Danny Davis

Mr. DAVIS of Illinois

Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. DAVIS of Illinois

Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I request 5 legislative days during which Members may revise and extend their remarks and insert extraneous material on H. Res. 1355 into the Record.

Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I might consume. I rise today in support of H. Res. 1355, which designates July 26, 2008, as Disability Pride Day and recognizes that all people, including those living with disabilities, have the right, responsibility and ability to be active, contributing members of our society, and fully engaged as citizens. Over 54 million Americans have one or more disabilities. That translates into approximately one in five Americans who have a disability. The number of individuals with disabilities continues to increase with advances in medicine and technology, as well as with our aging population. People with disabilities represent the Nation's largest minority. There are many famous and influential Americans with disabilities. Our 32nd President, Franklin Delano Roosevelt; actors Tom Cruise and Michael J. Fox; scientist Albert Einstein; and disability rights activists such as Justin Dart and Chicago's own Marca Bristo, to name just a few. Disability Pride Day acknowledges the contributions of all Americans with disabilities. To make this great nation's promise of equality and freedom a reality for people with disabilities, Congress has protected the civil rights of individuals with disabilities through landmark Federal legislation such as the Rehabilitation Act, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act. Eighteen years ago this week, on July 26, the Americans with Disabilities Act was signed into law, prohibiting discrimination against individuals with disabilities in employment, education, government services, public accommodations, telecommunications and transportation. The ADA has fundamentally changed the landscape of this country, providing equal opportunity for individuals with disabilities and improving access to all aspects of life in our communities. Despite these efforts, we still have a long way to go. According to a national survey in 2004, people with disabilities live in poverty at a rate three times the national average. Also, people with disabilities are twice as likely to struggle with inadequate transportation, and only 35 percent of working-age Americans with disabilities are employed full or part time. In the face of these challenges, celebrating Disability Pride Day reminds us that disability is not an abnormal, flawed condition, but, rather, as stated in the Developmental Disabilities Act, that ``disability is a natural and normal part of the human experience.'' Human diversity should be embraced and encouraged, as it represents one of the core values of an empowered nation. H. Res. 1355 promotes this belief in human diversity, acknowledging that all people, including those with disabilities, should be guaranteed the right to receive a quality education, to be productive members of our workforce, to raise families, to exert control and choice over their own lives, and to have equal opportunity to access and participate in all facets of life. This resolution invites the Nation to join in celebrating the pride, the power and the potential of people with disabilities by celebrating Disability Pride Day, and it urges all public officials and the general public to honor Americans with disabilities by educating ourselves on ways to support and encourage understanding of persons with disabilities. Finally, H. Res. 1355 commends the organizers of the City of Chicago's Fifth Annual Disability Pride Parade for their work on the disability pride activities planned for July 26, 2008, and their efforts to raise disability awareness. I once again express my support for H. Res. 1355, and I urge all of my colleagues to support this resolution. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the gentlelady from North Carolina for her comments, and I appreciate her work with us on this resolution. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. DAVIS of Illinois

Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 655) honoring the life and accomplishments of Katherine Dunham, as amended.

Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that Members have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and insert extraneous material on H. Res. 655, as amended.

Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life and accomplishments of Katherine Dunham. Born in Chicago in 1909, Katherine Dunham grew into a superbly talented dancer, choreographer, author and activist. She earned her bachelor's degree in social anthropology from the University of Chicago and went on to do extensive graduate field work in the Caribbean, eventually completing her master's degree in that discipline as well. One of her most profound contributions was her work around the confluence of dance and anthropology. Miss Dunham believed that dance was an important vehicle for understanding another culture, and she is the author of many anthropological works and dance. Through her visits to the Caribbean, she not only documented the African influence on the dances of the West Indies, but as an artist, she also began to develop a new type of African American dance based on rituals and other cultural events. When Katherine returned from her travels and field work, she founded Les Ballet Negres, one of the first black ballet companies in the United States. Here she perfected the Dunham technique of dance, including new breathing and movement exercises. Some of Miss Dunham's methods are taught in dance schools today, and she was an influential figure for many years. Alvin Ailey, who we honored with a resolution last week, is one of a long list of contemporary choreographers that name Katherine Dunham as a role model. For two decades, the Katherine Dunham Dance Company toured nearly 60 countries on six continents, performing from Broadway to the silver screen. Established in the 1940s, her company had to battle racial discrimination. The company refused to perform at segregated theaters, and Katherine used her status as a public figure to draw attention to inequity. Her dedication did not stop there. In 1967, Miss Dunham moved to East St. Louis, Illinois and established the Performing Arts Training Center. In an attempt to counteract the poor and violent society many of the children of East St. Louis faced on a daily basis, Miss Dunham and her staff empowered their students by teaching them dance, woodcarving, photography, anthropology, and various foreign languages. Miss Dunham once described this outlet for self-expression and development by stating that ``everyone needs, if not a cultural hero, a culturally heroic society. There is nothing stronger in a man than the need to grow.'' In 2006, at the age of 96, Miss Katherine Dunham passed away, but her legacy lives on. Her countless awards pay tribute to her artistry and dedication to social justice. And so, Mr. Speaker, once again, I honor Katherine Dunham and encourage my colleagues to pass this resolution. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, it's amazing how we are always learning. I had always thought that Katherine Dunham was born in East St. Louis and that that might have been the reason that she moved her school and troupe to East St. Louis, a city that was seriously hurting because of the diversion of business and trade opportunities that ultimately went around the town as opposed to through the town. And I'm amazed to know that, no, she didn't have that kind of history with East St. Louis, but because of her tremendous desire to be relevant and to be helpful to those who could perhaps benefit the most from her talent and dedication, she moved to East St. Louis. And I'm very proud that we have on the floor this resolution honoring her life and legacy. I would urge its passage.

Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. DAVIS of Illinois

Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 1296) supporting the designation of a National Child Awareness Month to promote awareness of children's charities and youth-serving organizations across the United States and recognizing their efforts on behalf of children and youth as a positive investment for the future of our Nation, as amended.

Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H. Res. 1296 which designates September as ``National Child Awareness Month.'' As the resolution points out, September marks the start of the new school year, which is a time when we should all focus our attention on the academic, social and economic well-being of our Nation's children. The children's charities and youth-serving organizations in our communities are important partners in this effort. In many instances, these organizations provide basic access to health care, social services, and other critical needs. They serve as mentors, friends and coaches, and sometimes the volunteers for these organizations are the only family a child may have. Organizations such as the YMCA, the YWCA, the Boys and Girls Clubs, the Big Brothers Big Sisters, and the Children's Defense Fund, to name a few, have provided numerous volunteer hours and volunteers, educational assistance and after-school programming for children across the country, filling a critical gap in the afternoon hours when children are most at risk. And so, not only do we want to promote awareness, but I want to thank all of these volunteers, all of these individuals who spend so much of their time, energy and effort working with children so that they provide to communities and families, as well as to the millions of other people who need the work that is done each and every day. And so, Mr. Speaker, once again, I express my support for H. Res. 1296 and urge that my colleagues support this bill. I would reserve the balance of my time

Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I would continue to reserve.

Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I want to commend the gentleman from California (Mr. Calvert) for his introduction of this very meaningful legislation. I have no further speakers, and I would yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. DAVIS of Illinois

Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Madam Speaker, I rise in strong support of this resolution. And I want to commend my colleague, Representative Barbara Lee, for its introduction. I also want to commend the Caribbean community, not only in my city of Chicago, which has a large population--as a matter of fact, we just finished celebrating the Festival of the Arts, which is a large celebration recognized by many people throughout the Midwest as a place to be--but we've heard accolades extended to individuals who have been great states persons, individuals who have been businesspeople and academicians. Every kind of person that you can think of has some heritage from the Caribbean. And I think that we don't have to look far when we think of our own colleagues that we interact with every day. And so I commend them for being a part of the American population, but of the African-Caribbean diaspora. And I commend again Representative Barbara Lee.

Mr. DAVIS of Illinois

Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Madam Speaker, I rise in strong support of H. Res. 1311, and I want to commend my colleague from Pennsylvania, Representative Chaka Fattah, for his introduction of this legislation, and I also want to commend my colleague on the Education Committee and the chairman of the Higher Education Subcommittee, the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Hinojosa). I have spent, Madam Speaker, practically all of my life engaged with low-income communities, low-income people, low-income students. And I can tell you that I can't think of any legislative enactment that has done more to assist low-income students to experience this commodity that we call higher education. And so Representative Fattah, I don't know if you will ever pass another piece of legislation as good as this one. I don't know how much longer you will stay in Congress, but I can tell you one thing, if you never pass another one, you did this one and it is one of the best, one of the most effective, one of the greatest that I have seen, and so I commend you for it. I commend again the chairperson of our committee in Education, Representative Hinojosa. And, Madam Speaker, I think it is a great day because there is a group of people sitting in my office right now who are GEAR UP representatives, and I told them that I was going to have to leave them to come here, but I commend them for all of the great work that they continue to do.

