Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to commend Reverend David M. Johnson and Mrs. Tawana Johnson for their strong community activism and commitment to today's youth. They have not only instilled pride into each and every child they have worked with, they have destroyed the notion that they are just residents of America's inner-cities, but a valued citizen of the world.

On May 14, 2004, Mrs. Johnson, Founder of Virtuous Women Empower and God's Glory Interfaith Ministries where Rev. Johnson presides, organized and sponsored a trip to the United Nations for 100 of the most outstanding students from I.S. 117 Joseph H. Wade and C.E.S. 70 Max Schoenfeld School in the Bronx, New York. This meeting encouraged minority students that their representation in the international community is needed. This trip has engraved in the minds of these students a new understanding of diversity.

The students left a lasting impact on the United Nations with the intellect of their questions, and sincere concern for their community. After their visit the students were encouraged to return and many students were offered internships with the United Nations. Some of the students left striving to become diplomats, ambassadors, and Members of Congress.

Rev. and Mrs. Johnson have instilled a standard of excellence that all students should strive to follow. I share in our young people's dreams of democracy, equal opportunity and success. One day these students will assist in assuring these dreams come true for every citizen. I urge my colleagues to join me in congratulating them for their superior academic achievements, and their desire for social change.

The following Honor Roll students met with United Nations Ambassador Patrick Kennedy on May 14, 2004: Yariza Pimentel, Karina Hernandez, Narda Lopez, Zena Ahmed, Carol Prashad, Patricia Holman, Gisselle Francisco, Jatnna Medina, Jadderin Torres, Yereny Rodriguez, Gisell Acevedo, Jonathan Ruiz, Kamani Gujjar, Donnie Santana, Maite Amador, Eric Mayfield, Pilar Cruz, Eduardo Guerrero, Luiraldy Castillo, Kevin Delarosa, Jose Camacho, Ramon Cabral, Michelle Camarena, Lerubi Lopez, Luis Adames, Eduard Garcia, Betzaida Rodriguez, Denise Garcia, Albania Gonzalez, Edwin Albino, Marla Dominguez, Leonela Paula, Jessica Pena, Myrtle Richards, Kayla Williams, Yennifer Hernandez, Caroline Antigua, Devon Ferrer, Roshawn Ullah, Tasnim Majumder, Elias Rosario, Stephanie Pena, Tataria Burns, Paloma Carty, Erika Rosa, Verenice Gomez, Tatiana Santiago, Angel Cardenas, Jose Aguilar, Omar Liriano, Leandro Pena, Richard Anim, Lisa Maldonado, Steven Diaz, Adalis Martinez, Gaby Perez, Stephany Veras, Claudia Avila, Evelyn Liriano, Marilyn Fernandez, Valeria Salazar, Omaira Tejada, Sebastian Gutierrez, Florangel Monegro, Sylvin Little, and HRU Rameses Amon Ra.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in one accord with all the former British colonies in the Caribbean to celebrate the 166th anniversary of Emancipation Day, August 1, 1838.

In doing so, I wish to not simply recount the histories of the islands in the Caribbean, for I could hardly do justice to their diverse and compelling paths to freedom. Instead, I would like to commemorate the great day of Emancipation with a narrative of cunning, resolve, and triumph, a story that in many ways symbolizes the history of all the former British colonies which were granted freedom on that great August day.

Early in the 18th century the British brought a young lady to Jamaica's shores to work as a slave. Like the Caribbean countries themselves, her roots were African. Her name was likely a strong Ashanti one since she hailed from that great African kingdom, but upon arriving she was stripped of her given nomenclature and was known to her fellow slaves simply as ``Nanny.''

Slavery persisted in the Caribbean until 1834 and then in the name of ``apprenticeship'' until 1838, but it did not persist with ``Granny Nanny of the Maroons'', as she is known today. Soon after her arrival she displayed the world-renown Caribbean penchant for cutting her own path, and escaped from her master's plantation with her five brothers. Granny Nanny then traveled around the countryside organizing free Africans in the towns of St. James, St. Elizabeth, and Portland. She eventually established Nanny Town and based the community's governance on the Ashanti society.

Like the Caribbean countries, Nanny was small and wiry, but also like these countries, she was singularly focused in her pursuit of self- determination. The vast British military presence on the island launched numerous attacks on Nanny and her comrades, hoping to force them back into slavery, but for nearly two decades Nanny, the acknowledged and greatly respected leader of an army of at least 800 maroons, withstood their aggressions. She placed guards at look-out points, sent spies to live among the slaves in British plantations, and ordered her fighters to dress like trees and bushes, so that when the British entered these human ``forests'' they would be overwhelmed by Nanny's forces.

In 1737 the British offered Nanny a truce: the maroons would be given land and rights as free men, but only if they promised to help capture and return runaway slaves, assist the Government in putting down revolts, and cease their wars with the British. Their only other alternative would be to continue in their campaign against the massive British military, pitting 800 men against what was, at that time, the strongest army in the world.

Nanny refused their offer.

And still, these Caribbean countries refuse. Thus, I feel that the story of Granny Nanny is in many ways the story of Barbados, Nevis, Bahamas, Antigua, Barbuda, Montserrat, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, Saint Vincent, Grenada, and Saint Lucia.

For centuries, the people of these countries refused to accept British colonialism, stubbornly resisting the British from hideaways in cities, mountains, and forests. In 1838 they were finally freed from slavery's grasp, but they have not become complacent. Although confronted by pressing economic and social issues, they remain defiant, refusing to be defined by their problems and continuing to make important strides to attract investment, maintain good governance, and work for equity across all segments the population.

Today I remember Caribbean Emancipation Day by saluting Granny Nanny of the Maroons, the hero who perhaps most typifies the spirit of these great nations. It is my hope that we in the United States, with our economic policies and diplomatic relations, continue to support the efforts of these Caribbean countries as they move confidently and prosperously into the 21st Century.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to recognize and pay tribute to one of New York's oldest celebrations of Dominican culture, Manhattan's Dominican Day Parade.

