John Lewis

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I fully support House bill 1512. I urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to vote ``yes'' for this bill.

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 1512) to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to extend the funding and expenditure authority of the Airport and Airway Trust Fund, to amend title 49, United States Code, to extend authorizations for the airport improvement program, and for other purposes.

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia. Madam Speaker, people are hurting right now, in Atlanta and across the country. It is in times like this that we need to help our neighbor. Volunteerism in these tough times is critical; that is why I want to highlight the work Emory University, in my district, is doing. Emory University has a strong history of reaching out to the community and engaging in projects to help people in need. Emory students completed nearly 150,000 hours of service in 2008, partnering with more than 200 community partners on projects related to poverty, homelessness, medical services and environmental conservation. The University's dedication to service reflects the desire in many of our students across the nation to get involved in and give back to their communities. America's young people have always been an integral part of the success of our country, and I am especially proud of Emory University's dedication to service. Each year, the Corporation for National and Community Service recognizes institutions of higher education for exemplary efforts to engage students in service learning, community partnerships, and volunteer service by publishing The President's Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll. At the top of the Honor Roll is a small group of institutions of higher education who are given the Presidential Award for General Community Service. I am proud to announce that Emory has been awarded the 2008 Presidential Award. This is the highest award possible for a college or university with respect to community service and student engagement. I want to recognize and thank Emory University for its commitment to giving back to the community and fostering a sense of service among its students. Congratulations to Emory University on being honored as a recipient of the 2008 Presidential Award for General Community Service.

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the gentleman from Georgia for yielding. Mr. Speaker, 50 years ago today, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and his wife, Coretta Scott King, took a historic trip to India to travel and study the path of Mahatma Gandhi. Dr. King was deeply influenced by the teachings of Gandhi and what he attempted to do in South Africa and what he did to liberate and free the people of India from the colonial rule of the British. It was on Gandhi's preaching of the philosophy and the discipline of nonviolence that Dr. King patterned the nonviolent struggle in America to tear down the walls of segregation and racial discrimination. The great teacher gave us the philosophy of nonviolence, and Gandhi gave us the message and showed us the way. So it is fitting for the United States Congress to pause and recognize the 50th anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s trip to India and the impact that trip had on our Nation's struggle for civil rights and voting rights. In a few days, Mr. Speaker, a group of Members of Congress will travel to India to walk the path that Dr. King walked. I am hopeful that we will have the opportunity to be inspired by this one man to carry the message of peace, hope and love to the rest of the world. Gandhi once said ``nonviolence is the first article of my faith. It is also the last article of my creed.'' He said that our choice was between nonviolence and nonexistence. Dr. King said that we must learn to live together as brothers and sisters or perish as fools. The message of Gandhi and Dr. King still speaks to us today. I call on all Members of the House to support this resolution.

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia. Madam Speaker, I want to thank Chairman Scott for yielding. Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of this resolution that I introduced that supports National Teen Dating Violence Awareness and Prevention Week. Let me begin by thanking Chairman Conyers and Chairman Scott and all of the staff who worked so hard to bring this resolution to the floor. Youth dating violence is a trend that is spreading across our country. It does not discriminate based on race, sex, class, or sexual orientation. In 2005 many of my colleagues and I mourned the loss of April Love. She was an outstanding Congressional Black Caucus Foundation summer intern from Arkansas who was killed by her boyfriend. April was really a shining star, a southern belle, with a heart of gold and a brain to match. In the past few years, metro Atlanta witnessed similar, terrible incidents of youth dating violence. In separate cases, two teenage girls were shot and killed by their abusive boyfriends. Some relationships that begin innocently enough soon spiral out of control, and no one has any idea how they missed the signs. And technology has made it easier for abusive relationships to go undetected by parents and loved ones. We must bring attention to this unbelievable series of incidents that are spreading around our country. Fear, stalking, violence, and abuse are unacceptable and always shocking. Madam Speaker, we must break this chain and educate young people about the importance of developing healthy relationships. During this week, I urge all of my colleagues to educate themselves and all of their citizens about this important issue.

