Major R. Owens

Mr. Speaker, in the past I have often had the delight of saluting my departing colleagues with a tribute in Rap poetry. At this point, however, circumstances have been reversed and I am departing. As I leave, it will be my pleasure to offer some brief portraits in words describing the very able women and men I leave behind.

Today I would like to highlight three outstanding members--Eddie Bernice Johnson, Donald Payne, and Maxine Waters--who have served as President of the Congressional Black Caucus, CBC. The continually improving effectiveness of the CBC is due to the fact that it is able to benefit from the talent and know-how of a pool of very dedicated and competent leaders. They also have unique personalities that can be appreciated with a few light-hearted verses, see three attached RAP poems.

Texas Mona Lisa

Power and mystery

In generous portions mated;

Fair time she allots

For any issue debated

But her moods are rapidly rotated

Her anger can be swiftly escalated;

Mess with Eddie Bernice's pride

And she'll quickly invite you outside.

Once great goddess of reapportionment,

Her lines drawn in stone would stay,

Through ten years would never fray,

Untouched by rustler Tom DeLay.

Slow sly smile

Magnetic style

Great resource of charm and stealth

But on the side also some Texas wealth.

Struggle focused credo uniquely excited,

Power and mystery tightly united,

Beneath the strict no nonsense fashion

Run deep wells of cosmic compassion.

Special Envoy Payne

Female agents fondly remember his name--

Tireless globetrotting fearless Don Payne.

Stealth master across the globe

Always on the probe;

Quiet in his command

But tightly holds leader's lives

In the palm of his cool hand.

When Donald says move

Charles Taylor hops into the groove;

Liberia from Jersey must learn

To let rule from Newark

Take its empire turn.

Don travels

With the proud and brave,

Somalia he single-handedly

Sought to save.

Always on the probe

Stealth master across the globe

But at home he still holds power,

Email orders cross Newark every hour;

In each Jersey county

A Payne relative rules,

Most powerful political tools.

Tireless globetrotting crafty Don Payne,

Lady agents fondly remember his name.

Mean Maxine

Queen Maxine

Can act hard and mean,

She can fertilize

Any Congressional Record page

With unforgettable rage.

Queen Maxine

Can act hard and mean

When the CIA deals dope

But her career fills with tears

When hungry African kids

Are offered no help and no hope.

Soft candy at the core

But like nails when there's a need;

With California flash

And Southern mother wit

She's a rare dynamite breed.

With Hollywood skills

She makes political thrills,

One foot in the palace of influence

The other planted on the street,

Mistress of coalition magic

She makes power methods meet.

CIA drug selling she labeled a fact

Iran Gate caught traitors in the act:

To save Contras zealots were

Selling weapons and flags

Who could doubt they had

Peddled drugs in little brown bags.

Outrageously right

Maxine makes moderates uptight;

Radicals suspect her elegant style

Cause she got arrested for Haiti

Wearing expensive stuff;

Never mind the clothes,

Just a few weeks later

Clinton told the Haitian dictators

That the CBC had enough.

Soft candy at the core

But like nails when there's a need;

With California flash

And Southern mother wit

She's a rare dynamite breed.

Mr. Speaker, Judge Thomas Russell Jones was appropriately described as an activist, soldier, assemblyman, civil rights lawyer, and judge at a memorial service held in Brooklyn, NY, at the Plymouth Church of the Pilgrims on Tuesday, December 5, 2006. My personal recollections of Judge Jones compel me to describe him as a Great Point-of-Light for all Americans. He was a rare leader with a great gift for inspiring others. He was an extrovert, outgoing, always giving advice freely, always offering encouragement generously. It is not exaggerating to call Tom Jones the Father of the Brooklyn Empowerment Spirit. All aspiring candidates could look up to Tom Jones and his independent record and see a clear standard for their future performance. He broke ground and ran for the Assembly without the endorsement of the powerful Brooklyn political machine. As a result of the bold moves of Tom Jones, civil rights activists for the first time began to examine electoral politics as a possible effective instrument for change. To the picketing and the sit-ins we added voter registration and voter participation. Without Tom Jones and the pioneering Unity Democratic Club there would have been no successful election of Congresswoman Shirley Chisholm. His unblemished record of integrity and wisdom on the bench are outstanding recent memories. Both his judicial career and his political trailblazing are sparkling legacies which justify the citation of Judge Thomas Russell Jones as a Great Point-of-Light for the people of Brooklyn and for all Americans.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to salute Miriam Braverman as a Great Point-of-Light for all Americans. Dr. Braverman was a great humanitarian as well as a Librarian specializing in literature for youth. She had a soul and mind that could absorb the essence of the entire sweep of our civilization. Her encyclopedic approach to the world produced insights which catapulted her into the moral leadership of her profession. ``Claims of respect for human life are rhetoric if librarians continue as merely neutral disseminators of information.''

Dr. Braverman clearly understood that the power of information was continually escalating. That our culture could experience a dangerous overload bloated with trivia was a major concern. She advocated a selectivity focused on human rights advocacy as a guide for the preparation and dissemination of materials for youth. In her dissertation she criticized a generation of librarians who were obviously preoccupied with shielding youth from matters related to sex while ignoring great amounts of violence in the literature targeted for boys.

Miriam Braverman was an advocate in the classroom and a fighter on the street with the demonstrators against war and injustice. In Brownsville, one of New York's poorest communities, she inspired large numbers of young women to go on to college through her leadership of a Career and College Club. At the national level she was a leader in the movement which culminated in the American Library Association's condemnation of the war in Vietnam. Constantly she pushed for greater library involvement in the practical utilization of information and retrieval services. She was also an astute political observer and an enthusiastic advisor who supported many progressive candidates including the first campaign of Major Owens for the New York State Senate and the Major Owens for Congress campaigns. To block the triumph of evil she felt that participation in electoral politics was a necessary chore.

Miriam Braverman, without hesitation, as a college professor rallied to assist her students with any problem, academic or personal. As a neighbor and friend she responded to any emergency. Loving the whole world and being concerned with mankind began with a single individual. In her honor the Progressive Librarian: A Journal for Critical Studies and Progressive Politics in Librarianship has established a Miriam Braverman Prize Essay Contest. Today I am joined by a band of dedicated followers as I salute Dr. Miriam Braverman as a Great Point-of-Light for all Americans.