Mr. DAVIS of Illinois

Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Madam Speaker, the House of Representatives recently passed H.R. 6307, the Fostering Connections to Success Act, sponsored by Representatives Jim McDermott and Jerry Weller. This bill is a strong first step in reforming the foster care system, and it includes provisions supporting kinship caregivers that I have championed for years. Specifically, the bill includes the 3 core elements of my bill, H.R. 2188, the Kinship Caregiver Support Act, which I introduced with Representative Tim Johnson: (1) it allows states to use Federal funds to support family caregivers raising relatives in the foster care system; (2) it provides funding to establish kinship navigator programs; and (3) it requires notification of relatives when a child enters the foster care system. These provisions are critical to supporting our children and youth. Nationwide, almost 19 percent of kinship care providers live in poverty, and 30 percent to 40 percent of children in foster care have chronic medical problems. Subsidized guardianship, like the Federal adoption assistance program, provides needed support to these kinship caregivers to afford appropriate care for these vulnerable children. Further, kinship navigator programs serve as critical supports to the millions of grandparent caregivers who preventively took on the care of their grandchildren to keep them out of the foster care system. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, there are approximately 2.1 million children living with grandparents or other relatives with no parent present; however, only about 145,000 children in the foster care system live with kinship caregivers. This means that just under 2 million children are being cared for outside of the system and do not have access to subsidized guardianship payments. We must promote kinship navigator programs to help these caregivers understand and access supports to support our youngest citizens. Research clearly shows that kinship foster care families are safer, more stable placements that are more likely to keep children connected with their siblings and communities than non-relative placements. Further, these placements are cost effective. In Illinois, cost studies found a projected savings of approximately $48 million over 10 years compared to a matched control group that did not have this option. For these reasons, it is imperative that we promote kinship caregiving within the foster care system, and required notification to relatives is an important step to this end. The issue of grandparents raising grandchildren is very significant for Illinois and for Chicago specifically. My Congressional District has the highest percentage of children living with kinship caregivers in the U.S., with two other Chicago districts following closely behind. The legislation promises critical financial support to family members raising relatives in foster care. We have more to do, but I applaud the House of Representatives for passing this bill that will do so much for so many.

Mr. DAVIS of Illinois

Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Madam Speaker, I rise to express my enthusiastic congratulations and support of the Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority during its national Boule conference celebrating 100 years of the organization in Washington, DC. The sorority, founded at Howard University on January 15, 1908, is the first Greek-lettered sorority established and incorporated by a group of nine African-American college women. The AKA sorority broke barriers for African-American women in areas where little power or authority existed due to a lack of opportunities for minorities and women in the early twentieth century. Headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, the sorority consists of college- educated women of African, Caucasian, Asian, and Hispanic descent. The sorority serves through a membership of more than 200,000 women in over 900 chapters in the United States and several other countries. Since its inception, Alpha Kappa Alpha has helped to improve social and economic conditions through community service programs. Members have improved education through independent initiatives, contributed to community-building by creating programs and influenced Federal legislation by legislation advocacy through the National Non-Partisan Lobby on Civil and Democratic Rights. My wife Vera, is a proud member of Tau Gamma Omega graduate chapter of the Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority. Two of my sisters, Ceola and Floretta, are also AKA's. Tau Gamma Omega often meet in our home and I have always been very proud of the leadership and mentoring relationship my wife has established and continues to display with younger women who join. Tau Gamma Omega is a strong voice and positive presence in the community where they serve. As a member of the fraternity Alpha Phi Alpha and the United States House of Representatives, I commend the Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority on all their continuing endeavors to help the community, and I welcome the 26,000 attending members of the 2008 Centennial Boule to their founding place of Washington, DC.

Mr. DAVIS of Illinois

Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I rise to express my enthusiastic congratulations and support for the Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority during its National Boule Conference, celebrating 100 years of its organization and existence. The sorority, founded at Howard University on January 15, 1908, is the first Greek-lettered sorority established and incorporated by a group of nine African American college women. The AKA sorority broke barriers for African American women in areas where little power or authority existed due to a lack of opportunities for minorities and women in the early 20th century. Headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, the sorority consists of college- educated women of African, Caucasian, Asian and Hispanic descent. The sorority serves through a membership of more than 200,000 women in over 900 chapters in the United States and several other countries. Since its inception, Alpha Kappa Alpha has helped to improve social and economic conditions through community service programs. Members have improved education through independent initiatives, contributed to community building by creating programs, and influenced Federal legislation by advocacy through the National Non-Partisan Lobby on Civil and Democratic Rights. My wife, Vera, is a proud member of Tau Gamma Omega, the graduate chapter of the Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority. Two of my sisters, Ceola and Floretta, are also AKAs. They often meet in our home. And I have always been very proud of the leadership and mentoring relationship my wife has established and continues to display with younger women who join. Tau Gamma Omega is a strong voice and positive presence in the community where they serve. Mr. Speaker, it is my understanding that there are 26,000 AKAs in the District of Columbia this week. And today I was very pleased to receive, along with my wife, State representative Connie Howard, and the immediate past president of the Cook County Board of Commissioners, the Honorable Bobby Steele and a large contingent of AKAs from my hometown of Chicago, Illinois. And so, Mr. Speaker, as a member of the Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity and the United States House of Representatives, I commend the Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority on all their continuing endeavors to help the community. And I welcome the 26,000 attending members of the 2008 Centennial Boule to their founding place of Washington, D.C.