The annual parade, which once ran through the heart of Washington Heights, has grown to become one of August's most anticipated celebrations of cultural and ethnic pride on New York's Sixth Avenue since the 1980s. The parade not only is a celebration of pride, but also pays homage to the declaration of the Nation's independence on February 27, 1844, when the Dominican Republic established constitutional autonomy. For Dominicans in the United States the commemoration, held in August, is a second Independence Day serving as a cultural holiday.

The Dominican Day Parade has paid tribute to the cultural heritage of the Dominican Republic and the vast contributions the Dominican community has made in the State of New York and in the Nation. Through the parade, the President and the Dominican Day Parade Committee have promoted unity as well as the advancement of Dominicans in New York City. Dominican youth are our hope for the future

and we want to encourage them to strive for excellence and advancement through this great celebration.

As in past years, this celebration follows Dominican Heritage Week and the Gran Parada Dominicana in the Bronx. On August 8th, beginning from 36th Street to 59th Street on Sixth Avenue, New Yorkers of all ages will get a chance to learn about some of the ways in which this vibrant community is transforming the Nation.

I invite my colleagues to join me in honoring this celebration and continue to support the great accomplishments made by Dominicans around the Nation and all over the world.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago as it celebrates the 42nd anniversary of its Independence.

Trinidad was settled in the late 1500s by the Spanish, who annihilated the indigenous Arawak and Carib Indian populations on the island. It remained under Spanish rule until the British, enticed by the sugar and cocoa plantations throughout the island, captured it in 1797.

Tobago had a more unsteady development, changing hands over 22 times as the French, Dutch, and British fought over to possess it. Tobago was finally ceded to Great Britain in 1814, and Trinidad and Tobago were incorporated into a single colony in 1888.

Valued for its sugar during the 19th Century, Trinidad became a key oil interest for the British the 20th Century. Oil was discovered in three areas in Trinidad, and oil exports to Britain increased steadily throughout the century, buoyed by the advent of the automobile and the conversion of the British Navy from coal to oil.

In 1941 Britain permitted the United States to establish military bases in Trinidad in exchange for 50 destroyers given to the British government. This began an important period in the country; the G.I.s brought American money and culture to the island, and the Trinidadian people were steadily pulled away from their traditional British loyalties. The Marines also helped construct numerous roads in Trinidad, including the important Northern Coast Road, which is still is functional today.

A nascent movement for independence was born in Trinidad and Tobago in the 1950s, when Eric Williams, a Ph.D. from Howard University, returned to his native country and founded the People's National Movement (PNM). The PNM prevailed in the 1956 national elections, and Dr. Williams became the chief minister of the country from 1956 to 1959, premier from 1959 to 1962, and prime minister from 1962 to 1981. It was Williams who led Trinidad and Tobago into full independence within the Commonwealth in 1962, and he is now considered the father of independent Trinidad and Tobago. Williams died while in office on March 29, 1981.

Trinidad and Tobago joined the United Nations and the Commonwealth immediately after its independence, and in 1967 it became the first Commonwealth country to join the Organization of American States (OAS).

Trinidad and Tobago has enjoyed cordial relations with the United States since independence. U.S. investment in Trinidad and Tobago is nearly two billion dollars, and Trinidad is the leading exporter of liquefied natural gas to the U.S. Trinidad is also active in the U.S.- initiated Summit of the Americas process and fully supports the establishment of the Free Trade Area of the Americas.

Further, many U.S. citizens and permanent residents call Trinidad and Tobago home, and keep strong cultural ties to their country of origin. Nearly 20,000 U.S. citizens visit Trinidad and Tobago for vacation or business every year, and over 2,700 American citizens are residents of the country. Americans celebrate the history and culture of Trinidad and Tobago with annual carnivals held in numerous cities across the U.S., with a major celebration occurring in Brooklyn every Labor Day.

A leading member of the Caribbean Community and Common Market (CARICOM) and the most industrialized nation in the Caribbean, Trinidad and Tobago has become a symbol of what Caribbean countries can achieve if they have the opportunities and wherewithal to become economically successful and socially stable.

As Trinidad and Tobago celebrates the 42nd anniversary of its independence, let us join in honoring the achievements of a country that overcame many obstacles to reach heights of prosperity and stability.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the country of Jamaica and to celebrate the 42nd anniversary of its Independence.

The history and traditions of the Jamaican people are knitted tightly within America's cultural fabric. Jamaica's influence is particularly apparent in Black and Brown communities throughout the United States, where the sounds, smells, tastes, and mores of Jamaica have found a second home. From Brooklyn to Baltimore to the Bay Area, Jamaicans and Jamaican-Americans have made their mark as successful, knowledgeable, and hard-working ambassadors of both a vibrant culture and an impassioned commitment to social change.

The Jamaican spirit is vibrantly shown by the two men who perhaps did the most to set the country on a path towards independence. Following the 1938 labor unrest, William Alexander Bustamante, founder of the Jamaican Trade Workers and Tradesmen Union JTWTU 3 years earlier, captured the hearts and minds of workers made furious by British indifference and oppression. Bustamante emerged from the strikes as the leading spokesperson for working class interests in Jamaica. By leveraging the power of the JTWTU to create the Bustamante Industrial Trade Unions, Bustamante formally inaugurated Jamaica's worker's movement, which was the primary piston in the engine of Jamaica's independence campaign.

While Bustamante organized the masses in the streets, Norman W. Manley, an Oxford-trained lawyer, Rhodes scholar, and humanist intellectual, laid the groundwork for the theory behind the independence movement's action. On September 18, 1938 Manley inaugurated the People's National Party PNP, which was guided by the principles of equality of opportunity and the need for a welfare state. Manley established a broad network in both urban areas and rural parishes, and built support for progressive public policy across wide swaths of Jamaican society.