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia. I would like to thank my colleague for yielding. I have been sitting here and I have been listening to the people on the other side. It is unbelievable; it is unreal. Our country is in trouble; deep trouble. The economy is in a ditch. This President has offered a plan, a plan that he believes and 85 percent of the American people believe that it will work. Have you been reading the newspapers, watching television, or seeing the polls? It is time for us to wake up and do what is right, do what is fair. When President Clinton left the White House, he left a surplus. He put more than 22 million people to work. Under the last administration, you left a debt. Hundreds and thousands of millions of citizens have lost their jobs, and now you are standing here today whining.

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia. Madam Speaker, I want to thank the chairman and the ranking member for supporting this resolution. Madam Speaker, yesterday, the American people shared and participated in a historic moment, the inauguration of Barack Obama as the 44th President of the United States. What the American people witnessed yesterday would not have been possible without the leadership and the vision of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The teaching and philosophy that Dr. King believed in and lived by brought us to this moment in history. Without Martin Luther King, Jr., there would be no President Barack Obama. Martin Luther King, Jr. was a man I knew personally, and regarded as a brother, a friend, a colleague, a prophet, my hero, and just a simple human being, filled with love, peace, and compassion for all humankind. I will never forget my first impression of him. As a black child growing up in the heart of rural Alabama, I tasted the bitter fruits of segregation and racial discrimination, and I didn't like it. I saw those signs that said, ``White Men, Colored Men; White Women, Colored Women; White Waiting, Colored Waiting.'' I used to ask my parents, my grandparents, and my great grandparents, Why segregation? Why racial discrimination? They said, That's the way it is. Don't get in trouble. Don't get in the way. But one day, when I was only 15 years old, I heard the voice of Martin Luther King, Jr. on an old radio. He was talking about the discipline and the philosophy of nonviolence; he was talking about the Montgomery bus boycott and the ability of a committed and determined people to make a difference in our society. I felt like he was talking directly to me, saying, John Lewis, you too can make a difference in our society. In 1958, at the age of 18, I traveled from Troy to Montgomery to meet with him and Reverend Ralph Abernathy, and that was the beginning of a long and beautiful relationship. After that, our paths, which would cross often, in the sit-ins; during the Freedom Rides in 1961, the year that Barack Obama was born; as a board member of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, his organization; organizing the 1963 march on Washington, and in Mississippi during the summer of 1964; in the march from Selma to Montgomery in 1965; at the Riverside Church in New York City in 1967, Mr. Chairman, when you spoke out against the war in Vietnam; and in preparation for its ultimate course, the Poor People's Campaign in 1968, when he was planning to come to Washington. As I grew to know Dr. King and the life of the movement, my admiration for the man also grew. He was a spokesperson not just for blacks, but for all of those who had been left out and left behind. He spoke to the hearts and consciences of all of us who believed nonviolence and love offer a more excellent way. This good man, this God-fearing man, gave us hope in a time of hopelessness. This good man, this man of God, this son of America, this citizen of the world, produced light in dark places. Martin Luther King, Jr. had the ability to bring the dirt and the filth from under the American rug, out of the cracks and the corners, into the open light, in order for us to deal with it. Martin Luther King, Jr., more than any other American of the 20th century, had the power to bring people together, more people together, to do good; black and white, rich and poor, young and old, Protestant, Catholic, and Jews. His message was love, his weapon was truth. His message was creative nonviolence. His goal was the beloved community, a community of justice, a community at peace with himself. This man that I marched with, worked with, and went to jail with, this man that I got to know, was so sensitive and so caring. He personified the very best of humankind. He was a gentle man who used the teaching of the Great Teacher and the tools of Gandhi. In a sense, he spoke a strange language, the philosophy of passive resistance to evil and the use of nonviolence in a struggle for good. In a sense, he was a radical, far too advanced in his concepts of love and peace for the violent times in which he lived. Dr. King taught us that the method of nonviolence was the key to building a Beloved Community, a society based on simple justice that values the dignity and the worth of every human being. I say to you, my friends, 41 years ago, Martin Luther King was taken from us by an assassin's bullet. But murder could not kill the dream of peace. It could not kill the dream of an open society. It could not kill the dream of a Beloved Community. The movement that Martin Luther King, Jr. led, the movement that he sustained, was too necessary, too noble, too right to ever die. We know that his voice is stilled today, but perhaps today more than ever before we know that his message still rings in the hearts of America. Forty years later, we must rededicate ourselves to the struggle that was his struggle and continue to seek the goals that were his goals. I want to close, Madam Speaker, by saying, as we assemble here we must understand that his dream has not yet been fulfilled. We have come a distance, but we still have a distance to go before we build a beloved community in America. If Dr. King were here today, I believe he would have said that the election of Barack Obama is not an end, it is not even a beginning, it is a significant down payment on making his dream a reality.

