[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 102 (Friday, July 28, 2006)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1606]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       TRIBUTE TO DANIELLE BRIGHT

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. ELIOT L. ENGEL

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                         Friday, July 28, 2006

  Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to Danielle 
Bright, a Haitian community leader, education activist and upstanding 
member of the Rockland county community.
  Born in Haiti in 1951 her family fled the oppressive Francois ``Papa 
Doc'' Duvalier regime in 1964. Her family then spent two years in Congo 
before moving to Europe. It was in 1971, in France that she married 
Lealy Bright; they later had two children. The family eventually 
settled in the United States in 1978, first in Brooklyn and then in my 
district in Rockland County.
  After moving to New York, Ms. Bright did not forget her Haitian 
heritage. She went on to be a longtime activist for the Haitian 
Community in Rockland County. She was the founder and a board member of 
the Haitian-American Parents Association. Most recently, she was 
honored at the annual dinner of the Martin Luther King Multi-Purpose 
center.
  Fighting for the Haitian community was just one of Ms. Bright's 
causes. She was also a strong advocate for education for all children. 
She was an active member of the East Ramapo Board of Education. An 
ardent opponent of school budget cuts, she always argued that children 
deserved better. Those who worked alongside Ms. Bright on the school 
board called her a fierce advocate, dedicated to her work.
  Danielle Bright spent a large portion of her life trying to improve 
the lives of others. She will be sorely missed by all of those in the 
community whose lives she touched.

                          ____________________