the Improvement of Industrial Conditions Among Negroes, and the National League for the Protection of Colored Women to form the National League on Urban Conditions Among Negroes, later shortened to the National Urban League.

Since that mergence of groups and interests, the National Urban League has been at the forefront of fighting for equal opportunities and treatment of Americans in this country. They have pursued public and private strategies designed to provide training, assistance, development and awareness programs about the struggles for equal treatment and opportunity. Working with Whites, Blacks, Hispanics, and Asians, the National Urban League has been a champion of the economic welfare of the disadvantaged.

Today, the League continues that legacy of championship for economic justice. They continue to provide useful information to policymakers in their evaluation and development of programs to aid the poor. They continue to inform the community of mechanisms to overcome the challenges that lay before them. They continue to be an advocate for the poor, an information-provider for the decision-makers, and a champion of justice and equality for the Nation, and they do all of this at the local community level through its chapters in communities around the Nation.

This week, led by its president, Marc Morial, who is providing superb leadership to the Urban League in the tradition of the great Whitney Young, the League continues its legacy and consciousness-building. I hope my colleagues will be reminded of the importance of this group to our economic development. As they conference in the Nation's Capital, I hope we would reach out and listen to the proposals and solutions the League provides. I hope we would provide them a voice for and an ear to their causes.

Mr. Speaker, I submit the following article written by Zenitha Prince of the Afro-American concerning this week's meeting. I welcome the attendees and conferees of this year's conference to their Nation's Capital, Washington, DC.

Urban League Celebrates 95 Years

July 23, 2005--About 15,000 people are expected to join the

National Urban League in ``Celebrating 95 Years of Empowering

Communities and Changing Lives'' during its annual

conference, which will convene at the Washington Convention

Center in Washington, D.C., from July 27 to 31.

``As we celebrate 95 years of direct service to communities

across the nation, we expect the annual conference in

Washington, D.C., to be the largest gathering of the Urban

League Movement,'' said Marc H. Morial, National Urban League

president and CEO, in a prepared statement.

The annual conference will feature innovative and

interactive plenary sessions and events that present some of

the Nation's most illustrious and influential leaders. It

also gives us a chance to discuss and finds ways to help one

another in closing the tremendous gaps that exist in health,

education and economics. The annual conference helps bring

people together around issues of concern to our community and

the Nation.

Among the featured speakers are U.S. Sen. Hillary Clinton

(D-N.Y.); hiphop historian and author Kevin Powell; author,

activist and comedian Dick Gregory; and Rainbow Coalition/

PUSH founder and president the Rev. Jesse Jackson. The

conference will also feature performances by India.Arie,

Brian McKnight, Doug E. Fresh and Chuck Brown.

Most notably, however, the 2005 conference will feature a

new Influencer Summit geared towards engaging, connecting and

building young professionals. The list of speakers includes

(The Apprentice) star Kwame Jackson, who plans to discuss how

he parlayed his reality television experience into

opportunities that include a new company, Legacy Holdings,

which is even now brokering a $3.8 billion deal to build a

real estate development called Rosewood, just miles outside

of the District of Columbia, and a lucrative career on the

international speakers' circuit.

``I wouldn't be on this phone or have any notoriety if I

had stayed on my job [with Wall Street firm Goldman Sachs],''

said the 30-year-old D.C. native. Modestly deflecting any

praise about his achievements, Jackson advised young

entrepreneurs that corporate America is a tough environment

for a young Black person, and that it takes tenacity and

vision to attain success. ``Being an entrepreneur is for

people who enjoy getting their teeth kicked,'' Jackson said.

``You have to be the kind of person that will get up and ask

for more.''

The Influencer Summit will also examine the changing civil

rights landscape and the young Black professional's role in

it.

``I think we're the up-and-coming leaders. Any civil rights

movement from here on out will be carried out by us,'' said

Larry Meadows Jr., president of the Washington National Urban

League Young Professionals.

Both Jackson and Meadows agreed that the Black community is

moving into the ``second generation'' of the civil rights

struggle, which involves the fight for economic parity.

``We've grown by leaps and bounds, but if you look at it

economically, we've not gone very far,'' Meadows said. ``We

have a lot of successful individuals, and that creates the

perception that we're OK. But overall, we're still

struggling.''

For more information about the 2005 National Urban League

Annual Conference, go to www.nu1.org; and for more

information about Kwame Jackson, check out his Web site,

www.kwamejackson.com.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to acknowledge the 52nd anniversary of the Cuban Revolution on July 26. It was on this day 52 years ago that Fidel Castro and a band of young men and women initiated a revolutionary struggle against the US-backed Batista regime. On this day in 1953, Fidel Castro led a small group of rebels in an attack on the Moncada military barracks in Santiago de Cuba. While the attack was a military failure, it signaled the beginning of the Cuban revolution which ultimately succeeded in overthrowing the Batista regime and establishing a communist regime led by Fidel Castro which, despite enduring hostility of the government of the United States has ruled the island for forty-six years.

