Elijah Cummings

Mr. CUMMINGS

Mr. CUMMINGS. I thank the gentlewoman from Texas and I commend her on her hard work and leadership on this as a member of the Committee on Science and the conference committee on the Telecommunications Reform Act of 1996. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to speak about the outstanding achievements of the NetDay project. This past October during NetDay East, over 140 schools were wired in my home district of Baltimore City alone. A second phase to be wired is planned for the spring of this year. We must bring the 21st century into every classroom in America. Technological literacy is essential to succeed in the new economy. We must provide all students access to a computer, good software, and trained teachers. I encourage local businesses, public organizations, educational institutions, parents, teachers, and community members to participate in this effort by volunteering to help link our schools to the information highway, place computer equipment in classrooms, and provide training. With 40 million people currently using the Internet and 100 million users expected by 1998, the time has come to avail our schools of this very valuable resource. We need to come together as a Nation and focus on the development of our children and communities. I want to stress the importance of equipping our children with the tools to compete successfully in the 21st century. As we near the beginning of the 21st century, a knowledge-based economy is emerging, what many people call the new economy. The fastest growing industries, both domestically and globally, include microelectronics, telecommunications, computers, and biotechnology. In the 1950's, three out of every four Americans had manufacturing jobs. Today, fewer than 1 in 6 do. Recent studies show that the rates of return for industries that invest in knowledge and skill are more than twice those of industries that concentrate on plant and equipment. Perhaps the most important transformation brought by the new economy is the changing nature of work for Americans. We now live and work in a knowledge-based economy where we succeed because of what we know, what we create, how we manage information, and how we organize ourselves to deliver it. By the end of the decade, 60 percent of our Nation's jobs will require skills that only 20 percent of the existing U.S. population has. Many of these will be technologically based. Our new concern is not unemployment, but unemployability. With the ability to make goods and process information, white students, but only 39 percent of African-American students, use computers in school. African-American students also have less access to computers at home, 36 percent of white students are in families that own computers, while only 15 percent of African-American students have access to home computers. Make no mistake, technology alone is not the panacea for all of our educational system's ills, but technology is a valuable tool which, when combined with a good curriculum and good teachers, can improve our children's education. The continuing leadership and initiative must come from local communities, cities, school boards, and the private and nonprofit sectors, and it is critical that the African-American community get involved. African-Americans need to recognize the importance of using these technologies to improve education, as well as to equip students with the necessary skills to perform tomorrow's jobs. African-Americans, historically concentrated in agriculture, personal service, and blue collar occupations, are now disproportionately displaced in the emerging Information Age. The good news is that a few African-American entrepreneurs are taking advantage of telecom and information technologies. But there is still very little computer software geared to minorities. There are still relatively few minority firms with a presence on the World Wide Web. I cannot overstate the importance of exposing our young people, especially those living in traditionally underserved areas, to such technologies as the Internet, which open a whole new world for them which may inspire learning. In order for the NetDay project to be fully successful, it is imperative that minority and rural communities are involved. Now is the time to commit to helping underserved minority schools. The longer we wait, the wider the gap between these kids and the kids who are technology-fluent expands. I want to thank the gentlewoman again for her leadership.