Although Bustamante eventually founded the Jamaican Labor Party, a political rival of the PNP, the two men, both visionary nationalists and advocates of fundamental social change, worked towards the singular goal of freedom for Jamaica's people. Their efforts as alternating Premiers led to constitutional amendments which strengthened Jamaican self-governance and gradually eroded British control the island. This period, known as ``constitutional decolonization,'' ushered in the great day of Jamaica's independence, August 6, 1962.

But Jamaica's independence is not just marked by a date. It is carried instead in the bosom of emissaries of peace and justice, Jamaicans who have sown seeds of their particularly fiery brand of liberty across the world.

Thus we cannot tell the tale of American liberation movements without mentioning with highest regard the great Jamaican-American leader Marcus Garvey, founder of the Universal Negro Improvement Association and champion of oppressed people of African descent across the globe.

And the very marrow of the anti-war, Black Power, and anti- colonialist movements of the late 1960s, 70s, and 80s was the inspirational and haunting melodies of Bob Marley, perhaps the most important figure in 20th century music. Marley elevated music beyond the level of an art form and made it instead an earthly embodiment of spiritual truths, melodious wisdom which transcended daily problems and cut to the heart of man's most pressing struggles. Even today, the music of Bob Marley articulates the groanings of people's movements throughout the world, unceasing in its cry for peace and freedom.

The list could go on: `Granny Nanny,' the revolutionary maroon who fiercely and successfully battled the British throughout the 18th century; General Colin Powell, our national hero; Claude McKay, the great poet and inspiration for the Harlem Renaissance; Dudley Thompson, Sheryl Lee Ralph, Grace Jones, Harry Belafonte, and many, many others. These Jamaicans and Jamaican-Americans have had an enormous impact on American history and culture, cutting their own paths across the world and touching the lives of millions of Americans.

On this special occasion, I hold that Independence Day is not simply a 24-hour period in Jamaica; it is, instead, a way of life. And it is my hope that we in the United States, with our economic policies and diplomatic relations, encourage the spirit of self-determination and independence in Jamaica, assisting Jamaica's people as they work for the economic and social freedom that they so sorely deserve.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to recognize the appointment of William (Bill) Lynch Jr. as Deputy Campaign Manager for the Kerry- Edwards Presidential Campaign.

A Harlem native and former Deputy Mayor of the City of New York, Bill Lynch has more than 30 years experience in local and national politics, government operations and public policy. In 1997, former President William J. Clinton nominated Mr. Lynch for the position of Vice Chair to the Democratic National Committee.

Prior to Mr. Lynch's appointment as the Deputy Mayor for Intergovernmental Affairs in 1989, he served as Campaign Manager for David Dinkins '89 and as Chief of Staff to the then Manhattan Borough President. Bill Lynch has been a social and political activist for the past twenty-five years, serving as Director of Legislation and Political Action for District Council 1701 of the American Federation of State and Municipal Employees (AFL-CIO), as well as Campaign Manager for Congressman Major Owens and Assemblyman William Frank Boyland both of Brooklyn, New York.

Mr. Lynch will lead a national effort to motivate and deliver key Democratic Party constituent groups, particularly African Americans and Latinos that have been marginalized in the past. I urge my colleagues to join me in commending Mr. William Lynch on his recent appointment as the Deputy Campaign Manager for the Kerry-Edwards Presidential Campaign and wish him all the success.

I commend to my colleagues the following article, which appeared in the New York Daily News on July 20, 2004.

[From the Daily News, July 20, 2004]

Dems' New Captain

(By Errol Louis)

On a quiet, isolated farm in Tennessee, a few hundred

political leaders gathered Sunday to honor two New Yorkers--

Len Riggio, the Brooklyn-born chairman of Barnes & Noble, and

former Deputy Mayor Bill Lynch--in a ceremony that symbolizes

a pivotal moment in the race for President. Newly named to

the post of deputy manger of the Kerry-Edwards campaign,

Lynch will help lead a national effort to fire up and deliver

many of the Democratic Party's key constituent groups. That

includes women, gays, young adults, blacks, Latinos and union

members, especially in the swing states--all in the 104-day

sprint between now and Election Day.

Should Lynch succeed, the ticket stands a good chance of

winning. But if he comes up even a little bit short in key

states like Ohio, Pennsylvania or Florida, it could cost the

Democrats the election.

Given the importance of his mission, it's fitting that

Lynch was back at the Haley Farm Freedom School, a 157-acre

spread outside Knoxville, over the weekend. There he joined a

cross section of the Democratic Party's elite, including

David Dinkins and Elizabeth Edwards, the wife of the vice

presidential candidate, at the dedication of the Riggio-Lynch

Chapel, a building paid for by the bookstore magnate and

designed by renowned architect Maya Lin (of Vietnam memorial

fame).

The farm, formerly owned by the writer Alex Haley, was

acquired a decade ago by the Children's Defense Fund and

transformed into a thriving conference and training center

for veterans of the civil rights movement and their younger,

modern successors. Over the last 10 years, more than 6,000

young people have passed through the Haley farm for retreat-

like workshops on everything from writing policy papers to

studying how civil disobedience works.

College-age activists, many with dreadlocks and tattoos,

regularly sit and swap stories with movement veterans who put

their bodies on the line in places like Selma, Birmingham and

the Mississippi Delta. The same kids are the secret weapon

that could carry the election.

Lynch, a former union organizer who did his share of sit-

ins before turning to electoral politics, is expected to tap

into this army of well-trained young activists and bring

their farm-stoked energy into the Kerry-Edwards campaign.

The challenge for Lynch will be to persuade party bigwigs

that in many communities, no amount of expensive advertising,

fancy Internet networking or televised debating can replace

doorknocking, phone-banking and other kinds of grass-roots

organizing.

It's a debate that goes on in every Democratic campaign.

All too often, fancy media strategists win the debate and

grab most of the campaign funds--and then lose the election.

It doesn't have to turn out that way. The troops who could

win the fall election have been training quietly for more

than a decade on that quiet farm outside Knoxville. If Lynch

succeeds at bringing them into a Democratic win, it will look

like a 100-day electoral miracle.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 30 minutes to the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Brown) and ask unanimous consent that he be allowed to yield time as he sees fit.

