[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 39 (Wednesday, April 13, 1994)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: April 13, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
                     TRIBUTE TO MARK CHARLES HARDIE

                                 ______


                            HON. DAN BURTON

                               of indiana

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, April 13, 1994

  Mr. BURTON of Indiana. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to salute an 
outstanding young man. He is a bright, intelligent, 22 year-old college 
senior at the University of California at Riverside. He is also a self-
proclaimed conservative Republican. His name is Mark Charles Hardie, 
and he is African-American.
  Being African-American and a conservative Republican makes Mark 
unique. He has become an outcast among his peers, and labeled a sellout 
by those in the 4.5 percent African-American student body at UCR, which 
is 1 hour east of Los Angeles. Mark has endured four death threats 
because of his conservative beliefs, and his willingness to challenge 
the status quo. This is a young man who has chosen to believe 
differently, and is being persecuted, ostracized, and even physically 
threatened because his beliefs differ from what he is supposed to 
believe.
  Mr. Speaker, I thought that is what America is all about--the 
opportunity to believe and speak as individuals without reservation. 
That is what liberals in this body and throughout the country cherish 
on almost every occasion--unless it differs from their prescribed 
agenda.
  Mr. Speaker, here we have a young man who has done very well in 
school, who is a Christian, who is opposed to abortion, who believes in 
family values, and yes, he is African-American. But why does this 
matter? I'll tell you, it sure doesn't to me. He has said he wants to 
shed the label of being a black American, and just be an American. This 
is not in an effort to rid himself of his heritage, but rather an 
effort to move beyond the process of stereotyping and labeling, and 
challenge the bigotry and racial intolerance he feels is strangling the 
African-American culture.
  Mr. Speaker, I have spoken with Mark Hardie. His story is both tragic 
and triumphant. It is unbelievable that at this time in America anyone 
would have to endure what Mark Hardie is presently enduring. At the 
same time, it is truly uplifting to see a young man so dedicated that 
he is willing to stick to his beliefs, whatever the cost. Mr. Speaker, 
Mark Hardie is an American, and a special one at that.

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