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia. Madam Speaker, I want to thank the chairman for yielding. Madam Speaker, at long last we will do what is right for our Nation's poorest children. Today we will expand SCHIP to 4 million more children. We have a mission, an obligation and a mandate to provide health insurance for all Americans and now we have a Congress and a President who will meet that obligation for our children. It has taken too long. This Nation has been wrong to choose war and greed over children and health. Children need our help. They have a right to health care. Today we will do what is right and pass this expansion of SCHIP.

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor my friend James Paschal, one of the founders of Paschal's Restaurant. James Paschal was an extraordinary man. He was more than a business leader, more than an involved citizen: he was a gifted American who gave so much to Atlanta and the Nation. Paschal's Restaurant was an unofficial headquarters for the Civil Rights Movement in Atlanta. Many of the organizing meetings to plan how historic civil rights actions, like the March on Washington, were held at Paschal's. At a time when public accommodations were racially segregated by law throughout the South, Paschal's was considered an oasis where civil rights activists could congregate, relax, nourish themselves, and in the comfort of that environment fuel their minds to plan major movement actions. The first meal I had in Atlanta, when I moved to the city in June of 1963, was at Paschal's Restaurant. Then it was located on old West Hunter Street, now Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue. At one time the headquarters of SNCC was right across the street from Paschal's. We used to refer to the restaurant as Paschal's Precinct. If you wanted to get a reading on what was happening in the community, you had to check in at Paschal's to get the pulse of Atlanta and a line on what was happening throughout the South. During the Civil Rights Movement, everyone--Hosea Williams, Martin Luther King Jr., Ralph Abernathy, A. Phillip Randolph, and many of the famous black entertainers--ate and visited at Paschal's. At one time you could buy two pieces of chicken, potato salad, ``early peas,'' as we called them, two rolls and some peach cobbler for 99 cents plus tax at Paschal's. The food, the comfortable surroundings, and the welcoming environment helped to fortify us to go out and do battle. The last time I saw Martin Luther King Jr. alive, I was in Paschal's Restaurant. He had called a coalition of activists together to plan the Poor People's campaign, and he held that meeting at Paschal's. The restaurant James and his brother founded played a major role in the Civil Rights Movement. James Paschal was a wonderful man, a very quiet man. He was very businesslike. He was always concerned that we were comfortable and checked often to make sure the food and service were to our liking. He would ask, ``Is everything all right, sir? How are you doing, sir?'' He was very polite and spoke to us with dignity and respect. He was a true gentleman. There was something so stable, so dependable, so real about James Paschal. His very personality, his very being was as solid as a rock. He was very supportive of the Movement in his own quiet, deliberate way. Sometimes, when we were having a major crisis, James Paschal might decide to host the meeting--give us our meals on the house--to help facilitate our planning and action. After Martin Luther King Jr.'s funeral, many of us went to eat at Paschal's. It was like a home away from home. We were more than lucky and very blessed that a man named James Paschal came our way. He made a lasting contribution to the free exercise of civil rights in America, not just for African Americans, but all Americans. He will be deeply missed.