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

First, I would like the record to remain clear that in my opinion the gentleman from California stole the election in Florida, and I just want to get that out of the way.

But having said that, I think that this agreement that we reach today gives us an opportunity to see what we could be doing, especially as it relates to international treaty agreements, if we attempt to work together.

The government of Morocco has been friendly to the United States for years, and it is a developing country that has strived to have a relationship between organized labor and to work to improve the quality of life for its workers.

We Democrats truly believe that we should have a bipartisan approach to these types of issues and that there are certain principles we think should be in all trade agreements, and that is that you protect American jobs and that you provide for basic international labor standards in these agreements, and you do no harm.

There are certain provisions here that deal with intellectual rights that we really approve of, but we also believe that we should never allow ourselves to deprive people of medicine that they may need for their health and, indeed, for their life.

The gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Levin) has worked very, very hard to make certain that we on the Democratic side do not unilaterally just say out of hand that if we do not find the language we want that we will not be supporting the bill. Indeed, we are more concerned with having language that all civilized and industrialized countries would want to have as a standard that can be reached with the United States on international health.

Mr. Speaker, because of that, I ask unanimous consent to yield the balance of my time to the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Levin), the distinguished senior member of the Subcommittee on Trade, and that he be allowed to yield time as he sees fit.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to recognize the loss and to pay tribute to one of America's outstanding surgeons who pioneered advanced operative techniques and implants for the treatment of ankle fractures, Dr. Marvin Lewis Shelton. His genius as a researcher and inventor in his field earned him the moniker, ``the George Washington Carver of Orthopedic Surgery.''

Dr. Shelton died at his home in Riverdale, New York, on July 7, 2004. He was 72.

What a man he was and what a family he left behind. With all of his professional and academic successes, Dr. Shelton's first loves were his family and his beautiful and devoted wife of 48 years, Arden Shelton, a great talent and songstress in her own right. They were blessed with four accomplished children: Dr. Yvonne Shelton of Northboro, Mass; Le Ann Shelton, AIA, Esq., of New York; Marla L. Shelton, Ph.D., of New York and Marvin Lloyd Shelton of New York. To Arden and the entire Shelton family, I offer my deepest condolences.

A surgeon's surgeon, Dr. Shelton was an innovator of techniques adapted in his field for 30 years. A social trailblazer at some of New York City's greatest medical institutions, he was the first African American board-certified orthopedic attending surgeon at Columbia University Medical Center, and the first of his race to gain admitting privileges to an Ivy League-affiliated hospital.

As Director of Residency Training Program and Director of Orthopedic Surgery at Harlem Hospital, where he worked for twenty-five years, Dr. Shelton formalized the rotation of Columbia/New York Presbyterian residents at the Harlem institution. He also established an independent training program that facilitated the medical licenses for many minority and foreign-trained physicians to practice in New York and other cities.

Born in Pittsburgh in 1931, Dr. Shelton was raised in Wilmington, North Carolina, and educated at Howard University, where he graduated with honors in earning his B.A., M.A. and medical degrees. After completing his internship, he completed his residency in Honolulu, then served as Chief of the Orthopedic Section at Fort Jackson, South Carolina.

A doctor, teacher and family man, Dr. Shelton was also an avid sportsman who was actively involved in golf and skiing. He shared his wife's interest in the arts, and for a time owned the Shelton Gallery on E. 62nd Street in Manhattan.

I will remember his love for Harlem, for Harlem Hospital, and his willingness to forego so many opportunities so that he could remain there to train and inspire many young doctors.

Dr. Shelton published widely and presented numerous papers at national meetings. He was a Diplomat of the American Board of Orthopedic Surgery since 1964 and was a member of the American Orthopedic Association, Alpha Omega Alpha Medical Honor Society, Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons, American College of Surgeons, American Association for the Surgery of Trauma, American Trauma Society, New York Academy of Medicine, National Medical Association, Orthopedic Trauma Association and Orthopedic Association, among others.

His discoveries and advances made Dr. Shelton a highly sought-after speaker who delivered more than two dozen lectures around the world. He also held visiting professorships at Yale University, University of Minnesota and the University of Oregon.

A part of Marvin will always be with me. I was his patient in 1971 when, applying one of his inventions, he restored and healed my badly fractured ankle. I haven't taken a bad step since.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to salute the life, career and passion of Sandra Feldman, who history will record as being one of the greatest leaders of public education in the United States. Ms. Feldman is herself a testament of the public education system. She culminated a career in education by being elected to lead the largest teacher's union in the country, the American Federation of Teachers. Today this Congress recognizes Sandra Feldman for her tireless efforts to improve public education for all of our children.

Ms. Feldman, began her life in Brooklyn, New York as a student in the New York City public school system. She recognized early that education was a way out of the poverty she grew up in. Ms. Feldman lived in a duplex building with four families--her family consisting of five members alone. She lived in the toughest imaginable situation, but she persevered.

After graduating from James Madison High School she excelled at Brooklyn College and continued with her academic career at New York University. She definitely proved herself to be quite the student, and then challenged herself to meet the challenge of educating and shaping young lives through becoming a teacher. She taught at Public School 34 in Manhattan. In her early days as a young teacher, did she dream that she would one day achieve the presidency of the largest teacher's union in the nation?

As Sandra began her lifelong career as an advocate for disadvantaged youth in education, she participated in the great civil rights movement of the 1960's, by partaking in the freedom rides and being arrested. As a teacher she became active in the union and tirelessly worked for the children of New York. She gained notice because she was clearly the best advocate for disadvantaged students.

In 1966 she became involved as a field representative for the United Federation of Teachers (UFT). She was repeatedly promoted to become the Executive Director of the UFT. As executive director she oversaw all of the union's activities.

She was elected president of the UFT in 1986. She served honorably as president for over a decade until she was elected as president of the American Federation of Teachers in 1997.

