[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 111 (Thursday, July 31, 1997)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1568-E1569]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     IN HONOR OF ZORA NEALE HURSTON

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. ILEANA ROS-LEHTINEN

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, July 31, 1997

  Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, we rise to honor one of African-
American's most influential and significant voices of the 20th century: 
Zora Neale Hurston. Zora is one of our most renowned and distinguished 
writers and interpreters of Southern African-American culture, and also 
serves today, almost 40 years after her death, as an experienced role 
model to all young women throughout the Nation. For all of her work and 
contributions to American culture and literature, it is fitting for all 
of us to have a commemorative stamp that would recognize Zora's 
contributions to American life.
  There is a beautiful elementary school in my congressional district 
that is named for this gifted artist and I had the privilege of 
speaking to the brightest young boys and girls, as well as the talented 
teachers and staff who daily work and play and learn there.
  Zora Neale Hurston came of age in literature at a time when a woman 
had only recently been granted the right to vote and when recognition 
for a female literary writer, especially an African-American woman, was 
unheard of. The key to Zora's success was her ability to overcome the 
odds and make a name for herself. I would like to congratulate 
Congresswoman Corrine Brown of Jacksonville for spearheading this 
congressional effort to have a stamp issued for Zora.
  Zora grew up in Eatonville, FL, a small town approximately 10 miles 
out of Orlando, that was settled by newly-freed slaves; she was a 
daughter to a tenant farmer, who was later Eatonville's mayor. Although 
this great lady's schooling was constantly being interrupted, she 
maintained her natural curiosity and sharpened her creative abilities 
through her constant reading.
  Even after she had given up her formal education, Zora insured her 
place in literary history by finishing high school while working as a 
waitress and enrolling at Howard University. It was there where she was 
encouraged to write by Alain Locke, one of the early African-American 
leaders, and other English professors. It was Zora's determination and 
commitment to literature that granted her the honor of having her short 
story, ``Drenched in Light,'' published in a 1924 edition of 
Opportunity, a magazine then published by the Urban League. It was the 
publication of this short story that eventually resulted in her 
scholarship to Barnard College and Columbia University and a new 
interest in anthropology, specifically the folklore of Harlem and the 
American South, for which she is celebrated. Zora was then chosen as 
the victor of the Urban League's literary contest short story and one-
act play categories. It was this recognition that was fundamental in 
having her associate with great artists and poets, including Langston 
Hughes.
  Zora's writings and her work as a teacher, Hollywood scriptwriter, 
and a newspaper columnist, were all instrumental in her contributions 
to the American literary landscape. It was Zora's literary 
accomplishments, her style of writing, and the subject of the African-
American experience that were indispensable in her major influence on 
such great contemporary female poets and authors such as Toni Morrison, 
Maya Angelou, and Alice Walker.
  After Zora's death in 1960, the popularity of her writings increased. 
Today, Zora's name is highlighted in the Black Female Playwrights 
category and she has been inducted into the Women's Hall of Fame and 
Florida's Writer's Hall of Fame.
  As a woman, a minority, and a former English teacher, I pay tribute 
to Zora Neale

[[Page E1569]]

Hurston for all of her achievements and for putting women's literary 
accomplishments on the map.
  I am not the only one to applaud Zora for all that she achieved, for 
her writings have also been instrumental in inspiring the Zora Neale 
Hurston Festival which has boasted an attendance rate of 60,000 in the 
past, and is expected to grow to a rate of 100,000 this year. Past 
attendees have included literary great and Pulitzer Prize winner Alice 
Walker, in addition to other international visitors from as far as New 
Zealand, Japan, Italy, and Australia.
  Zora Neale Hurston, we applaud you for your commitment and dedication 
to literature and for your influence on some of America's future great 
writers. The boys and girls who are so proud to attend the school that 
bears your name join me in spirit--in celebrating your legacy.
  And I thank my dear Florida colleague, Corrine Brown.

                          ____________________