Today, as we observe the new familiar pictures of Fidel Castro speaking to throngs in Revolutionary Square still in power after all these years, we need to examine the role U.S. policy has played in keeping him there.

I have long opposed U.S. policy towards Fidel Castro and Cuba, specifically the embargo, as I strongly believe that restricting travel and trade is a failed policy that harms the people of Cuba, and works against the promotion of democracy on the island. It also denies citizens of the United States the fundamental right and freedom to travel where they want and now denies Cuban Americans to visit their relatives living in Cuba.

In Cuba today, you will not find a Fidel Castro weakened by our 45- year embargo, but a Cuban leadership solidified by what can only be thought of as bullying tactics by the world's strongest superpower against one of our hemisphere's poorest nations which its people believe is being made to suffer because of its opposition to the United States.

I believe that the embargo has had the opposite of its intended effect. It has actually prolonged Fidel Castro's rule and continues today to be effectively used by him to distract the Cuban people from the failures of his policies by having them focus upon the embargo as the source of the hardships they are enduring. This will not be a happy anniversary for the Cuban people because of worsening economic conditions and increasing political repression, but Fidel will still receive applause when he blames the U.S. embargo.

Current United States policy toward Cuba is markedly out of touch with current world realities. Almost every nation has normal trade and diplomatic relations with Cuba, especially those nations in the Western Hemisphere.

Even in the Cuban-American refugee community, whose older members remain bitter about Fidel Castro and fiercely opposed to loosening sanctions, the younger members are beginning to support U.S. engagement with Cuba instead of confrontation. However, under the Bush administration the 45-year old embargo, has been further tightened, severely limiting travel to Cuba and the transfer of funds to family members on the island.

The new rules permit Cuban Americans to visit the island once every three years--and then only if they can get a license to travel from the Treasury Department. Additionally the White House has also restricted remittances. Under the changes, Americans are permitted to send cash only to a Cuban child, parent, sibling or grandparent--but not to cousins or nephews.

If you were to visit Cuba today you will not find people inspired by our embargo aimed at

the removal of Fidel Castro from power, but rather you will find hungry families living in unnecessary poverty. In 2005 you will find a large constituency of Cuban Americans such as U.S. soldier Sgt. Carlos Lazo, who are angered and embittered by U.S. policies that limit visits with their family members to only once every three years.

You will find a Cuban-American constituency angered by the fact that in the wake of Hurricane Dennis (a disastrous force that wrecked havoc on the island and killed 16) they are powerless to help their family members still on the island because of remittance and aid restrictions.

Cuban people are well known for their strong sense of family values. It is therefore an outrage that a group of people who hold family bonds in such high esteem are prevented from assisting their families in a time of overwhelming need because of outdated and unreasonable U.S. policy.

Today marks the 52nd anniversary of the start of the Cuban-Revolution and for 46 years Cuba's government has remained the same. This is overwhelming evidence that U.S. policy towards Cuba must be reevaluated.

We should move towards a policy of active engagement with the people of Cuba, encouraging travel and visits to the island of all Americans who wish to go. The very presence of a significant number of U.S. citizens affluent and free will be an opponent to the Castro regime and will serve as a contrast that will sharpen the realization of the Cuban people of the failure of Communism to provide them with an economic system which can get them out of the poverty which afflicts most of the Cuban people. Visiting U.S. citizens will inevitably place enormous pressure on the Castro regime.

As it stands our policy toward Cuba is one that severely limits the availability of medicine and medical supplies to the Cuban people. It is a policy that denies U.S. Citizens the right to travel where they choose. It is a policy that prevents Cuban and American diplomats from establishing meaningful channels of communication to improve our relationship and prevent misunderstandings.

It is a policy that denies American companies and businesses access to an important and potentially enormous new market for American goods, services, and ideas. It is a policy that prohibits a country ninety miles from our shores from being a partner in our global effort to thwart terrorism, to counter drug traffickers, or protect our overlapping ecosystems. Most importantly however, it is a policy that has proven itself ineffective for more than 40 years.

The Cuban people are the ones who are suffering and it is time to put politics aside and work on developing a new foreign policy standard in regards to Cuba. Developing a relationship with Cuba is an important foreign policy goal and in order to achieve this goal a new and rational approach to relations between our countries is urgently needed, based on dialogue, open travel and increased trade.

I introduce in the Record an article from today's Miami Herald reporting on the circumstances in Cuba on the eve of the celebration of the 52nd anniversary of the start of the Cuban revolution.

