[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 77 (Wednesday, June 12, 2002)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1016]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       ATHLETES UNITED FOR PEACE

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. GEORGE MILLER

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, June 11, 2002

  Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to offer 
my congratulations to the Athletes United For Peace (AUP), a nonprofit 
organization based in Berkeley, California, which is committed to 
promoting peace, education, friendship, and understanding through 
programs and events for young people.
  AUP is a member of the United Nations Department of Public 
Information's worldwide team of non-governmental organizations (NGO), 
and represents the voice of young people throughout the Bay Area 
counties of Alameda and Contra Costa. Some of the organization's duties 
as an NGO include attending international conferences; developing 
programs; and disseminating information on the United Nations' current 
issues, initiatives and projects to constituents in the Bay Area 
through workshops and media projects. AUP regularly conducts media 
projects in partnership with the United Nations Children's Fund 
(UNICEF) and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural 
Organization (UNESCO).
  In 1997, AUP established the Digital Technology Academy, a ten-week 
summer media arts program that trains inner-city young people in the 
ever-growing field of digital technology with an emphasis on digital 
video production and multimedia integration. The program was designed 
by the AUP staff to address the growing concerns and issues surrounding 
the ``Digital Divide`` in relation to access and training for 
disadvantaged youth in the East Bay. The AUP membership association 
with the United Nations has offered members of the Digital Technology 
Academy opportunities to engage in interactive teleconference and media 
presentations to the UN General Assembly.
  In 1999, the Contra Costa County's Employment and Human Services 
Department's Service Integration Program (Martinez) formed a 
partnership with AUP to conduct the Digital Technology Academy for 
groups of economically disadvantaged teens from the county's 
unincorporated and under-served communities of North Richmond and Bay 
Point. In addition to receiving comprehensive training in the areas of 
digital camera operation, audio, lighting, script writing and desktop 
editing, each of the teen participants were required to conduct 
research on the history of their respective communities. Research 
performed by the teen groups at the public libraries and local 
historical societies was refined and developed into scripts for the 
academy's series of award-winning community history documentary film 
projects.
  The current documentary film ``An Exploration of Our History: The 
Story of East Contra Costa County,'' was produced during the Summer/
Fall of 2001 and competed in the Spring of 2002. The documentary 
objectively examines the areas history from 1900-1944 from both social 
and economic perspectives. Presentation of the historical content was 
conducted through on-camera interviews with several residents and local 
historians from the Contra Costa County, Pittsburgh and Concord 
historical societies.
  During this period of East Contra Costa County's community history, 
several events of national prominence occurred. The most notable events 
include:
  (1917) Walnut Creek Land developer Robert N. Burgess received a $20 
million contract from the federal government in Washington, D.C., to 
build 10 cargo ships for the war effort during World War I. The ships 
were built at his Pacific Coast Shipbuilding Company located at the 
deep water port in Bay Point next to the Southern Pacific and Santa Fe 
transcontinental railroads.
  (1942) The United States Army constructs Camp Stoneman military base 
in Pittsburgh, which served as one of the largest embarkation centers 
for soldiers preparing for combat during World War II in the Pacific.
  (1942) The United States Navy constructs the Naval Ammunition Depot 
in the town of Port Chicago, where enlisted African American sailors 
(material handlers) unloaded and loaded ammunition that was 
transshipped by rail onto cargo ships at the deep-water port facility.
  The U.S. Justice Department's Relocation Order in February of 1942 
forced hundreds of Italian residents of the East Contra Costa County 
area to relocate away from the newly built Camp Stoneman military based 
in Pittsburgh. All Italian residents who were not legal citizens of the 
United States were labeled ``enemy aliens'' and deemed a threat to 
national security by the government.
  On Tuesday, June 11, 2002, ``An Exploration of Our History: The Story 
of East Contra Costa County'' will be presented at the Amborse 
Recreation Center in Bay Point, California. Athletes United For Peace 
is thankful to Contra Costa County's Service Integration Program and 
the local historical society for having an opportunity to train young 
people in digital technology for the purpose of documenting and 
preserving the community's history through this innovative 
intergenerational program that blends multimedia integration and 
education.

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