[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 44 (Friday, April 7, 2006)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E563]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




TRIBUTE TO ELBERT GARCIA, RECIPIENT OF THE LATINO ALUMNI ASSOCIATION OF 
                COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY'S TRAILBLAZER AWARD

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. CHARLES B. RANGEL

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, April 6, 2006

  Mr. RANGEL. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to Elbert 
Garcia, an extraordinary gentleman to whom I was first introduced when 
he was an American Political Science Association fellow in my 
congressional office, and who is now a media and policy analyst 
currently employed at my New York District Congressional office.
  I commend the Latino Alumni Association of Columbia University on 
their decision to bestow their first annual Trailblazer Award on a 
group of exceptional individuals that included Elbert Garcia.
  I was very pleased to find that this unique and very first annual 
Trailblazer award was presented April 1st during a celebration of the 
diversity and achievements of Columbia's Latino alumni appropriately 
called ``El Regreso.'' The Columbia University alumni honorees consist 
of Marcel Agueros, Rafael Collazo, Jennifer Duran, Michael Maldonado, 
Vivian Santiago, and last but certainly not least, Elbert Garcia. The 
group was cited because ``their dedication, vision, and representation 
of a wider movement were instrumental to the creation of the Center for 
the Study of Ethnicity and Race.''
  In 1995, this group of Latin American students at Columbia were 
frustrated that the initiatives to bring the history of ethnic studies 
to their campus continued to result in failure. They were determined to 
draw attention to their plight by staging a non-violent hunger strike. 
The strike ended in the arrest of 22 students and the resulting media 
coverage of the arrest finally propelled Columbia and its lack of 
ethnic studies into the national spotlight. This publicity served as a 
wake-up call to the powers that be and ultimately led to change which 
resulted in the creation of Columbia's Center for the Study of 
Ethnicity and Race. That Elbert was a leader of a group who had the 
strategic vision, self-discipline, determination and persistence to 
succeed is not a surprise to me because these are qualities which 
Elbert exhibits in his professional and personal life.
  I know Elbert to be a dedicated family man with great conviction.
  A Washington Heights-born freelance writer, Elbert has written about 
politics, music and culture for such publications as The Source, 
Urbanlatino Magazine, The New York Post and the Manhattan Times. The 
31-year old son of Dominican immigrants has also worked as Web producer 
at MSNBC, the New York Times, and Philadelphia-based Latino news Web 
site, LATNN.com.
  Elbert earned a B.A. in Urban Studies with a specialization in 
Political Science while being an active student leader at Columbia 
University. In addition to helping to establish the school's Latino 
Studies program and the Center for the Study of Ethnicity and Race, he 
served as one of founders of Columbia University's undergraduate 
Dominican organization, EI Grupo Quisqueyano and managing editor of the 
multicultural magazine Roots & Culture.
  Prior to entering the field of journalism, Garcia worked several 
years as alumni counselor and supervisor at the Prep for Prep program, 
a New York City leadership development organization that works with 
students of color from fifth grade through college. He was also one of 
the early organizers of the New York International Latino Film 
Festival.
  Elbert spent a year working on Capitol Hill as a 2002-2003 American 
Political Science Association Congressional (APSA) Fellow, the oldest 
and most prestigious Capitol Hill fellowship program. Elbert rejoined 
my New York staff on a part-time basis in January, 2006. A product of 
the Ethical Cultural Fieldston School and the community's gifted and 
talented magnet school, Mott Hall, Elbert currently resides in the 
Upper Manhattan neighborhood of Inwood with his wife, Grissel.
  Elbert's background in media relations and journalism has proven to 
be an invaluable asset as he assists me in communicating and 
implementing the role of government in the lives of the constituents of 
the 15th congressional District. Elbert is a non-assuming, focused and 
savvy analyst who genuinely cares about people. He is dedicated to 
ensuring that the needs of our constituency are met. I am particularly 
proud of the great strides Elbert Garcia has made not only at Columbia 
University but also in his service to the residents of the 15th 
District of New York City.
  I salute and congratulate Elbert Garcia along with the five other 
honored Columbia alumni for the fortitude and bravery displayed in 1995 
that brought about positive change that continues to benefit Columbia 
University to this day. I also salute Elbert for his continued work for 
the public in his chosen field.
  At a time of sharp difference between us on the question of 
immigration policy, we all should keep in mind these words of Elbert 
Garcia. To quote Elbert, ``A nation steeped in ethnic studies would not 
be in such a hurry to punish its immigrants.''

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