[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 125 (Thursday, September 12, 1996)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1594]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




[[Page E1594]]



                     TRIBUTE TO DR. ANTONIA PANTOJA

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. NYDIA M. VELAZQUEZ

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, September 12, 1996

  Ms. VELAZQUEZ. Mr. Speaker, it is with great honor and pride that I 
rise to congratulate and recognize a fellow Puerto Rican, Dr. Antonia 
Pantoja, for receiving the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest 
award a President can bestow on a citizen.
  With this distinction, Dr. Pantoja joins other Americans of 
exceptional merit such as Joseph Cardinal Bernardin, Cardinal of 
Chicago, David Hamburg, and Rosa Parks. For many years, Dr. Pantoja has 
been a nationally recognized leader in education, civil rights, and 
community development. Most importantly she has been a tireless 
advocate for the right to culturally supportive, and equal educational 
opportunities for Puerto Rican and Latino children.
  Unselfishly, Dr. Pantoja has dedicated her life not only to children 
but to everyone. She has enriched our neighborhoods. Her acthivements 
include the creation of many institutions that provide valuable 
services to Boricuas. As the founder of the Puerto Rican Forum, a 
membership organization dedicated to creating Puerto Rican community 
service institutions, she has left her mark with us forever. Seeing the 
need to improve the educational and professional situation of the 
Latino community, she succeeded in developing such landmark 
organizations as the ABC Project, a program for Puerto Rican business 
people, and BOLT, a project to teach basic occupational English to 
Puerto Rican workers in order to advance in their jobs.
  Not stopping there, Dr. Pantoja's crown achievement and greatest 
contribution to our community was the creation of ASPIRA, an 
institution based on empowering the Latino community through the 
educational and leadership development of its youth. During the last 35 
years, ASPIRA has become the leading national organization devoted to 
the education of Latino youth.
  In a world in which people mainly care about their own needs, it is 
refreshing and gives me pure joy to see a person whose entire life has 
been dedicated to the needs of others.
  I want to thank Dr. Antonia Pantoja for her life-long commitment to 
and hard work for the Puerto Rican community. I strongly believe that 
without her achievements, many in our community would not have the 
tools necessary to advance in life. We all owe her a great debt and 
much thanks.

                          ____________________