[From the Miami Herald, July 26, 2005]

Patience Wears Thin on Eve of July 26

Several Cuban dissidents remained in detention as the government scaled back plans for festivities commemorating the start of the revolution.

(By Nancy San Martin)

When Cuban leader Fidel Castro takes to the microphone as

expected today to commemorate the 52nd anniversary of an

attack that marked the start of his revolution, many on the

island will cling to words that promise relief from

conditions exhausting the patience of an already exasperated

population.

Human-rights activists on the island have said that

``tempers are flaring'' as the country continues to struggle

with extended blackouts and a shortage of food, made worse by

Hurricane Dennis.

Meanwhile, 10 of as many as 33 dissidents arrested last

week spent their third day in custody Monday, opposition

leaders in Havana reported. They were detained as they tried

to participate in an anti-government protest in front of the

French Embassy in Havana. And while the European Union joined

the United States in condemning the arrests, leaders of the

opposition movement on the island began plotting their next

move to bring international attention to their plight.

``The detentions are completely arbitrary,'' said prominent

dissident Martha Beatriz Roque, who was released from custody

Saturday without charges. ``We cannot allow the government to

continue to treat us this way.''

``There must be a response, not only from the opposition

but from everybody,'' Roque told The Herald in a telephone

interview, declining to reveal whether any new anti-

government protests were planned in the coming days. However,

she hinted they could be organized at a moment's notice.

``All I can say is that opposition groups all over the

island are on alert,'' Roque said. ``They are waiting for the

call to take to the streets. I see the strong possibility of

civil unrest.''

Roque's determination to strike back comes as the

government prepares to commemorate the July 26, 1953, assault

led by Castro in a failed attempt to seize the Cuban army's

Moncada Barracks in the eastern city of Santiago.

The event planted the seeds of a revolution that brought

Castro to power in 1959. The anniversary usually is marked by

big public events, but this year's planned celebration

appears more subdued.

Castro is expected to give a speech, but as of late Monday,

the location had not been announced. Other events were

planned to take place indoors,

Several opposition leaders said the scaled-back festivities

illustrate government fear that widespread discontent could

escalate. Human-rights activists in Cuba have said patience

is wearing thin as the island continues to struggle with

blackouts that can last 12 or more hours a day, spoiling what

little food there is in most refrigerators. Several anti-

government incidents have been reported, and police presence

has been boosted.

Besides the 10 in custody since last week, six others who

tried to participate in a separate demonstration July 13

remain jailed on ``public disorder'' charges.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to recognize the significance of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Next week will mark the fortieth anniversary of the passage of that historic act of Congress and there will be commemorations and remembrances of this anniversary throughout the nation, including a march in Atlanta being led by our colleague, the Honorable John Lewis--a civil rights legacy in his own right. While August 6th will signify prominent strides that this country has made in terms of equal rights, the 40th anniversary of the Act's passage will also highlight considerable room for improvement and work to truly guarantee that right to vote to all Americans.

The Act is a reminder of the oppression suffered by the Black community between Reconstruction and the Civil Rights Movement that Blacks could be utterly denied the most basic constitutional right to vote without any recourse to assert and obtain that from any of the branches of the United States government, including the Judiciary. The right to vote is fundamental to political empowerment under our Constitution and democratic form of government. Its denial effectively deprived citizenship to African-Americans in the Jim Crow era.

Despite the promises of the Fifteenth Amendment, most Black Americans were routinely denied the right to cast ballots in federal and state elections, particularly in the South. This denial was a function of both the state government and of local individuals determined to maintain their hold on political power in this country. It was another element of the fear and torture that existed throughout this country to intimidate and discourage Blacks from pursing their most basic rights in this country.

Individuals were denied the opportunity through official and unofficial channels to cast their ballots. Literacy tests, poll taxes, grandfather clauses, and gerrymandering were but a few of the mechanisms used by the state to prevent Black Americans from voting and electing leaders to represent their interests while lynchings, threats and intimidations, and Ku Klux Klan marches asserted the will of bigots to oppose the equal treatment of all Americans.

Faced with these startling realizations and a mobilized Black community, President Lyndon Johnson advocated for the Voting Rights Act

of 1965. Despite the perceived political disadvantages for himself and his party, Johnson's efforts were important to securing the rights of Black Americans throughout the country. His efforts opened the doors of electoral influence and power for Black Americans in this country.

Thanks to the efforts of the Voting Rights Act, poll taxes that charged certain Americans for their right to vote were eliminated. Literacy tests which were selectively applied to Blacks were banned. Individuals who stood in polling sites intimidating minorities from voting were committing federal crimes. Federal agents were deployed to protect and guarantee the rights of these Americans to vote.

