[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 102 (Wednesday, July 24, 2002)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1337]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   TRIBUTE TO JEANNIE VAN VELKINBURGH

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. DIANA DeGETTE

                              of colorado

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, July 23, 2002

  Ms. DeGETTE. Mr. Speaker, Today, I join all of Denver in sorrow at 
the tragic loss of one our city's great heroines and in offering my 
heartfelt condolences to her sons, Joseph and Anthony. A person of 
great courage and selflessness, Jeannie Van Velkinburgh exemplifies the 
virtues Denver strives for.
  On the night of November 18, 1997, Jeannie was shot and paralyzed 
while trying to prevent the murder of Oumar Dia, a West African 
immigrant living in Denver, who was attacked just because he was black.
  Despite struggling everyday with her paralysis, Jeannie never 
regretted putting her own life at risk to try save the life of a 
stranger. Just last week she reiterated her conviction that she had 
done the right thing, saying, ``You're supposed to help people when 
things are going wrong . . . If you walk away, how can you call 
yourself a good person?''
  Everyone in our community can learn from Jeannie's legacy of love and 
respect for all people, regardless of their race, religion, or 
ethnicity. While her ongoing efforts to recover from the attack were so 
difficult, Jeannie remained an icon of the fight for equality. Esquire 
Magazine recognized her in 1998 as one of the ``New American Heroes'' 
for standing up for a man she had never met before. In 1999 she 
received the prestigious Hubert H. Humphrey Award from the Leadership 
Conference on Civil Rights for exemplifying Humphrey's legacy of 
selflessness and devoted service for equality.
  The men involved in wounding her so deeply, both physically and 
emotionally, are now behind bars, but that does not mean the fight for 
justice is over. I urge all Denverites to follow her belief that, ``we 
should stick together no matter what color you are.''
  For my part, I will continue to introduce and support legislation 
that will strengthen the regulations for purchasing assault weapons by 
working to close the ``gun show loop hole''. Furthermore, I will 
continue to work towards strengthening the penalties for hate crimes, 
the kind of crime that took the lives of both Jeannie Van Velkinburgh 
and Oumar Dia.

                          ____________________