Sandra Feldman now steps down from that post. She served as the 15th president of the union and the first woman since 1930. Her career as president was marked with innumerable successes. She is regarded as the preeminent authority on urban education and disadvantaged youth. Ms. Feldman has served on a plethora of committees and on the board of countless organizations. She has been recognized by magazines as one of the ``most influential women,'' in the country. She is certainly the most influential educator in the Nation.

I regret Sandra's departure from the presidency of the American Federation of Teachers, although she deserves a rest from her endless labors. She has certainly left an indelible mark on public education in this Nation during her superb service to our youth.

In addition to noting her successful career as a teacher, and unprecedented leadership of the American Federation of Teachers union I would like to extend my support and well wishes to this remarkable woman as she battles her illness. I wish her a speedy recovery.

There are no words adequate to express the gratitude I have for Sandra Feldman for her service and my regard for the contributions she has made.

I rise today and call on my colleagues to support House Resolution 714, to recognize Sandra Feldman for her tireless dedication to improving education for our children.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to ask again for the exoneration of one of our greatest civil rights leaders, Marcus Garvey. I have felt inspired by Marcus Garvey since I was a young boy. I grew up and still live in Harlem where Garvey founded the first branches of his Universal Negro Improvement Association. When I was born in 1930, the traces Garvey left in Harlem were still very fresh. I remember meeting Garveyists, ardent supporters of Marcus Garvey's ideas, in Harlem as a young man. They encouraged me to do my own reading and research on this great Jamaican hero and the more I read and heard, the more I became convinced of Garvey's innocence and the need to restore his reputation. The injustice done to him reminded me every day of the injustice done to all Black people, including myself, during that time.

In the 1970s, I met Jamaica's energetic Prime Minister Michael Manley and became very close to him, professionally but also personally. He taught me more about Marcus Garvey and about his status as a hero in Jamaica. In 1987, the centenary of Marcus Garvey's birth, I introduced legislation asking for the exoneration of Marcus Garvey for the first time and have reintroduced the same bill into every following Congress since.

The passage of this bill is long overdue. It is well-proven today that Marcus Garvey was innocent of all the charges brought forward against him. J. Edgar Hoover, who is today notoriously famous for his racism, his corruption and his misuse of powers, perceived Garvey as a threat to white supremacy. After years of harassing the black leader, he infiltrated the Garvey organization and had an agent fabricate evidence of mail fraud with which he charged Garvey in 1922. Garvey's trial was a mockery and he was imprisoned and deported back to Jamaica in 1927.

But with Garvey's deportation, Hoover could only delay but not stop the civil rights movement. Garvey's teachings about the equality of all men and women remained firm and lively in the heads of the following generations. Garvey stood as a shining example on the horizon of those people who were longing for a better future. He inspired many of the leaders that were to come. Our American hero, Martin Luther King, called Garvey ``the first man, on a mass scale to give millions of Negroes a sense of dignity and destiny'' and Malcom X wrote that ``each time you see another independent nation on the African continent you know Marcus Garvey is alive.'' Garvey taught Black men and women to take pride in their race and to rely on themselves--economically, politically and religiously.

But he did not only speak out for the rights of Black men and women all around the world, but for all those who were poor and disadvantaged. He is not only the hero of Black people, but of everybody who believes in equality and social justice.

I commend the members of The International Foundation for the Exoneration of Marcus Garvey on their tireless efforts to achieve that the injustice done to Marcus Garvey is redeemed. I also congratulate the city councils of Hartford in Connecticut and Lauderhill in Florida on the recent passage of their resolutions supporting the exoneration of our great Jamaican hero.

I will continue to work hard to ensure that my resolution, reaffirming Marcus Garvey's innocence and asking the President of the United States to exonerate him, will pass the United States Congress. It is high time that our country joins the many other nations that have already recognized Marcus Garvey as an extraordinary leader and thinker in the global struggle for human rights and as a person who gave hope and inspiration to millions of oppressed men and women all around the world.

But it is in the hands of the President of the United States to finally clear Marcus Garvey's name. I hope that President Bush will consider taking this step. The Justice Department in the past advised Presidents not to exonerate posthumously. But President Clinton, in 1999, granted the first posthumous Presidential pardon in our nation's history to Lt. Henry Ossian Flipper, the first Black graduate of West Point. He had been dismissed from service in 1882 for racial and unjust reasons. President Clinton set a strong and positive precedent and I hope that President Bush will perceive the Garvey conviction as an equally compelling case for justice to be done at this time.

The exoneration would be another step towards healing the race divisions that are still existent in our country. It is high time that our country recognizes Marcus Garvey for his great leadership and bravery.

Mr. Speaker, I commend Mr. William Raspberry on his column in the Washington Post on July 5, 2004. Mr. Raspberry described well the importance of the life and music of Mr. Ray Charles. The way Ray Charles embraced the wonderful qualities of the United States is extremely important for many African-Americans who grew up in segregated America. As Mr. Raspberry stated, many African-Americans feel like outsiders in this country, but Mr. Charles was able to embrace and celebrate the presence of brotherhood and justice as fundamental American values. The music of Ray Charles transcended barriers between black and white. His life and music will never be forgotten. I applaud Mr. Raspberry for reminding his readers of the impact this great man had on so many. I hope that my colleagues join me in honoring Ray Charles by supporting the bill I introduced, H.R. 4633, which authorizes the Secretary of the Treasury to create a gold medal honoring this great American performer.

[From the Washington Post, July 5, 2004]

America, Ray Charles Style

(By William Raspberry)

I'll know that today is the ``Fourth of July'' (no matter

what the calendar insists) when I hear my friend's stereo

pulsing out ``America the Beautiful.''

The Ray Charles version, of course.

Charles's recent death, at 73, brings it to mind, but I've

been aware for some years now how his prayerful exaltation of

America has become the virtual theme song of the Fourth of

July. What did Americans have for a theme song before that?

Was it all Sousa marches, with hot dogs and applause-line

oratory?

Charles transformed the holiday for me--from the Norman

Rockwell tableaux that never seemed to include anyone who

looked like me--to a holiday for all Americans.