Today, we can enjoy the fact that African-Americans, Hispanic Americans, and other minorities are guaranteed the right to vote in every state and federal election, that the legislative bodies of this country are more representative of the diversity of the nation than of the rich and powerful, and that the power of the people to elect their leaders is guaranteed in both the 15th Amendment and the Voting Rights Act.

Nevertheless, Mr. Speaker, the right to vote--the most important obligation of our citizens--is not universal to our citizens. There remain a number of barriers to full voting rights of this country and this Congress should look into addressing those challenges when we renew the Voting Rights Act next year. Some of these barriers are intentional; others less so. Regardless, the right to vote should be undeniable to a democracy's citizens. It should be undeniable to the citizens of the United States.

As we approach the 40th anniversary of the Voting Rights Act, an ever-increasing number of Americans are being permanently denied their right to vote in federal elections for their past criminal behavior. Based on Justice Department figures from 2000, an estimated 1.6 million ex-offenders in 14 states are denied the right to vote after paying their debt to society. These ex-offenders are continually denied their right to cast votes for these past actions. We should allow these individuals who have fulfilled their sentences to vote in federal elections.

Purging of voting records, targeting and intimidation in minority voting sites, the absence of reliable voting machines, circulation of false and misleading information, and long lines in polling sites have all been recent examples of the challenges to creating a fair and justice electoral system. There is clearly more work that needs to be done and I look forward to working with my colleagues in securing legislation that will tackle this challenge.

For today, we can look back on the hopes and promises of a more open society and see the fruits of our labor: A citizenry that participates at all levels, a Congress that reflects and represents the country's diversity, and a country that is opening doors and opportunities for the voices of all Americans. Tomorrow, we should take up the challenges of opening this society even more to the inclusion of all our citizens.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in acknowledgment and appreciation of the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation interns as they complete their internships with the 43 members of the Congressional Black Caucus.

This summer, the members of the Congressional Black Caucus have enjoyed the benefit of working with college students from all over the country through the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation's Congressional Internship Program. The program has provided the interns with housing and stipends to allow them to work in our offices and gain knowledge and experience in the legislative process, affording them an opportunity that they might not otherwise have been able to take advantage of.

In a society where African-American youth are usually characterized by negative stereotypes, it is refreshing to see such promising individuals. These young people have shattered negative stereotypes by accepting the challenge to become America's future leaders. The 43 CBCF interns have done more than just answer phones and sort mail, they have become active participants in the legislative process. They have worked on substantive issues and evidenced the potential to become proficient in public policy research, analysis and advocacy. Their presence has definitely been felt throughout the nine short weeks they have been on the Hill. From organizing receptions to starting petitions for the Darfur crisis, they have made an impact in our offices and on Capitol Hill.

The CBCF internship program and the interns it has produced are very special to me. My wife, Alma, was one of the first co-chairs of the Congressional Black Caucus Spouses and was instrumental in creating the foundation's internship program. Since then, the internship program has flourished and we have gone on to providing wider support for young African-American students, offering fellowships and conducting summer enrichment programs.

I would like to take this opportunity to formally recognize the CBCF interns and thank them for the valuable work they have done this summer. In particular, I want to recognize and praise Jackeline Stewart for the contributions she made to my office this summer during her CBCF internship; she was a terrific addition to my staff. I would also like to thank the program coordinators Troy Clair, Erin Miles and Jason Goodson of the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation staff for all of their hard work in the planning and implementation of this summer's CBCF internship program.

I would like to submit to the Record the 2005 Congressional Black Caucus Foundation intern roster:

Byron Adams, Representative David Scott (GA), Pomona College.

Kara Akins, Representative Robert Scott (VA), Howard University.

Elizabeth Bakanic, Representative G.K. Butterfield (NC), University of South Carolina--Columbia.

John Lewis Baker III, Representative Bennie G. Thompson (MS), Tougaloo College.

Joseph Bastian, Representative Corrine Brown (FL), Florida A&M University.

Michele Bradley, Representative Diane Watson (CA), Spelman College.

Wesley Brunson, Representative Kendrick Meek (FL), University of Florida.

Robert Cary, Representative Stephanie Tubbs Jones (OH), Columbia University.

La Mont Chappell, Representative Juanita Millender-McDonald (CA), University of New Mexico.

Sharonda Childs, Representative Artur Davis (AL), Columbia University.

Christopher Cody, Representative Harold Ford, Jr. (TN), Boston College.

Christopher Coes, Representative Sanford Bishop (GA), St. John's University.

Lesley Coleman, Representative Bobby Rush (IL), Georgetown University.

Nicholas Colvin, Representative Carolyn Kilpatrick (MI), University of Michigan.

Lawrence Crockett, Representative Albert Wynn (MD), University of Pittsburgh.