Mr. CUMMINGS

Mr. CUMMINGS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay a special tribute to the late Charles P. Howard, Jr., a lawyer and a great civil rights activist in Baltimore, MD. Charles Preston Howard, Jr. was born in Hampton, VA, the son of Charles Preston Howard, Sr., an attorney, and Louisa Maude Lewis. The family moved to Des Moines, IA, when he was a child, where he graduated from high school in 1939. While in high school, Mr. Howard and his two brothers, Joe and Lonnie, founded the Iowa Observer, a neighborhood newspaper that grew into a network of four weekly papers that were also published in Indiana and Wisconsin. The three youths were greatly influenced by their great-uncle, Henry McNeal Turner, a turn-of-the-century African Methodist Episcopal bishop whose newspaper, the Voice of the People, crusaded against segregation. Charles Howard, Jr. began studying journalism at Drake College in 1940 and transferred to Howard University, where he entered an Army training program for journalists. As a reporter for the Army Times during World War II, Mr. Howard displayed his disdain and outrage for segregation which would mark his entire career. He openly questioned the role of black troops fighting for a democracy that promoted segregation. He suggested in editorials that black troops should resist such discrimination, and in two instances there were demonstrations at Army camps where Mr. Howard was stationed in England and in the United States. Some changes were initiated by military authorities, but it wasn't until May 1948, when President Truman signed Executive Order No. 9981, that segregation in the military was ended. As an aide to Gen. Benjamin O. Davis, the first African-American general in the U.S. Army, Howard served on the staff of the Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force until being discharged at the war's end. Upon returning to Howard University, Charles Howard worked with the lawyers and participated in the university's support of the Brown versus Board of Education case, the landmark case that desegregated the Nation's public schools. Mr. Howard began practicing law in 1955, after earning his law degree in 1954 from Howard University Law School and an international law degree from New York University in 1955. Soon after his graduation from law school, Mr. Howard quickly developed a reputation as a fearless and colorful defense lawyer. Lawyers impressed by his brilliant defense techniques and verbal pyrotechnics often crammed courtrooms to watch him try a case. ``He was certainly tenacious and he wasn't opposed to taking the bench over difficult cases,'' said Gloria E.A. Toote, a Harlem lawyer who held positions in the Nixon, Ford, and Reagan administrations and got to know Mr. Howard when they were students at Howard University. ``Once he was committed, it became a moral commitment, and he wouldn't let go. He'd work until he dropped from sheer exhaustion.'' In the late 1960's, he established Howard and Hargrove, Maryland's first black corporate law firm, which was in the American Building on Charles Street. Later, Howard formed Howard, Brown, and Williams where he retired in 1985. In 1966, Mr. Howard ran for the House of Delegates and lost, but his race signaled the developing black presence on the city's political landscape. He later helped elect his brother, Joseph C. Howard, to the supreme bench of Baltimore City in 1968. Judge Howard, who was later appointed to the U.S. district court, is now retired. Charles Howard, Jr.'s professional memberships included the Professional Ethics Committee for Legal Aid to the Indigent, the National Bar Association, the American Society of International Law, and the Maryland State Bar Association. He was active in the NAACP, the YMCA, and the Boy Scouts of America. He was also a member of the board of Arena Players Theater Co. and in 1971 was named to the board of the Maryland Public Broadcast Commission by Gov. Marvin Mandel. He also was acting president of Bay College until the school closed in 1978. Mr. Howard was also a member of the St. James Episcopal Church where was an active member. In recent years, Mr. Howard was most concerned about economic alternatives to welfare dependency and worked with and counseled black businessmen. A popular tenet of Howard's was that the successful had an obligation to help those in need. On December 14, 1996, Charles Preston Howard, Jr. died of a heart attack at his home in the Ashburton section of Baltimore, MD at the age of 75. He is survived by his wife of 6 years, the former Jewel White, two sons, Charles P. Howard III of Los Angeles and Charles Lattimore Howard of Philadelphia, a daughter, Catherine Marie Howard of Baltimore, and another brother, Dr. Lawrence Howard of Baltimore. Charles P. Howard and his dedication to the African-American community will certainly be missed in Baltimore and across the country. He was an outstanding American who labored tirelessly to ensure that every person enjoyed the benefits of true American values. According to family members, ``Charlie's life work seemed to always orbit around the critical importance of building and nurturing community institutions for the future of humanity everywhere.''

Mr. CUMMINGS

Mr. CUMMINGS. I thank the gentlewoman for yielding me this time. Mr. Speaker, the eradication of drug use and distribution in our communities is one of my highest priorities. Illegal drug abuse has created havoc on my congressional district of Balitmore and the entire country. It has led to increased crime rates, untimely and unnecessary deaths, gun violence, and skyrocketing health care costs. Our communities are being hard hit, with no relief in sight. Our precious resources are being depleted in this war against drugs. I believe in drug prevention to thwart drug abuse and treatment to assist struggling addicts. And I believe that we must prosecute drug dealers to the fullest extent that the law will allow. However, I believe that we must have parity in the penalties that we place on illegal drugs. Mr. Speaker, crack cocaine, powder cocaine, methamphetamine, LSD and heroin all ravage and devastate our communities. Their destruction is undiscriminating. This body should be just as undiscriminating when assessing penalties for their abuse. This body should not create drugs of choice by calling for stiffer penalties on some illegal drugs and not for others. The sale, distribution and use of all illegal substances is abhorrent, and I too want to be tough on all illegal drugs, but we must not continue to fill our prisons with poor persons involved in less expensive substances like crack and methamphetamine while the wealthy abusers dealing in more expensive drugs wreak havoc on our communities. This measure is not a solution to our drug epidemic. It is election year politics at the expense of poor, undeserved communities. Mr. Speaker, it is these kinds of unncesseary battles that prevent us from winning the war on drugs.