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia. Madam Speaker, as we celebrate Thanksgiving, a uniquely American holiday, I rise today to remind this Congress that we are all one people, one family, one America. We all come from different backgrounds, but in millions of homes across the country, our celebrations look very much the same. We will gather around our dinner tables with family and friends giving thanks. This day is a reminder that we are all together in this American experiment, that we should celebrate our diversity, but also recognize our shared values. I commend to every family the publication called America's Table: A Thanksgiving Reader. The pamphlet is short and simple, and it is meant to be read at the Thanksgiving meal or as people contemplate the meaning of Thanksgiving. This booklet tells the story of American people by sharing profiles of men and women of diverse backgrounds. I am honored to be one of the people profiled in this year's publication. The American Jewish Committee began publishing America's Table annually on the Thanksgiving after the 9/11 disaster. They partner with ten human relations organizations, including the NAACP, the National Urban League, and the National Council of La Raza to distribute this wonderful pamphlet. We all have our stories of how we came to this great land. We must use this opportunity to celebrate our differences and our oneness as Americans. I submit a copy of this year's America's Table for the Record, and I hope and pray that Americans will continue to use it as a way to help build the Beloved Community, a nation at peace with itself. America's Table A Thanksgiving Reader celebrating our diverse roots and shared values You are holding the eighth annual edition of America's Table. As in past years, the brief narrative on the white pages is intended to be read aloud at the Thanksgiving meal. It helps us express gratitude for living in a nation where each of us, regardless of background, is entitled to a place at the table. The facing pages contain profiles of eight accomplished Americans. These profiles can be read at the Thanksgiving meal or whenever you have time. Five of the profiled individuals arrived in America recently. Another is descended from slaves. All are deeply engaged in helping America fully achieve the promise of opportunity and mutual respect. By reading America's Table on Thanksgiving, we add new meaning to our most beloved and universal holiday as a time to celebrate our diverse roots and shared values. In some homes, a leader designates the parts to be read. At other gatherings, people simply go around the table, switching readers at each sentence, paragraph, or page. Do whatever feels right for you and your family and friends. And enjoy a warm and peaceful holiday. November 2008 Adams Costa Spencer Lind Tanaka Carney Schultz Pucinski Leibowitz McLaren Gonzales Szymankiewicz Giannini Humphreys Zimmer Poulos Tinley Kahn Trugglio Singh Sandbuig Jackson Kogovsek Smith Rivera Acosta Demetrios Nemec Schwartz Nwaguru Rosenbaum Kimura Peck Teters Foulks Koproski We are each on a journey These are the names of the generations that came to America. They reveal individual lives that represent the story of our nation. These are the names of the generations that built America. They recall our parents and grandparents and mirror ourselves. These are the names of the generations that will care for America. They remind us why we gather at this Thanksgiving table. Calderon Lew Durley Branovan Sharma Hassan Montalto Paterson Jordan Cheng Gioia Noriega Ellison Josephs Kassab Phillips Pun Letona Linares Brooks Gilchrist Mineta Levine Patel Tsosie Yuo Meghani Verdeja Aoun Parens Al-Suwaij Morris Rangel Hong Lafley Nganji Ahuja Totenberg Lewis Shamim Padron Chung-Wha Hong ``We were watching the presidential debates with Jimmy Carter, and I remember my mother saying, `He's going to be the president and he does the dishes' '' Growing up in South Korea, Chung-Wha Hong gained her impressions of the United States from black-and-white TV. America is heaven for women and children Hong was eleven when the family arrived in St. Louis, in 1977. Local people were welcoming, she recalls, but the schools offered no programs for students like Hong who spoke no English. ``I went to school and slept all day.'' Her immigrant experience and the influence of her parents, both religious leaders and social reformers, shaped her career choice. After graduation from the University of Pennsylvania, Hong returned briefly to Korea, where young activists inspired her. Back in the United States, she worked in Washington, D.C., for Korean and Asian organizations before moving to New York to engage at the grassroots level ``on work that flows from my identity as a Korean-American immigrant.'' As head of the New York Immigration Coalition, Hong now helps immigrants of all backgrounds cope with what she describes as a convergence of issues facing new arrivals, including: poverty, lack of English language skills, and limited access to government services. These challenges, says Hong, are compounded by anti-immigrant sentiment. ``Part of my job is to challenge people that this is not what this country is about, to tap into people's better instincts of generosity and justice.'' The insightful questions of our children, innocently asked, compel us to reconnect with our past. When our families came to America. How they got here. What they found. Why they came. At every table the answers are different, but much the same. Many of us were immigrants and refugees from all regions of the world, fleeing the afflictions of poverty and oppression. Drawn by the promise of a better life, we chose America and she took us into safe harbor. Not every journey was easy. The first arrivals sometimes shunned those who followed. Not every journey was voluntary. The first African slaves landed in Jamestown a year before the Pilgrims settled in Plymouth. Not every journey was righteous. Native Americans were devastated by a new nation's need to conquer, cultivate, and build. A.G. Lafley knows something about diversity. On his father's side, Lafley is descended from a French Canadian man who migrated to New England in the 1850s and married a Native American woman. A few decades later, his mother's family arrived in Boston from County Cork, Ireland. ``My mother was adamant about understanding the world and people who are different from you,'' says Lafley. ``She was a card-carrying member of the League of Women Voters. I remember being dragged around in the '52, '56, and '60 presidential elections in neighborhoods we didn't live in.'' Lafley enrolled as a Ph.D. student in history before a hitch in the Navy overseeing retail supply shifted his career goals. After Harvard Business School, he joined Cincinnati- based Procter & Gamble in 1977, becoming CEO in 2000 and chairman in 2002. For Lafley, diversity is a competitive advantage at a company that employs 138,000 people from 140 nationalities and ethnicities, and provides household and personal care products for more than three billion consumers. Lafley recalls a recent conversation with a young mother and her family in a modest home on a hillside above Sao Paulo, Brazil. ``We sit around the kitchen table,'' he says. I learn through her story ``It may take a little longer to work across cultures and languages,'' says Lafley, ``but we're going to come up with more ideas and create something that will make a difference.'' Sometimes the difference is big. ``We developed a unique and proprietary product that can render any source of water anyplace in the world potable.'' Jean Nganji ``Are you Hutu or Tutsi?'' The question was raised by a teacher when Jean Nganji was a seven-year-old schoolboy in Rwanda. ``Go home and ask your parents,'' the teacher commanded. The next day, he recalls, ``I said, `I am Tutsi' '' Nganji's parents then pushed him hard to excel academically. ``Why?'' he asked. ``Just listen,'' they said. ``Don't ask questions.'' The answer soon emerged, as Nganji was forced to repeat grades, despite his competence, because he was Tutsi. When he realized that a Tutsi admissions quota made it difficult to attend college in Rwanda, he was accepted at a small school in Massachusetts with the help of his friend Andre, who had moved to America. The two young men became college roommates soon after