[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 88 (Tuesday, July 11, 2000)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1204]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     IN HONOR OF BENNIE HOLMES, JR.

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. NANCY PELOSI

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, July 11, 2000

  Ms. PELOSI. Mr. Speaker, it is with great respect and sadness that I 
rise to honor the life of Bennie Holmes Jr., who passed away recently 
at too young an age. Mr. Holmes' leadership in the civil rights 
movement and as an anti-poverty activist earned him the respect of our 
entire San Francisco community; his caring heart and kind ways earned 
him our affection. Bennie's presence in the community can never be 
replaced, but the work of his life will live on after him.
  Bennie was born and reared in McComb, Mississippi, and it was there 
that he learned the values of hard work, community, and his deeply 
rooted sense of justice. In the late 1950's, he moved to California, 
and in 1961 be graduated from Monrovia High School in Los Angeles 
County. He later moved to San Francisco and continued his education at 
San Francisco State University, where he earned a degree in Political 
Science.
  Mr. Holmes worked much of his life for racial equality. He helped to 
found the N.A.A.C.P. Junior Chapter at Pasadena College in 1961. In 
1964 he organized a group from San Francisco which joined the 1964 
march for civil rights that went from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama. He 
fought continually for the cause of civil rights with the Congress On 
Racial Equality, the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, and the 
National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and with 
such individuals as Martin Luther King, Jr. and James Farmer.
  Dedicated to fighting poverty and improving the lives of low-income 
residents, Bennie worked most of his professional life with the 
Economic Opportunity Council of San Francisco. For the past thirty-
three years, Bennie was employed by this nonprofit group in several 
different capacities. He organized and raised money for numerous anti-
poverty programs in San Francisco and worked to clothe, feed, and find 
employment for the neediest among us. Known and trusted by everyone, 
Bennie was regarded as the ``eyes and ears'' of the community because 
he was always looking out for those in need.
  Mr. Holmes also organized workshops at which tenants learned their 
rights when dealing with landlords, worked with youth groups, and 
chaired the Direct Action Committee and Study Group through which he 
traveled extensively in Africa, Europe, and the United States.
  Well-regarded for his tireless community service, Bennie was also 
admired for his delicious barbecue ribs. At social and political 
events, he could always be found behind the grill, serving the 
community in yet another way.
  Bennie Holmes left us much too soon. He worked his entire life for 
civil rights, equal opportunity, and economic and social justice. He 
treated everyone with respect, and he was respected for doing so. His 
passing is a loss to all of our San Francisco community.
  My thoughts and prayers are with his mother, Leola Wells Holmes, his 
children, and his entire family.

                          ____________________