Sophia Davis, Representative Julia Carson (IN), Miami University.

Kory Davis, Del. Donna Christensen (VI), Johnson C. Smith University.

Phallan Davis, Representative Sheila Jackson-Lee (TX), Baylor University.

Jeffrey Delaney, Representative Donald Payne (NJ), Williams College.

Jonathan Fong, Representative Al Green (TX), University of Texas- Austin.

Omari French, Representative Maxine Waters (CA), University of Miami.

Andre Gray, Representative Gregory Meeks (NY), University of Maryland, College Park.

James Guster, Representative Cynthia McKinney (GA), Tennessee State University.

Jaira Harrington, Representative Danny Davis (IL), Spelman College.

Nija Leek, Representative Chaka Fattah (PA), Bethune-Cookman College.

April Love, Representative Emanuel Cleaver (MO), University of Arkansas.

Willie Lyles III, Representative James Clyburn (SC), Winthrop University.

Whitney Marshall, Representative Melvin Watt (NC), Wake Forest University.

Ryshelle McCadney, Representative Edolphus Towns (NY), Harvard College.

Stephanie McGary, Representative Eddie Bernice Johnson (TX), Dillard University.

My'Ron McGee, Sen. Barack Obama (IL), University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Nicholas Paul, Representative Major Owens (NY), Medgar Evers (CUNY).

MarQuita Petties, Representative Barbara Lee (CA), UC Berkeley.

Stefanie Rhodes, Representative William Jefferson (LA), Louisiana State University.

Jennifer Rush, Representative Jesse Jackson, Jr. (IL), University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Jackeline Stewart, Representative Charles Rangel (NY), American University.

Rachel Tanner, Representative John Conyers, Jr. (MI), University of Michigan.

Nzingha Thompson-Bahaudden, Representative Gwen Moore (WI), Howard University.

Mimi Tsige, Representative William Lacy Clay (MO), St. Charles Community College.

Charisma Williams, Del. Eleanor Holmes-Norton (DC), Temple University.

Isaiah Wilson, Representative John Lewis (GA), Morehouse College.

Erin Wilson, Representative Alcee Hastings (FL), University of Pennsylvania.

Darryl Yates, Representative Elijah Cummings (MD), Morgan State University.

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

Mr. Speaker, let me join with the handful of Republicans in complimenting the chairman of the Committee on Ways and Means. His attack against arrogance has moved my heart, and those of others in the House, as well as his conversations with the immigrants and the newcomers to find out what should be in the trade bill. It certainly would have worked out a heck of a lot better if he had talked with some of the Democrats in the House.

This is one day that we all should remember. A small bill designed to help small countries. I was successful in having the Dominican Republic included in it. People who indeed wanted to work, wanted to have the dignity of having a job, wanted to be able to buy some of those U.S. products, really wanted to be partners, but they also wanted to be a part of this. Arrogance? How can you have a bill you say that is helping these people to make certain that they stave off communism and that become, indeed, a democratic country and, at the same time, exclude them from participating?

Yes, they want a Central American Free Trade Agreement. Yes, the Dominicans want to have a Dominican Republic Free Trade Agreement, but they want to be a part of it, and they want their people protected.

The gentleman talked about people who fought and died for our Constitution. You do not have to remind us about that. Patriotism can bring a tear to our eyes, but why do we not talk about the people who fought and died for workers' rights? Hey, can you not get that on your agenda? Those who fought and died for human rights, should that not be a part of it?

But let us talk about the moral values. The Catholic bishops in the United States, the Catholic bishops in the Dominican Republic, the Catholic bishops throughout the island; the religious leaders, the labor leaders, the peasants, the farmers, those who work in the free trade zone, do they not count for something?

This could have been an easy thing. This is no big deal. It was not before the President came down here. This could have been something we could have worked out. There has to be some compassion and less arrogance on the other side. We could have talked these things out.

And what is wrong with language that protects kids? Just because people do not have a design to commit crime does not mean you do not have a criminal code. Just because people are not inclined to abuse workers does not mean you do not have a code.

All we are saying is this: Let us protect intellectual property rights, let us protect our exporters, let us protect the multinationals, let us protect the big farm corporations. But, while you do that, protect the little guy where, in many of the countries, they have not the slightest clue, and they tell us each and every day, we want trade, we want to improve our lives; all we want to do is to be a part of the agreement.

Now, I was told that we cannot get back to that. With regard to the side agreements, I thought it meant the issue had to be related to trade. But some of the offers that I have heard that relate to getting votes around here, side agreements mean something else. And that is why maybe it may still be light tonight in California, but for those who are wide awake tonight, they should know it is not prime time in Washington, D.C. As a matter of fact, it is the worst of times.