Nganji arrived in the United States, in October 1989. But Andre was Hutu, and a year later, with the outbreak of war, the friendship ended. The genocide started on April 6, 1994. On April 15, Nganji learned that his parents and youngest brother were killed. The daughter of his eldest brother, who perished, was saved by her nanny, a Hutu woman who claimed the four-year-old was her little sister. Today, Nganji lives near Boston. He tells his story at schools in America and travels regularly to Rwanda on a project that helps Tutsi and Hutu youth tell their stories through film. ``I have found therapy and peace talking to young people.'' Do not fall into the traps of ignorance, bigotry, and racism We are each part of America's journey We did not leave history behind, like unwanted baggage at immigration's door. Our particular pasts and our shared present are wedded in hyphenated names: African-American, Irish-American, Italian-American, Korean-American, Polish-American. We are not always on a first-name basis with one another. But we quickly become acquainted in playgrounds and classrooms, in college dorms and military barracks, and in offices and factories. We feel at home. In some parts of the world, our differences would be threatening. We feel enriched. In America, our differences resonate in our names, language, food, and music. They inspire art and produce champions and leaders. We feel free to disagree. We are a family, and what is a family gathering without debate? Gurpreet Singh Ahuja was completing his residency in New Delhi, in 1984, when Indira Gandhi was assassinated. Reports that the prime minister was shot by Sikhs set off reprisals throughout India. ``As a physician in the hospital, I saw the charred bodies of those young men and women.'' The violence contradicted his experience growing up. ``As a Sikh, we're reminded to respect all faiths. They're all paths to the same central truth.'' He and his wife, Jasjit Singh, also a doctor, moved to New York, in 1986, where they continued their medical training before moving to Washington, D.C., and then to Southern California. They visited family in India annually. ``Every time I stepped foot back on American soil it would give me a great sense of exhilaration and liberation.'' That feeling was tested in the aftermath of 9/11 and the rash of hate crimes that began with the murder of a Sikh living in Arizona. The events evoked memories of 1984. Says Ahuja, I never lost faith in the system in America He helped establish the California Sikh Council to promote tolerance and educate people about the Sikh faith, and now serves as president of the council. Jasjit Singh is vice president of the Central Orange County Interfaith Council. ``As a relatively recent immigrant, I am very appreciative of the opportunities that this country has given me,'' says Ahuja. ``Our value system must remain steadfast. That's what distinguishes us from most any other country in the world.'' Nina Totenberg ``Ninotchka, we're proud of you.'' Nina Totenberg still cherishes her father's words. She had just endured a period of intense scrutiny after her reporting led to testimony by law professor Anita Hill, during the confirmation hearing of Justice Clarence Thomas. Her father, Roman Totenberg, a world-renowned violinist, performed across Europe by age eleven. A Polish Jew, he left Europe in 1935. ``He saw the rise of Hitler,'' says his daughter, ``but he came to America because it represented a kind of equality and meritocracy that did not exist in Europe.'' Nina Totenberg's mother, Melanie, shared her interest in American politics. ``I remember my mother watching the Army- McCarthy hearings on TV all day every day, explaining to me what was going on,'' says Totenberg. ``I knew who all those senators were and I was eight years old.'' At 16, reading The Making of the President, the classic book about the 1960 election, Totenberg confirmed her childhood desire to be a witness to history. ``I wanted to be a reporter from the time I realized that I couldn't be Nancy Drew.'' For the past three decades, Totenberg has reported for National Public Radio and is best known for her coverage of the Supreme Court. ``There are a lot of injustices in the world and in this country,'' she says. ``The ones that I can do something about--I will try to do something about.'' She credits her father, who still teaches at age 97. You can't get my dad to do something he thinks is not right We believe in fairness. In America, the loudest voice does not always have the last word, and every voice has a right to be heard. We act with hope. Not because life is perfect, but because we are free to face life, and all its imperfections, on our own terms. We rely on faith. In a sturdy and tested framework of law and government that works because of the confidence we place in it and in each other. We are each responsible for keeping America on course ``Are we there yet?'' the children ask. We know the answer. We pursue justice. But still have a way to go. We celebrate freedom. But endlessly debate what it means to be free. Our table is brimming. But not everyone receives a fair portion. John Lewis Growing up in a large family on a small farm in rural Alabama, John Lewis cared for the chickens. When his parents wanted to sell or trade chickens, or have one for dinner, ``I would protest,'' Lewis recalls. ``They were creatures of God, and we didn't have a right to abuse them.'' Lewis was fifteen in 1955, when Emmett Till, a black teenager, was brutally murdered in Mississippi, Rosa Parks refused to move to the back of the bus, and Martin Luther King, Jr., organized the Montgomery bus boycott. Listening to King on the radio, ``It was like he was saying, `John Lewis, you can do it, You, too, can make a contribution Lewis went to Nashville, to study nonviolence and become a minister. He participated in sit-in demonstrations, Freedom Rides, and the creation of a campus group called the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee. ``Even when I was being beaten, I saw these individuals almost like the chickens,'' he says. ``They were innocent creatures and something happened to them.'' As chairman of SNCC, at 23, Lewis stood with King and other civil rights leaders on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial during the March on Washington in August 1963, preaching, ``Wake up, America.'' He has exerted leadership in Congress since 1986, representing the district around Atlanta. ``We've made progress,'' says Lewis. ``The world is so different from the world I grew up in.'' Still pursuing his vision of a ``beloved community,'' Lewis asserts, ``We need to turn toward each other to create a greater sense of community and belonging.'' Tasneem Shamim. In the late 1990s, at about age 40, Tasneem Shamim began to feel spiritually empty. She missed a sense of compassion and universality, which she remembered from her childhood in India and could not find in the mosques in New Jersey, where Shamim, a doctor, lives with her husband and three children. ``One of my early memories is going with my grandmother to the small villages. My grandmother started organizations to help women out of poverty and oppression.'' To help reconnect with her feelings, Shamim visited the holy sites in Mecca and Medina, and she decided to cover her hair. Her mother and sister were concerned about potential antagonism, and one friend asked, ``Do you have to go to chemotherapy?'' For Shamim, the head scarf is an opportunity to prompt and answer questions about Islam. Most important, it makes her more conscious of her roles in life. ``You become a doctor mostly to please God. God says, `You cannot help Me, but help the creatures that I have created.' '' Shamim also began studying Sufism, a spiritual strand of Islam. At the urging of a Sufi leader that she express her religion in good works, Shamim established the Muslim Women's Coalition, a national organization devoted to community service and mutual respect. People accept that America is a quilt Progress can be slow as we propose and protest, argue and advocate. But we are grateful to be part of this vigorous democracy. We enjoy its unparalleled privileges and accept its obligations: To pursue our dreams while helping others. To advance our convictions while respecting others. To prepare our children for the gift of the American journey.

