[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 52 (Wednesday, May 4, 1994)]
[Senate]
[Page S]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: May 4, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
                           VOICES OF CABRINI

 Mr. SIMON. Mr. President, I rise today to bring your attention 
to the one year anniversary of ``Voices of Cabrini,'' a newspaper 
written and operated by residents of the Cabrini Green public housing 
project in Chicago. Since April of last year, this newspaper has been 
granting voices to people who have been previously distinguished only 
by the weight of their problems.
  As a former journalist, I understand the power of printed expression 
to give strength and confidence to traditionally powerless people. 
``Voices of Cabrini'' has been doing this for a year now, against 
extremely difficult obstacles. ``Voices'' has been giving Cabrini 
residents the chance to empower themselves, to focus on what they see 
as most important and to themselves form solutions. They have taken 
hold of their own resources to give themselves representation for 
recounting and validating their own stories.
  Along with this, the past year has also brought another inspiring 
project to Cabrini Green, the Sister Neighborhoods USA program, which 
has been bringing residents of Cabrini together with citizens of 
wealthier neighborhoods. This program has brought residents of Cabrini 
Green and the resource-rich city of Winnetka together to discuss their 
common and particular problems and to unite in improving their 
neighborhoods. This program has created a dialogue between these two 
drastically polarized communities. It has helped them learn about each 
other's situations, to explore the issues of what sets them apart and 
what can bring them together, and to ultimately remove the stigmas of 
irretrievable differences that have separated these two neighborhoods 
for years.
  All these accomplishments have resulted greatly from the efforts of 
Involvement Advocacy and its founder and executive director, Peter 
Benkendorf. Peter has devoted himself to helping disadvantaged 
communities like Cabrini Green take responsibility for and improve 
their way of life through communication and self-empowerment. This 
group has worked tirelessly according to this mission, and I want to 
recognize and commend Mr. Benkendorf and Involvement Advocacy for all 
he's accomplished in the last year.
  I would also like to praise Mark Pratt, editor of ``Voices of 
Cabrini,'' along with the newspaper's staff, who have sustained the 
paper in extremely trying conditions. It will require such diligence 
and commitment to revive these communities. I strongly support this 
mission and encourage the continuation of these ground-breaking efforts 
in other communities in Illinois and across the Nation.

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