Mr. DAVIS of Illinois

Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks.

Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 5506) to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 369 Martin Luther King Jr. Drive in Jersey City, New Jersey, as the ``Bishop Ralph E. Brower Post Office Building''.

Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. As a Member of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, I am pleased to join my colleagues in the consideration of H.R. 5506 which names the postal facility in Jersey City, New Jersey, after Bishop Ralph E. Brower. H.R. 5506, which was introduced by Representative Albio Sires of New Jersey on February 27, 2008, was reported from the Oversight Committee on June 12, 2008, by voice vote. This measure has the support of the entire New Jersey delegation and provides this body a chance to recognize the contributions and accomplishments of a distinguished and highly respected gentleman from the Garden State of New Jersey, the admirable Bishop Ralph E. Brower. Unfortunately, Representative Sires is unable to join us on the floor today, but nonetheless, he asked that his statement of support be submitted for the Record. Born into humble beginnings in North Carolina as the eldest of six children, Bishop Brower's educational aspirations led him to attend Laurinburg Institute and Kettle College of North Carolina. He received his master's degree from Kings College in Briarcliff Manor, New York, his master's in divinity from Florida State University, and his Ph.D. from Grambling State University. Bishop Brower began to make his mark on New Jersey and the community of Jersey City in the early 1950s when he took the helm of St. Michael's Methodist Church. Over the years, he has overseen the growth of the congregation from six members to the thousands that now worship at St. Michael's. Largely responsible for helping the church and its congregation blossom into a positive force for change in the community, Bishop Ralph E. Brower undoubtedly deserves the honor of having a United States postal facility named after him. Therefore, Mr. Speaker, I ask that my colleagues join me in support of this measure by voting in favor of H.R. 5506. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time and urge passage.

Mr. DAVIS of Illinois

Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks.

Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 4010) to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 100 West Percy Street in Indianola, Mississippi, as the ``Minnie Cox Post Office Building''.

Mr. DAVIS of Illinois

Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I want to commend the gentleman from New Jersey for introducing this resolution. I was thinking that in 1954, I was a pre-adolescent, just beginning to read, write and try and understand what was going on. And where I lived, I remember the first school bus that I rode on was actually made from a flatbed truck that Mr. Arthur Dooley had. And when the schools were consolidated, he put a cabin on it and some wooden benches, and that was my first ride on a school bus. Then I remember the next year, we inherited a school bus from the white school. Then, I remember that all of the books that I read, all of the while that I was growing up, had someone else's name in the books when we got them, after they had been used by the other school system where I lived. And so, when I think of Thurgood Marshall, not only do I think of the tremendous impact that he continues to have today, but I think of the impact that he had on the lives of individuals like myself, who lived in an environment that was obviously very separate and very unequal. What he did will last as long as America lasts because he clearly showed that there could be an opportunity for people to experience some of what we call the goodness and the greatness of America. And for that reason, I come to commemorate him today. Mr. Speaker, I wish to take a moment to support H. Con. Res. 381, which celebrates the contributions and achievements of Thurgood Marshall on the 100th anniversary of his birth. Born in Baltimore, Maryland, on July 2, 1908, Thurgood Marshall was the grandson of a slave and at an early age his father, William Marshall, instilled in him an appreciation for the United States Constitution and the rule of law. He attended undergraduate school at Lincoln University in Pennsylvania. In 1930, he was accepted to Howard Law School; however, he also applied to the University of Maryland Law School, but was denied admission because he was Black. This event caused the direction of his professional life to focus on equal desegregated education. As an African-American man who lived through segregation and oppression he once said, ``Today's Constitution is a realistic document of freedom only because of several corrective amendments. Those amendments speak to a sense of decency and fairness that I and other Blacks cherish.'' As an attorney and during his tenure on the Supreme Court, Justice Marshall's opinions did much to advance the decency and fairness of our laws, making America a much stronger nation. Thurgood Marshall's tireless work within the justice system to eradicate the legacy of slavery and destroy the racist segregation system of Jim Crow clearly demonstrated his dedication to the struggle for equal rights and justice in the United States. As chief legal counsel to the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, NAACP, he championed one of the most important cases for equal rights, Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, the landmark case that demolished the legal basis for segregation in America. He continued to push for equal rights as the first African-American Supreme Court Justice, succeeding in creating new protections under law for women, children, prisoners, and the homeless. By these accomplishments, Thurgood Marshall established a record for supporting the voiceless Americans and left a legacy that recognizes that discrimination includes factors beyond just race and gender. He built a structure of individual rights that has become the cornerstone of protections for all Americans. I commemorate the years he has served and the improvements he has made to this great Nation.