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia. Madam Speaker I am honored to rise today to recognize the distinguished career and achievements of Dr. R. Walter ``Whirlwind'' Johnson, one of many unsung heroes of the Civil Rights Era. We also recognize him for his role in guiding the early careers of Althea Gibson and Arthur Ashe--the nation's first African American tennis champions. Dr. Johnson built a tennis court in the backyard of his Lynchburg, Virginia home during a time of racial segregation and spent more than 20 years (1950-71) training African American athletes who would go on to compete against top players at major junior events. Dr. Johnson primarily used his own funds to house, clothe, feed, and develop these junior players, including Althea Gibson and Arthur Ashe, who said repeatedly throughout their lives that they never would have made it without Dr. Johnson's generosity and support. Dr. Johnson inspired, directly and indirectly, many of his students to pursue tennis-related careers, including Willis Thomas, president of the American Tennis Association (ATA) and tennis director with the Washington Tennis and Education Foundation (WTEF) in Washington, DC; former pro Leslie Allen, ex-chairwoman of the U.S. Fed Cup Team; former pro Zina Garrison, former U.S. Fed Cup captain; former pro Rodney Harmon, former head of men's tennis for the United States Tennis Association (USTA); teaching pros Arthur Carrington and Bob Davis; United States Federal Judge Henry H. Kennedy, Jr.; and Doug Smith, who covered tennis for 3 of the nation's largest newspapers--Newsday, the New York Post, and USA Today and is the author of Dr. Johnson's biography, ``Whirlwind, The Godfather of Black Tennis.'' Dr. Johnson most significantly helped tear down racial barriers in tennis years ago and helped Americans understand that tennis should be enjoyed by all who play and love the game. Dr. Johnson also served as head football coach at 2 Georgia universities--Morris Brown University and Atlanta University--in the late 1920s. He later established a junior development tennis program to train and prepare African American players, including Arthur Ashe, to compete in the United States Lawn Tennis Association (USLTA) sanctioned tournaments. Whirlwind's junior program was a prelude to the high-tech junior training academies and camps now run by tennis gurus Nick Bollitteri, Rick Macci and former No. 1 World Champion Chris Evert. Dr. Johnson operated the camp for more than 20 years and helped more than 100 African American juniors earn college tennis scholarships during that era. Madam Speaker, we should continue to honor American heroes like Dr. R. Walter ``Whirlwind'' Johnson who fought for a better America without race barriers on and off the court. America and the game of tennis have both benefited an enormous amount because of Dr. R. Walter ``Whirlwind,'' Johnson and we as a Nation owe him and other American heroes a tremendous amount of gratitude.