This administration has taken a bill that could have meant something, a bill we could have been proud of, and has made a political toy out of it. They have excluded Democrats; they have offended some Republicans.

So when we hear about this bill tonight, it will not be a trade bill, it will be a bill that would say, which side are you on? Are you on the side of transparency, open discussion, wanting to protect American farmers, wanting to protect American entrepreneurs, wanting to do business with people in these small countries that are impoverished, and do you want to help those who are the lesser among us, who, at the end of the day, have been excluded from consideration from this treaty?

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Norwood).

Mr. Speaker, the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Cardin) is the ranking member of the trade committee. He has worked hard on this, and he probably never has voted against any trade agreement in this

House. And I guess he is saying that this is an agreement worthy of his vote.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Cardin).

Announcement By the Speaker Pro Tempore

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

Mr. Speaker, I would like to quote what the bishops have said about this because I think the previous speaker gave an eloquent speech, but he said one thing: It could be better for the workers.

I do not have any argument with that. And the bishop said, the panel urged that the agreement should contribute to sustainable human development, especially among the poorest and most vulnerable sectors; that the countries' governments take as much time as necessary to provide adequate information and foster broad debates about the contact and impact of the agreement, and that the moral measure of any trade agreement should be how it affects the lives and the dignity of poor families and vulnerable workers whose voices should receive special attention in this discussion.

Mr. Speaker, the following six pages are organizations representing religious leaders in Central America and the Dominican Republic, representing peasants, representing farmers, representing workers that all they are asking is please include us.

Central American Groups Opposed to CAFTA

Accion Ciudadana (Nicaragua)

Action Aid International (Guatemala)

Action Network of Citizens Against Free Trade (SINTI

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Coble), who served this country and served it well, and he wears that lapel pin showing how proud he is to be a veteran, not a Republican, not a Democrat.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Levin), who has been not only a supporter of trade agreements, but he has been an architect in designing trade agreements. Every major agreement he just did not vote for, but he helped to make it better. That is when we used to work together on trade agreements.

(Mr. LEVIN asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Jones), a distinguished Member of the House and of the majority party.

Mr. Speaker, I yield for the purpose of making a unanimous consent request to the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Kildee).

(Mr. KILDEE asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Washington (Mr. McDermott), a senior member of the Committee on Ways and Means, and who, without his research and support, we never would have the Africa Growth and Opportunity Bill and who has worked on every trade agreement that we have passed in this House.

(Mr. McDERMOTT asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Idaho (Mr. Otter) on the other side of the aisle.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from California (Mr. Becerra), someone who has studied and is very familiar with this legislation.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Paul).

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

The gentleman from Indiana is really so entertaining. After he got past Fidel Castro, I was ready for Osama bin Laden and Saddam Hussein. Now that you mention it, I think we ought to have a search for weapons of mass destruction. I do not know how short you are on votes, but I want the gentleman to know, I appreciate his edification of how serious it can be. The Communists can come back.

I yield to the gentleman from Indiana.

You have access to secret information from what I read in the paper, so be careful what you say because you may have to go to Niger.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Ohio (Mrs. Jones), a member of the committee.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from North Dakota (Mr. Pomeroy), an outstanding member of the Committee on Ways and Means.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Brown), who has worked very hard in trying to perfect this legislation.

Mr. Speaker, we are privileged on this side to have someone who is very familiar with that area, who worked hard and became a Member of this body.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2\1/2\ minutes to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Solis).

Mr. Speaker, I have been reminded by staff that the Costa Rican Government has not approved of these changes; but since they are merely side agreements, I guess that means it is on the side.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Doggett), a distinguished member of the Committee on Ways and Means.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes and 10 seconds to the gentlewoman from Ohio (Ms. Kaptur).

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Alabama (Mr. Davis).

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. Ford).

Mr. Speaker, I yield 30 seconds to the gentleman from Rhode Island (Mr. Kennedy) for purposes of correcting the record.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Scott).

Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Louisiana (Mr. Melancon).

Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Kucinich), a former Presidential candidate.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Maine (Mr. Michaud).

Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from California (Mrs. Capps).

Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the outstanding gentlewoman from California (Ms. Waters).

Mr. Speaker, how much time remains?

Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Gene Green).

(Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the distinguished gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Jackson-Lee).

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

Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Chicago, Illinois (Mr. Davis).

Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Oregon (Mr. Blumenauer).

Mr. Speaker, I yield for the purpose of making a unanimous consent request to the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Etheridge).

(Mr. ETHERIDGE asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. Speaker, I yield for the purpose of making a unanimous consent request to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Engel).

(Mr. ENGEL asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to a gentleman from California (Mr. Farr), who was a Peace Corps volunteer in South America.