And how did he manage that?

Maybe I should start with what may be my one important

insight: that in most controversies, thoughtful people

secretly believe both sides, espousing the one and

suppressing the other depending on the company it puts them

in. That is why it is so hard to find white Southerners of my

approximate age who will admit to having been racists back in

the days of Jim Crow.

What they recall, I believe, is that they harbored

misgivings about the way things were, and now they find it

more comfortable to recall the misgivings than their

toleration of the way things were. I always believed that

segregation was wrong. . . . And they did.

I have harbored similar misgivings about the willingness of

black Americans to think of this country as someone else's

house--and to view it as complaining outsiders looking in. Of

course there has always been ample basis for black people to

feel like outsiders, at the very least to internalize W.E.B.

DuBois's sense of the ``twoness'' of being black in America.

But didn't we, perhaps, overdo the outsider-ness?

You see, I always cherished America--even if I acknowledged

it only as the too-seldom played B-side of my consciousness.

Charles's ``America'' invited me to turn the record over.

Charles could do that. He had a way of cutting through the

confusions and mixed emotions and preconceptions, and

reaching us at our core. The genius that made it possible for

him to universalize the blues and spirituals and country--

anything he touched--made it possible for him to universalize

patriotism, too.

But if Ray Charles changed the Fourth of July with his

``America the Beautiful,'' he also changed the song. ``God

done shed His grace on thee! He crowned thy good, yes he did,

in a brotherhood.''

The shift isn't merely from Katharine Lee Bates's elegant

lyric to the black vernacular; it is a shift in meaning.

As Kenneth Moynihan noted in a recent commentary in the

Worcester (Mass.) Telegram & Gazette, Bates penned a prayer:

``[May] God shed his grace on thee and crown thy good with

brotherhood.'' Ray made it a fait accompli.

As Moynihan put it, ``A fervent hope for the future has

been turned into a happy fact of the present.''

It is not, Moynihan argues, an improvement.

``People much prefer to believe in their own righteousness

and that of the nation than to think about their failings,''

he wrote. ``No doubt the passionate affirmation of American

brotherhood as a divine dispensation already granted accounts

for a healthy share of the popularity of Mr. Charles's rather

radical modification of the song.''

He's right, of course. And maybe he'd be right to remind

those white Southerners I talk to that they really did used

to be racists. Sometimes, though, I think it's not a bad idea

to let people believe that their nobler instinct represents

their ``true'' self--that it is their greed, their envy and

their bigotry that are the aberration. You know: ``As a man

believeth in his heart, so he is.''

At least for this day, can't we imagine that we are

brothers (and sisters) ``from sea to shining sea''? And be

grateful for that?

Ray Charles says it's all right.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to bring to the attention of my colleagues an editorial in the July 6, 2004 issue of the Carib News, which discusses the issue of improving the national security of Caribbean nations. Our own security depends on how well protected the borders of our closest neighbors are. However, the purchasing and installation of new technology is extremely costly for many of these small islands. Not only is it important that these nations are secure because of their proximity to us, but also because of the many Americans who visit these countries each year. I believe that by helping the Caribbean with appropriate funding we can help them guard against terrorism without worsening the economic conditions of these nations. I urge my colleagues to support funding for Caribbean countries to assist in protecting against the terrorist threat.

[From the Carib News, July 6, 2004]

The Price of 9/11--Developing Nations Forced To Pay Up

Who can blame Caribbean nations and their sea and airport

executives if the last thing on their minds immediately after

9/11 was how much they would have to spend as a result of the

tragedy, the abhorrent act by religious zealots turned

terrorists.

When New York's twin towers of the World Trade Center were

turned to rubble, crushing nearly 3,000 unsuspecting and

innocent people, the immediate and appropriate concern was

for the lost of life.

After all, with thousands taken to untimely deaths our

first worry had to be about human pain and suffering.

From New York, Washington, Georgetown, Santo Domingo,

Philadelphia and Chicago to Kingston. Port of Spain and

Bridgetown, to mention a handful of cities, the reaction was

the same as the dimensions of the nightmare sank in. Later it

was determined, that the Caribbean had paid a heavy price in

the form of more than 100 lives lost.

Now, there is another price, one the countries are being

forced to meet and its traceable directly to those and

subsequent events and to the decisions being taken in

Washington, London, Geneva and elsewhere in the developed

world.

How high is that price?

Prof. Ivelaw Griffith, one of the leading security scholars

in the Caribbean and Latin America, put the figure at

hundreds of millions of dollars, money the Caribbean can't

afford.

In the end though, the region can't afford to spend the

unbelievably hefty sum.

Everton Walters, President of the Caribbean Port Managers

Association, didn't dispute that figure but said the total

would very much depend on the level of sophistication each

country may eventually decide it needs.

All of this is very important because on Thursday, the

deadline set by the International Maritime Organization for

countries around the world, Caribbean states included, would

kick in. That's when the basic security and other

requirements contained in the IMO's International Ship and

Port Facility Security, ISPS, code, which was approved 18

months ago, must be met. Failure to meet the deadline may

result in sanctions.

Walters told this paper that based on conversations, e-

mails and other forms of communication from various port

managers, most, if not all of the ports would meet the cut-

off date.

Still, there is considerable anxiety throughout the

Caribbean as port executives work right to the last minute to

ensure that they are ship-shape.

That means we may have to wait until July 1 to know for

sure which countries are in compliance and which have failed

to meet their obligation.

The code is a comprehensive set of requirements which

developing countries are finding to be onerous to say the

least.

As a matter of fact, Erthimios Mitropolous, IMO Secretary-

General, recently voiced the agency's concern about the pace

of effort towards international readiness when he complained

that the ``status of compliance by port facilities has not

yet reached satisfactory level despite repeated calls to

governments to intensify their efforts.''