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia. Madam Speaker, I want to thank my chairman for yielding. Madam Speaker, I have decided that the cost of doing nothing is greater than the cost of doing something. The fear that is gripping Wall Street has the power to shut down Main Street. We cannot and we must not allow this to happen. The people are afraid. Their retirement savings are slipping away. Small businesses have no sales, no credit, and are closing their doors. People cannot get loans, they're losing their lines of credit. We must act. Now is the time to act. We must do something. I do not see this as a blank check. In a few months, we will have a new President and a new Congress. We must hold the feet of these financial institutions to the fire. It is with this assurance that I will vote ``yes'' on this legislation.

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia. Madam Speaker, I support extending authority for the issuance of qualified green building and sustainable design project bonds. I fought for the inclusion of this extension in this bill because of its importance to Atlanta. I fought for this extension because I believe the use of these bonds helps finance cutting-edge, environmentally conscious redevelopment projects like the Atlantic Station project in Georgia. Over and over again businesses and developers are seeing that going green improves their bottom line. Projects like Atlantic Station and green initiatives must be commonplace in the future. The authority to issue qualified green building and sustainable design project bonds was set to expire in 2009. Unfortunately bond applications were not even approved until 16 months after the legislation creating the authority to issue these bonds passed in 2004. The delay caused setbacks because the technology and engineering behind these projects are groundbreaking. To make up for that lost time, this bill extends the authority to issue qualified green bonds through September 30, 2012. In addition, this legislation clarifies that amounts in a reserve account may be released to the project five years after the date of issuance of the last bond issue issued with respect to the project. This will make sure that all funding can be made available to these projects in a more timely and efficient manner. While this legislation makes small but important changes, it does so without altering any other aspect of this enormous program, such as the tax-exempt status of these bonds. I am proud to support this effort and the good work occurring right in the 5th District of Georgia. The Atlantic Station project has been good for Atlanta. It is in the national spotlight. Major efforts like this are necessary to show cities across America there is a better way forward for our environment and our communities. I appreciate the work of my colleagues and the Chairman of the Ways and Means Committee, Chairman Rangel, for helping make sure these projects are given the opportunity to succeed. I look forward to continuing to work with him on this and welcoming him to Atlanta to witness firsthand the result of this investment.

