[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 92 (Friday, June 25, 1999)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1407]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




              TRIBUTE TO THE CALIFORNIA ADVOCATE NEWSPAPER

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. GEORGE RADANOVICH

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                         Friday, June 25, 1999

  Mr. RADANOVICH. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to the 
California Advocate Newspaper for their 32 years of service to the 
community. The California Advocate is a multi-cultural newspaper and is 
the voice for the minority community and the social conscious of the 
San Joaquin Valley.
  Former Fresno City Councilman Les Kimber and wife Pauline began 
publishing the California Advocate Newspaper in 1967. The paper 
continues to initiate action to promote justice and equality for the 
minority community with an emphasis on self-esteem and self-
determination. The California Advocate Newspaper is also a resource for 
minorities seeking employment opportunities, especially at Fresno City 
College and in the city's police and fire departments.
  Les Kimber led the committee that hired the first African American on 
television in Fresno. He also headed the corporation that put together 
low income housing for West Fresnans, and helped to establish the 
Ethnic Studies Department at California State University, Fresno. As an 
advocate and publisher, Kimber founded the United Black Men of Fresno, 
which is comprised of 100 men who promote economic development by 
stressing opportunities for minorities to become employers as well as 
employees.
  The California Advocate Newspaper is a member of the West Coast Black 
Publishers Association and the National Newspaper Publishers 
Association. The Advocate has also received numerous awards: The ACLU 
Northern California Civil Liberties Award in 1975 for outstanding 
contributions; the Governors Award in 1985 for fighting crime; the 
Chicago Media Award in 1986; the West Coast Black Publishers Award in 
1990; the NAACP Heritage Award in 1992; and the West Coast Black 
Publisher's Award in 1993.
  Mark Kimber is the second-generation publisher in charge of this 
family-owned newspaper. He has continued to maintain the quality and 
integrity of the California Advocate. Recently, there have been special 
sections added to the newspaper that focus on young people throughout 
the community and pages that have been devoted to schools and student 
activities.
  Mark Kimber has won numerous awards for his innovative design and 
promotion of his newspaper. He implemented the ``Drum Major for Justice 
Award,'' which honors the memory of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The 
event at which the Award is presented has been referred to as the 
Central Valley's civil rights event of the year. This year's speaker 
and honoree is Harry Belafonte.
  Mr. Speaker, I want to congratulate and thank The California Advocate 
for its 32 years of service to the community and I urge my colleagues 
to join me in wishing The Advocate many more years of continued 
success.




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