Just the other day, Brazil made it clear that its major

port, perhaps the largest in Latin America and the Caribbean,

wouldn't be able to meet the deadline. To live up to the

code, for instance, Trinidad and Tobago must acquire

sophisticated and costly equipment, boost its security staff

and incur considerable recurring expenditure that's running

into millions of dollars. Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica,

Grenada, Barbados, the Dominican Republic, Haiti, the

Bahamas, Guyana, Antigua, you name, are in the same boat, if

you will, and must meet horrifying expenses.

But the maritime code isn't the only set of requirements

Caribbean states must satisfy. Their airports must have

extensive security fencing, computers, scanners and the like

to pass international muster.

That's where the sum of hundreds of millions of dollars

would come in. For by the time the process is completed,

Caribbean, Latin American and African states would have spent

at least $50-100 billion to upgrade security at its various

ports of entry, both air and sea, and they must do so without

much international help, Although necessary, the security

measures imposed by the United Nations, the IMO, the U.S.,

Britain and various rich countries are major financial and

technical burden which must be met if the world's poorer

nations are to remain as part of the international trading

community. They must have access to shipping lanes and air

space if they are to feed their people, satisfy tourism and

manufacturing industries and otherwise participate in the

economic world.

What's troubling about all of this is that these mandates

imposed on developing countries aren't being financed by any

international development agency or by many donor nations. In

other words these are ``unfunded mandates,'' which were laid

down by an uncaring developed world, regardless of a nation's

ability to pay for them.

The international community, quite rightly, was worried

about terrorism and its consequences but little attention was

paid to how these mandates would be funded.

The upshot: if Antigua, Haiti, Suriname, Ghana, Costa Rica,

Algeria, Jamaica or any of a host of nations in every corner

of the world are to meet international security standards,

then they must shift resources from education, health,

services for the youth and the elderly in order to satisfy

international regulations imposed elsewhere.

That, by any measure, is unfair and counter-productive. The

U.S., Britain and the G-8 industrialized nations must put

this matter on their agenda and agree to fund some of the

equipment acquisition programs and the training necessary to

keep Third World states in the international arena.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize an outstanding performer, actress, and entertainer Rita Moreno for receiving the ``nation's highest civilian award recognizing exceptional meritorious service,'' the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

Rita Moreno has been an inspiration to many throughout her remarkable career as an actress on screen and stage. Her performances have been recognized with Grammy, Tony, and Emmy Awards, and she received an Oscar in 1961 for her performance as Anita in West Side Story. She has, in fact, been listed in the Guinness Book of World Records for her achievements and being the only female performer to have won all four of the most prestigious performing arts awards. Today, June 23, 2004 she will be honored at a White House ceremony with the presentation of the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

A dramatic actress, singer, dancer, comedienne, Ms. Moreno has portrayed a variety of different roles going beyond traditional limitations and proving that Latino performers are not limited to ``ethnic'' roles. Her versatility has led to decades of success on stage, screen, and television.

Ms. Moreno was born Rosa Delores Alverio in Humacao, a small town in Puerto Rico. At the age of five years old, she joined her mother in New York and the following year she started her dancing lessons. Rosita's immense talent became evident at a young age. By the age of thirteen, Rita Moreno had made her Broadway debut in ``Skydrift''. She signed her first movie contract at the age of seventeen.

Ms. Moreno made some thirty films early in her career, and was often typecast as a Mexican spitfire or an Indian maiden. After a decade of these stereotypical roles she was cast as the strong-willed and independent Anita in the movie version of West Side Story. It was only after Rita Moreno won an Oscar for her outstanding performance as ``Anita'', which gained international acclaim, that she was finally recognized as a major talent. Indeed, the film's depiction of ethnic division and urban violence can be seen as a foreshadowing of the civil rights struggles and general social turbulence of subsequent years. Rita Moreno's depiction of a young woman believing in and pursuing the American dream was vivid and memorable.

In the early 1970s Ms. Moreno appeared in children's television programs providing inspiration to Hispanic children, with the intent to assure them of their value as citizens of society. Rita Moreno has also been the guest star on a wide variety of television productions, both here and abroad, including highly regarded educational television programs as well as starring in her own TV series.

Becoming engaged in so many facets of entertainment, Rita Moreno, early in 1978, turned her attention for the first time to live performances, creating an act that has attracted outstanding critical acclaim. All things considered, Rita Moreno's success goes far beyond her ability to act and sing or win awards. She has strived throughout her career to push past the boundaries that have marginalized actors who did not seem to represent mainstream America and cast Latinos and other minorities in menial roles. She continues to keep busy performing concerts across the country as a guest artist with symphony orchestras. In addition to her film, stage, television and concert careers, Ms. Moreno fills her spare time by lecturing to various organizations as well as to university audiences. She is also involved with a number of civic and charitable organizations and events.

Rita Moreno is a member of the Board of Directors of Third World Cinema, a company which is interested in creating opportunities in the film industry for minority groups, and has served as a member of the Board of Directors of the National Foundation for the Arts, the Alvin Alley Dance Company, the Joffrey Ballet and the Los Angeles Theatre Center, as well as many other worthwhile organizations. Ms. Moreno is currently a member of the President's Committee on the Arts and Humanities and a commissioner of the very prestigious Presidential Fellowship Committee.

It is a special honor for me to recognize Rita Moreno and her great work in performing arts and to salute her leadership and achievements.

Mr. Speaker, first let me thank the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Obey) for giving us an opportunity to define who we are as a Congress. There are some who truly believe that we are going through a political period of polarization and disdain for each other and that this is corrupting the system. That may be so, but I think we might look at it in a more optimistic way is that we are making it abundantly clear to the American people, especially those who decide not to participate politically, that they will never, never be able to say this year that there is no difference between Republicans and Democrats, and I think that this is so important.

We do not need lectures on Economics 101. All we want to know is are you working, do you have health care and do you think you are getting a fair shake from the government, and not as a Democrat, but also as an American, I would also add, and do you think our kids in the Armed Forces and our Reservists and the National Guard are getting a fair shake? Are we doing all that we can to protect them?