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to give all Members 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks on House bill 7082, as amended.

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I thank the gentleman from Minnesota for bringing House bill 7082, the Inmate Tax Fraud Prevention Act of 2008, to the House. Mr. Ramstad has served at my side on the Oversight Subcommittee for years. He has been a wonderful friend, a good friend. We call ourselves brothers. He will be missed when he retires this year. He has worked to make our taxes fair and to protect taxpayers. This bill is a great and shining example of his good effort. Jim, I want to thank you again for all of your great work, for working so hard, for hanging in there, for never giving up, and for never giving in. Thank you so much. The Oversight Subcommittee found that thousands of false returns were being filed by prisoners. However, the Internal Revenue Service could not disclose the information to the Federal Bureau of Prisons. This bill was developed to correct this problem. This bill will stop the abuse of our tax system. I urge all of my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to vote in favor of House bill 7082. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I would like to inquire as to whether Mr. Ramstad has any additional speakers.

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, again, I want to thank my friend from Minnesota (Mr. Ramstad) for his good and great work for bringing this bill before us today. The Inmate Tax Fraud Prevention Act is an important bill, and I urge its passage. I fully support House bill 7082, and I urge all of my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to support this bill. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia. I am prepared to close, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 7082) to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to permit the Secretary of the Treasury to disclose certain prisoner return information to the Federal Bureau of Prisons, as amended.

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from California (Mr. Thompson), a member of the Ways and Means Committee.

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from California (Mr. Becerra).

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 7083, the Charity Enhancement Act of 2008. This bill responds to hundreds of pages of written comments that were submitted by charities to the Ways and Means Subcommittee on Oversight. This bill contains a number of important provisions to help charities continue their good work. Charities play such an important role in our country. Charities and foundations make up the very fabric of our communities. They know the deepest human needs of our friends and neighbors, and they know the solutions that work. Often, at critical times, charities and foundations are the leaders that show government the way to care for our citizens. Their services touch every corner of life in our communities--education, the arts, and medical research. They also serve those who need our help the most by feeding the hungry, caring for the sick and lifting up those who live in poverty. This bill fixes some of the unintended effects of new charitable laws that keep them from doing their good and necessary work. First, the bill will promote scholarships by relaxing the rules imposed on certain scholarship funds. Second, the bill would improve disclosure to the public by increasing the electronic filing of tax returns filed by charities and foundations. Third, the bill will provide relief to certain longstanding supporting organizations created before 1970. Notably, these are charities where the donors are deceased, so there is no concern about misusing the charity for personal gain. Historically, these charities have distributed significant amounts to their communities over the past 38 years. Their contributions have been used to fund scholarship and support charitable, scientific, and educational activities. Finally, this bill will allow charities to reimburse reasonable and necessary expenses of volunteer board members. I urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to support our charities and foundations and vote ``yes'' for H.R. 7083. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, may I inquire of Mr. Ramstad whether he has any additional speakers?

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, this is an important bill, and I want to thank my good friend Mr. Ramstad for all of his hard work and for his great work in helping to bring this needed bill before us today. Given the terrible state of the economy, we need to do all we can to support our charities. We need to promote scholarships, to promote charitable giving and to enhance public disclosure. I fully support H.R. 7083. I urge all of my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to support our charities and to vote ``yes'' for the bill. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.