(Mr. FARR asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume to note that when the chairman of the Committee on Ways and Means indicated that the speech and debate clause of the Constitution allowed us to distort the truth, I had no idea where he was coming from. But I now truly understand why he opened up the debate that way.

Mr. Speaker, I yield the balance of my time to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Pelosi), our gentle minority leader, who made certain that we did not make this a partisan issue, who struggled hard to keep this agreement and to try to get it open so that we could have input and have a bipartisan agreement, and who will close on behalf of the minority.

Mr. Speaker, I demand a recorded vote.

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

Mr. Speaker, we object to the suspension calendar being used for political purposes. As most of us know, this calendar is supposed to be used to expedite legislation that is not controversial and has no substantial opposition. One would hardly believe that this bill is on the calendar today for purposes of improving our trade relationship with the People's Republic of China.

Clearly, for those who are following the Central American Free Trade Agreement with the Dominican Republic, they know that this is another effort to elicit votes for a bill that has not got bipartisan support and should have bipartisan support. I think it is bad policy and bad politics for our foreign policy and certainly our trade policy to be used in an effort to solicit votes or to be done in a partisan way to see who won and who lost.

The chairman of the committee is right that the Democrat side as well as working with the gentlewoman from Connecticut (Mrs. Johnson) is very anxious to clear up the complexities that put the United States at a disadvantage as relates to dealing with the Chinese Government. But at the same time, we truly believe that these bills should not be the Rangel bill with Democrats or the English bill with Republicans, but rather a bill that we can say as members of the Committee on Ways and Means and as Member of Congress that we have taken it to the committees, we have had hearings, and we have come out with a position that you do not have to check the party to know whether it is right or whether it is wrong.

There is a substantial difference between the bills that the Democrats put in, which certainly deals with the provisions that are in the bill before us today, but also it prevents the loopholes that are in that bill and provides for other considerations that would make this a better bill and improve our relationship with China.

Again, Mr. Speaker, this bill has nothing to do with China and has everything to do with an attempt to get votes for DR-CAFTA. We hope that a vote against this bill will send a message to Democrats and Republicans not to use the procedures of the House for political purposes; to not put controversial bills on the suspension calendar, and to take them to the committee of jurisdiction where they belong so that they can be discussed, debated, and then brought to the floor in a bipartisan way so that we can look at it.

Mr. Speaker, I hope this bill is pulled so that we do not have to take a vote on it.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Cardin), the distinguished ranking member of the Subcommittee on Trade.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Levin), a former ranking member of the Subcommittee on Trade of the Committee on Ways and Means.

(Mr. LEVIN asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Madam Speaker, I am pleased to yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Ryan).

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

I think this discussion, especially the opposition to the Rangel bill by the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. English), just shows the complexity as well as sincerity of those people that would like to put some checks on the conduct of the Chinese trade people and I think emphasizes why this bill should not be on the suspension calendar.

Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Kucinich).

Madam Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. Neal), a member of the Committee on Ways and Means.

(Mr. NEAL of Massachusetts asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

The gentleman from Pennsylvania is correct.

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

One of the major reasons why we are opposing this bill is because of the process. Clearly a bill is supposed to be brought to this floor when it has overwhelming support, when it is a simple bill, naming a post office, having a stamp, declaring mothers as being essential for parenthood, things that Republicans and Democrats can look up at the scoreboard and see that we have 435 Members or close to it supporting it.

How can anyone perceive, as one of the Members on the other side said, the most important trade legislation that we ever had will be put on just for 40 minutes debate? The qualities that exist in the English bill, we have been able to see some loopholes. He and I would want to work together to close those loopholes. All the members of the Committee on Ways and Means feels the same way about trying to do something to contain the overreaching of China. What makes the other side believe that we Democrats are not entitled to participate in the substantive nature of sensitive, complex legislation?

Putting this on the suspension calendar, in my opinion, is an insult to Members on both sides of the aisle and is an insult to those people who oversight what we do, because the suspension calendar means that we never thought that they would ever have a problem with it, and that is why we did not share what is in this bill.

I also think that it is really unfair to have the Members of Congress to believe that this bill comes to the floor because of its importance and therefore has to be passed on the suspension calendar. We have plenty of time to work in the Committee on Ways and Means in dealing with this so that we can be proud that we do not have a Rangel bill or an English bill or a Republican bill or a Democratic bill. The pride should come when we have a congressional bill which we can say both sides have an opportunity to hear witnesses; to see what the impact is going to be, whether it is going to work or not work; to see whether those who have fought to put checks on China feel satisfied that we have done it; and to be able to say to foreigners that we may have differences among ourselves, political differences, but when it comes to trade policy, we speak with one voice. The flag is up, and we speak for the United States of America.