I do not really think people are going to be looking at our label, Democrats and Republicans; but they want to know what we stand for. If some of you believe that it is more important to excite the economy by finding the wealthiest people in America, that God has already blessed and given them large incomes, that by exciting them that you are helping the guy looking for a job, do not explain it to us. And do not get annoyed with us if we do not understand it.

Explain it to the people out there listening to us each and every day. Ask them whether or not the Republican majority has made their life any easier. Ask them why over half of the budget is appropriated for things that do not concern education and health care and improving the quality of life. Ask them whether or not they are prepared, given the opportunity, to pay for it.

I really, truly believe, from the bottom of my political heart, that most Americans are willing to say, if you can make this great country of ours better educated, if you can make them healthier, if you can make them more productive, then this is what I do not mind spending my dollars for.

If you believe that obligation is not a national obligation, but should be one that should be picked up by local and State governments and charitable organizations, even as the IRS steps up the investigations of not-for-profit organizations, then, for God's sake, between now and November do not change your minds. Stick to your guns. Provide the tax cuts for the rich, and let those people who are not as fortunate fend for themselves. If they cannot do it, let the mayors do it. If they cannot do it, let the government do it. And if they cannot do it, vote with your feet and forget about them.

We have to vote for the bottom line, as you say, and that is profits. So stick with your guns, and we will be here to publicize your position every chance we get. And that is why we appreciate the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Obey). He is not saying tax and spend, he is saying invest and give Americans an opportunity to have the revenues to do it.

For those of us who have grandchildren, we wonder what we can say, if we live long enough and they ask us, well, granddad, what were you doing when they sold away our country? What were you doing when this debt increased to such an extent that you knew that they were leaving it for me to pay? Well, the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Obey) has given us a chance to say what we would do is to vote against those injustices.

It is wrong. It borders on being corrupt. And the people understand what this body is all about. Thank you, thank you, thank you, Mr. Obey.

Mr. Chairman, I rise today to express my disappointment about the rejection of several amendments offered to the Interior Appropriations Bill, which aimed at protecting the flora and fauna of our country. These amendments would at least have undone some of the harm the current administration has done to our environment since it has taken office.

It has always been the priority of this administration to serve special industrial interests and not to preserve the natural beauties of our country. Clean rivers and oceans, healthy forests, fresh air and a diverse wildlife have not been of any concern to this executive and the Bush Presidency has thereby rightly been called the most anti- environmental one in the modern era by several grassroots organizations.

The New York Times, in an editorial published two days ago, called upon the House of Representatives ``to partly redeem itself'' from its failures to hinder the anti-environmental policies of the President and to endorse stricter environmental policies by passing several amendments to the Interior Appropriations Bill. Unfortunately, the House missed this opportunity for redemption.

A majority of 224 members rejected Representative Rush Holt's amendment prohibiting the use of funds to permit recreational snowmobile use in Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Park. Visitors go to our national parks to experience the miracles of nature and to find quietness and relaxation. Snowmobiles not only pollute the environment, but they also disturb humans and wildlife alike. I do not understand why so many Members of the House decided to vote against this amendment, which benefits for our environment and our citizens so heavily outweigh the sacrifice of not being able to ride a snowmobile in these particular parks.

I was also dismayed that a majority of my colleagues decided to vote against an amendment offered by Representative Maurice Hinchey to stop the killing of buffalos in Yellowstone National Park. The slaughter of these gracious animals is not only cruel but also expensive for American taxpayers. The National Park Service currently spends $1.2 million a year to kill buffalos only because they do exactly as their instinct tells them: They migrate. They get killed because they do not observe state borders and dare to cross from Wyoming to Montana during the winter. They get killed under the premise that they transmit diseases to cattle--a thesis that has never been confirmed and for some reason is a concern to farmers in Montana, but not to farmers in Wyoming.

Another amendment benefiting the health of our environment was offered by Representative Tom Udall and again defeated. It would have prohibited the use of funds for the implementation of the Forest's Service new planning regulations. These regulations, which have been proposed by the administration in 2002, will substantially weaken the protection of our nation's wildlife and natural resources and reduce public participation in the environmental decision-making process.

Representative Nick Rahall made an effort to present the interests of Native Americans in this country by offering an amendment protecting their sacred sites located on federal lands from energy development and other exploitation. The Native Americans in this country have undergone and are still suffering from discrimination and poverty. Representative Rahall's amendment would at least have ensured that the holiest sites of the tribes are not further destroyed by capitalist interests. Nick Rahall asked us, the Members of the House, how we would feel if open- pit mining was allowed in Arlington Cemetery or bulldozers leveled down the Wailing Wall in Jerusalem to build a highway. Only imagining these scenarios give me feelings of grief and anger. But just these things have happened to sacred sites of the Native Americans and it is a disgrace that so many members voted against Representative Rahall's amendment to stop this evil.

But I am happy that at least one strong environmental amendment to the Interior Appropriations Bill was passed by the House of Representatives. This was Representative Steve Chabot's amendment to prohibit the use of funds to plan or construct forest development roads in the Tongass National Forest in Alaska. Last year, the Bush administration announced to completely eliminate the Roadless Area Conservation Rule's protection for the Tongass National Forest in Alaska and to severely weaken the rule everywhere else in the National Forest System. The Tongass National Forest is a national heritage. It is the largest forest our nation has and the biggest intact temperate rainforest worldwide. The exemption of ``America's Rainforest'' from the roadless protection rule was another present of the Bush administration to big industrial interests, in this case timber logging companies and was paid for by the American taxpayers.

Representative Chabot's amendment will only restrict the construction of roads that are subsidized by American taxpayers and not those paid for by the timber industry. I do not think that this amendment goes far enough to sufficiently protect this pristine forest, but I think it is a step into the right direction.

I sincerely hope, that those Members of the House of Representatives who have voted against the aforementioned amendments will wake up and recognize that an environment once destroyed will not be easy and mostly impossible to restore. I hope that they will remember that there will be future generations who need clean air and water, healthy oceans and forests and a diverse wildlife not only for their enjoyment, but for their survival.