[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 43 (Tuesday, March 18, 2003)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E504]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         TRIBUTE TO RUTH STEELE

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. SCOTT McINNIS

                              of colorado

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, March 18, 2003

  Mr. McINNIS. Mr. Speaker, I would like to take this opportunity to 
recognize Ruth Steele of Pueblo, Colorado for her determination and 
commitment to her community. Ruth is the director of the Dr. Martin 
Luther King Jr. Holiday Commission and Cultural Center, and has been a 
tireless activist for African-American interests in Pueblo and 
throughout Colorado. I am honored to recognize her accomplishments 
before this body of Congress and this nation.
  Ruth graduated from Centennial High School in Pueblo and attended the 
University of Colorado at Boulder. In the 1950s and 60s she was active 
in the civil rights movement, registering African-Americans to vote. 
Since then, she has been a leader for Pueblo's African-American 
community. She was a legislative aide to state Representatives Wilma 
Webb and Arie Taylor, and worked to establish a Martin Luther King 
holiday in Colorado.
  Ruth helped found Pueblo's orphanage for African-American children, 
the renovated Lincoln Home, and the Martin Luther King Cultural Center 
which she now directs. In the future, Ruth hopes to build a 
multicultural center next to the Lincoln Home and expand African-
American leadership in Pueblo. She has been a strong advocate of 
quality education for African-American youth and was recently named the 
Greater Pueblo Chamber of Commerce Citizen of the Year for her service.
  Mr. Speaker, it is a great privilege to recognize Ruth Steele before 
this body of Congress and this nation for her outstanding commitment to 
the community she calls home. Ruth has worked tirelessly to build 
bridges between Pueblo's disparate communities. Her leadership is an 
invaluable asset to her neighbors and fellow citizens.

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