So I recognize how important it is to pass the DR-CAFTA bill. I recognize that there is a problem because Democrats were not involved and Republicans cannot get the votes. But I do not know how many suspension bills they are going to bring in as an excuse to get Members to say, I got them to talk about China, and therefore I am going to vote for CAFTA.

It is not enough to talk about China and the problems that we face. What we should be doing is bringing these issues up in the committee that has jurisdiction, and we are so proud of it, and to make certain that the best we can is to have this as a bipartisan effort on both sides.

So this is not the first time that the committees of jurisdiction have had to have Members bypassed in terms of their input, bypassed in terms of the ability to have amendments, and bypassed in terms of saying that we have to find some way to find some bill that we can get bipartisanship on it. The vehicle to do this normally, from the record of the Congress, are the suspension bills. But trade bills should not be on the suspension calendar.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor one of the most popular Caribbean entertainers in history, who has been singing the story of the Caribbean for over half a century. The man of which I speak is Slinger Francisco, known world-wide as The Mighty Sparrow, and it is a pleasure to recognize him today in celebration of his 70th Birthday.

With over seventy albums to his credit, the Mighty Sparrow is considered by many to be the undisputed King of Calypso. Calypso is the popular style of music which evolved on the islands of the Eastern Caribbean from African and French musical influences in the early 1900's. The art form is particularly associated with the nation of Trinidad and Tobago, and its pre-Lent Carnival celebrations.

World War II brought dramatic changes to Trinidad and the calypso scene, as the United States established several military bases on the island, which housed thousands of servicemen during the War. A vibrant entertainment scene developed to entertain the many visitors, and Calypso evolved to suit its audience. The influx of tourists to the island also helped modernize both the rhythm and themes of Calypso songs in the post-war years. Trinidad's independence from Great Britain in the 1950s also served to give calypso a more politically minded slant. The Mighty Sparrow came to the scene during this time of transition and modification in Calypso music.

Sparrow was born in Gran Roi, a rural fishing village on the island of Grenada in 1935, and migrated with his family to Trinidad and Tobago at the age of one. His childhood would have a major influence on his musical vocation. On his mother's advice, he joined his local Catholic Church choir as a young boy, where he learned the art of voice training. In church he would also learn various languages, such as Latin, Hindi, Spanish, French, Dutch, and Chinese--all represented on the culturally diverse island of Trinidad--which he would later employ in many of his songs. He was also influenced by the styles of American street quartets, and popular artists such as Nat King Cole, Sarah Vaughn, and Frank Sinatra, in addition to local calypso artists.

He started out singing in the local calypso ``brigades'' which would scour Trinidad competing in various singing competitions, especially during the Carnival season. At the age of twenty he released his first song entitled ``Jean and Dinah.'' The song satirically chronicled the impact of American troop withdrawals from Trinidad at the end of WWII. The song became a hit and would typify The Mighty Sparrow style. In a country, which at the time, did not have developed forms of media, Sparrow's songs elicited public reflection on important issues--in an entertaining, if not dance-inspiring fashion.

In subsequent years the Mighty Sparrow rode his own talent and the changing dynamics of the Caribbean all the way to the top of the Calypso scene. With the influx of American and European tourists to the Caribbean starting in the 1950s, and the concurrent migration of Caribbean peoples to the United

States and Europe, Sparrow's music would reach wider and wider audiences. He himself would establish a second home in New York City, where he became renowned among the region's large Caribbean community.

Just as Sparrow's music began to reach beyond the islands of the Caribbean, so too did the content of his songs. His 1964 classic ``Martin Luther King for President'' not only introduced many in the Caribbean to the greatness of Dr. King, but it also served to inform Caribbean peoples about the plight of their African American brethren in the United States. Indeed, many in the Caribbean at the time were unaware of the Civil Rights struggle occurring in the USA.

Throughout Sparrow's musical catalogue one will find such global thinking--from songs about Apartheid South Africa, to the implications of the Global AIDS epidemic. These types of songs were surpassed only by those he dedicated to the everyday struggles of the common Caribbean man and woman. It is hard to think of such themes in the vibrant, celebratory rhythms of Calypso, but therein lies the beauty of the Mighty Sparrow.

Only he could draw attention to the serious issues of his world and community, and still make you want to dance. In so doing, Sparrow truly embodies the spirit of the Caribbean--though they face obstacles, they face them with an almost joyous optimism which can never be broken.

As for Mr. Sparrow today, he shows no signs of letting up. Fifty years, 70 albums, and millions of fans later, he continues to record songs, and bring crowds to their feet with his live performances around the world. In his first song released in 1956, Sparrow confidently asserted, ``Yankee gone, Sparrow take over now!'' Fifty years later, it is safe to say that he delivered on his boast, as he is now the undisputed King of Calypso. I can only imagine what the next 50 years will bring.