[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 52 (Tuesday, May 2, 2000)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E602]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


     RECOGNIZING RABBI MARC SCHNEIER AND THE FOUNDATION FOR ETHNIC 
                             UNDERSTANDING

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                          HON. EDOLPHUS TOWNS

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                          Tuesday, May 2, 2000

  Mr. TOWNS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the contribution of 
The Foundation for Ethnic Understanding, under the strong leadership of 
Rabbi Marc Schneier. The Foundation has over the past ten years worked 
to highlight the need for strengthening relations between Jewish-
Americans and African-Americans. In doing so, the Foundation has 
reminded Americans of the strength that comes from sharing our 
similarities as well as our differences, while reminding us all of the 
pain endured by our nation during the Civil Rights Movement, and the 
ultimate success of those efforts.
  On April 4th, the 32nd anniversary of the assassination of Dr. Martin 
Luther King, Jr., members of Congress and leaders of both the African-
American and Jewish-American communities gathered in the halls of 
Congress to pay tribute to the legacy of Dr. King. Even as we paid 
tribute to this hero of the Civil Rights Movement, we joined the 
Foundation for Ethnic Understanding in honoring two members of 
Congress, my colleagues, Congresswoman Nita Lowey from New York and 
Congresswoman Sheila Jackson-Lee from Texas. Both of these leaders 
deserve our greatest admiration for their commitment to ensuring that 
justice and liberty will prevail within our nation.
  Mr. Speaker, Rabbi Schneier, The Foundation for Ethnic Understanding, 
and Representatives Lowey and Jackson-Lee deserved to be honored for 
keeping the memory and dream of Dr. King alive. Together, they have--
while perhaps less dramatically, but with equal success--challenged the 
system of segregation that has now given way to a better America.

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