[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 61 (Wednesday, May 17, 2000)]
[Senate]
[Page S4098]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




       A TRIBUTE TO THE LIFE AND LEGACY OF HARRY L. GARDNER, SR.

 Mr. BIDEN. Mr. President, today I rise with great sadness. On 
Monday, May 15, 2000, Harry L. Gardner, Sr.--a quiet giant in the long 
history of Delaware civil rights--died. He was a man whose very 
presence, literally, brought calm to the most difficult, seemingly 
intractable problems of race at the height of the civil rights movement 
in Delaware.
  When citizens first heard that the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King 
had been assassinated in April of 1968, what was once a cauldron of 
mounting tension between disillusioned African-Americans and Whites 
exploded into a series of violent and destructive acts--on both sides--
reflective of unrest, resentment, and downright anger.
  As you may know, of the many inner-cities ravaged by full-scale 
rioting and violence during this time period, Wilmington, Delaware--my 
hometown--was the only urban area where the National Guard occupied the 
city for an extended period of time. Indeed, for nine months, police 
officers and guardsmen patrolled the streets of Wilmington in an effort 
to bring order to what was seen by many in the mainstream as chaos.
  As a young attorney, continually advocating for equity and social 
justice for African-Americans and other minorities, I saw things quite 
differently than many of my mainstream counterparts.
  There were reasons for my own view: my Mom and Dad, who taught many 
lessons about the importance of equality, liberty and justice for all 
citizens; the people of East Side and East Lake, predominantly African-
American communities where I spent a few summers life-guarding for 
neighborhood children; and African-American leaders like Harry L. 
Gardner, who taught me to believe that if I could not change the world 
and the view of race relations, there was no reason that I could not 
set a standard by which I lived my own life and became an example for 
others.
  This was, in fact, the beauty of Harry Gardner. For 35 years, I had 
the pleasure of knowing a man whose deep respect for people engendered 
a deep respect for him. During the period of National Guard occupation, 
Harry was one of a very select group of people who were allowed to talk 
to rioters during racial disturbances. He was depended upon by city 
officials and neighborhood residents both to help in diffusing 
threatening situations and to continue to articulate the very 
legitimate concerns of African-American people. Though quite a 
difficult tightrope to walk, Harry made it look easy. In no small part, 
it was his ability to touch the heart of diverse groups of people and 
find common ground that, in effect, saved the city.
  This, however, is just a portion Harry Gardner's legacy. While a 
career officer at the Ferris School, a juvenile correctional facility 
for adolescent boys, Harry founded Northeast Civic Alliance, chaired 
the Wilmington Police & Community Advisory Council and the Wilmington 
Fire & Community Council and helped start and maintain a group home for 
troubled youth. Yet, having said all of this, Harry received few 
accolades for his many faithful years of service. He was self-effacing, 
and traded in recognition and reward for diligent, undaunted self 
sacrifice for the voiceless in our community.
  We may all know a Harry Gardner in our respective communities. A man 
who changed the way we think through living a reality of public service 
that surpassed rhetoric and funadmentally changed the way people from 
all different backgrounds see themselves and interact with each other.
  Dr. W.E.B. DuBois, the famed sociologist and civil rights scholar, 
once said, ``peace will be my applause.'' Harry, today, we in the 
Senate--and so many others back home-- are all clapping loudly for your 
life and for its resounding impact in Wilmington and throughout the 
State of Delaware. Your presence will be missed, but your lessons will 
remain in our hearts forever.

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