Mr. CUMMINGS

Mr. CUMMINGS. Mr. Chairman, I rise today in strong support of this bipartisan amendment offered by my colleagues to increase funding for the Legal Services Corporation. Prior to my election to Congress, I practiced law for almost 20 years. It is through my experiences with the American legal system that I feel confident and qualified to comment on this amendment. As a lawyer, I represented all types of people in all kinds of situations. And there is one hard fact that I have witnessed and learned throughout my years of practice--our system of justice belongs to the wealthy and privileged. Rare is the day when indigents or poor citizens receive equitable treatment in their representation. I believe that ours is the best judicial process in the world. But everyday across this country, citizens with meager resources have little or no voice in the process. Last year's bill quieted the voices of the needy, this year's bill silences those voices. As a result of the fiscal year 1996 cut, Maryland's Legal Aid Bureau lost $1.4 million this year. If the House adopts the fiscal year 1997 levels, Maryland will lose $1.5 million more, which leaves thousands of Maryland residents without adequate legal representation. I urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to vote in favor of this amendment. The funding we will provide today ensures that our poorest citizens will have equal justice under law.

Mr. CUMMINGS

Mr. CUMMINGS. Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentleman from Wisconsin for yielding me time to rise in opposition to this year's spending bill for the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education. This measure provides inadequate funding for many of our vital programs that have proven to be beneficial to individual families, our communities and our nation as a whole. I am deeply dismayed that this measure has taken a ``meatax'' to the Healthy Start Program. H.R. 3755 radically eliminates all funding for this program that is saving lives across the country. Historically, my congressional district of Baltimore has experienced an exceedingly high rate of infant mortality. Many high risk areas in the city had twice the national average of infant deaths. However with the implementation of the Healthy Start Program in 1993, Baltimore has severely reduced the number of babies born with low birth weights, and dramatically reduced the number of infant mortalities. Ours, is truly a success story. The Baltimore Healthy Start Program is one of the most successful programs in the entire country. We have targeted the program's services to the poorest areas of the city which are at the highest risk. Baltimore's neighborhood Healthy Start program has currently serviced about 2,000 women. The staff is mostly comprised of community residents who have been hired and trained through the program--thereby providing important employment opportunities to the community. The staff in conjunction with the mayor's office, and the surrounding community are committed to ensuring that all babies have a strong and healthy beginning by providing important prenatal care to high risk mothers who need it most. Mr. Chairman, I am certainly shocked that this body would attempt to pass a measure that eliminates this vital program which has proven and tangible results. I am shocked that this body would take away the one opportunity to give our poorest and most vulnerable citizens the gift of life.

Mr. CUMMINGS

Mr. CUMMINGS. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Michigan and Mr. Hyde for their leadership in bringing this important piece of legislation to the floor in such a timely manner. Mr. Speaker, the burning and defamation of places of worship across the South have shaken and angered me to the core. These are atrocities that will not go unpunished. This legislation gives prosecutors the tools to punish the cowardly perpetrators of these heinous crimes. The church for African-Americans is more than a place of worship. It is a symbol of hope and the bedrock of our community. Like the generations of family and friends before us, we find comfort, hope, and faith in our churches. Mr. Speaker, it is 1996 and still racism exists. But the Members in this Chambers have chosen to fight these injustices. These gutless acts will not have their intended effect. They will not dissuade us from fighting bigotry and intolerance. I am pleased to support this legislation, which will facilitate Federal prosecution of arson cases and I urge its swift passage.

Mr. CUMMINGS

Mr. CUMMINGS. Mr. Speaker, we will soon consider a 1997 fiscal year budget resolution that slashes Medicare and Medicaid funding. The American people have given us a clear mandate. They have overwhelmingly told us time and time again to protect our neediest citizens, the disabled, the poor, our children and the elderly. My colleagues on the other side of the aisle have a different vision. Their priorities are jumbled, their budget reflects a flawed economic theory and confusion. Two weeks ago I vote for a budget that reflected my district's and the country's priorities. I chose to vote for a 6-year balanced budget that proposed to increase the investments in education, job training, infrastructure, and at the same time protecting Medicare, Medicaid and not demolish it. The recent report issued by the Medicare trustees that forecasts Medicare insolvency does not tell us anything new. We know that Medicare needs mending. Let us take the opportunity to roll up our sleeves and get to work. I sincerely hope that the speaker is sincere when he said he wants to work in a bipartisan way with the President to save Medicare for our parents and grandparents.

Mr. CUMMINGS

Mr. CUMMINGS. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from New Mexico for yielding this time to me, and I commend his work and leadership on this piece of legislation. Mr. Speaker, the trail that Dr. Martin Luther King walked when he led a march for black voting rights in 1965 is as meaningful as the route Paul Revere took when he rode through Boston, it is as historic and symbolic as the expedition led by Lewis and Clark. I am pleased that the Selma to Montgomery path has been recognized as a national historic trail. This trail is a testament to the courage that Dr. King and the civil rights marchers exemplified. It will stand as a monument to their tireless efforts to provide and extend fundamental civil rights to all Americans regardless of their gender, race or creed. The young people in my district of Baltimore and across this great country will walk the steps of these civil rights marchers. They will cross the Edmond Pettus Bridge, and they will remember the blood, sweat and tears and determination that the marchers embodied so that all generations will enjoy freedoms and rights that the Founders of this great Nation envisioned. The route from Selma to Montgomery, Mr. Speaker, is 54 miles long. Each step that Dr. King and the marchers took brought freedom closer. In 1965 freedom was 54 miles away. Today the distance is shorter, but there are still civil rights injustices to overcome. It is my sincere hope that one day there will be no distance between the citizens of this great country, that all will be afforded basic enumerated freedoms without prejudice. Mr. Speaker, I urge the swift passage of this bill and am hopeful that we in the Congress of the United States of America will recognize the need to provide full funding for this historic and important landmark.

Mr. CUMMINGS

Mr. CUMMINGS. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker and Members, to the Maryland congressional delegation, to two of my mentors, both of whom I love. Their spirit is a part of my spirit. Their hopes and dreams are part of my hopes and dreams. To Kweisi Mfume and Parren J. Mitchell, I just want you to know that I love you, and I thank you for all that you have done for the city of Baltimore, the State of Maryland, the Nation, and the world. I appreciate you. To my family and friends and to the members of the Maryland Legislature who are up there, only God could create this path, only God. Only God could create a path where the son of two sharecroppers from Manning, SC could rise to represent the people of the Seventh Congressional District in the Congress of the United States of America. Only God, and so I must first thank God for this opportunity. I also thank Him for giving me the strength, the humility, and the courage to walk the path that He has given me. So often we in public life forget that we are very fortunate to come upon this Earth and have an opportunity to serve. So often we forget, because we get so caught up in our battles and our struggles, that so many people wish they could have the problems we have. So I am just a happy, happy man. I am also very happy, they tell me it is unusual for Members of the other body--I have got to get this language right--to come over, but my two Senators, I want to thank you for being here and for all that you have done. It is not just that they are here today, but they have been walking with me for a long time, and I appreciate you. Mr. Speaker, I represent a diverse district, a very diverse district. We have people who have a lot of problems. We have people who have very nice homes. We have people who are struggling just trying to make it. It honors me tremendously to know that they would send me here to represent them. I have often said on the floor of the Maryland House of Delegates that our world would be a much better world and a much better place if we would only concentrate on the things we have in common instead of concentrating on our differences. It is easy to find differences, very easy. We need to take more time to find common ground. So my mission is one that comes out of a vision that was created long, long ago. It is a mission and a vision to empower people, to make people realize that the power is within them, that they, too, can do the things that they want to do. So I am about that mission. I am looking forward to joining with all of you as we travel this road I often call journey, which I define as life. There is a poem that Parren Mitchell said many, many years ago, that I say sometimes 20 times a day, and it is a very simple poem but it is one that I live by. It says: ``I only have a minute, 60 seconds in it, forced upon me, I did not choose it, but I know that I must use it, give account if I abuse it, suffer if I lose it, only a tiny little minute, but eternity is in it.'' So I join you as we move forward to uplife not only the Nation but the world. May God bless you all and may God bless America.