[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 17 (Monday, January 29, 2007)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E196-E197]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 HONORING MS. YVETTE CLARKE--NEWLY-ELECTED REPRESENTATIVE OF THE 11TH 
              CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. CHARLES B. RANGEL

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                        Monday, January 29, 2007

  Mr. RANGEL. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor Yvette Clarke, 
newly-elected Representative of the 11th Congressional District in 
Brooklyn, New York and to enter into the record an article in the New 
York Carib News by Tony Best entitled ``Brooklyn Celebrates Yvette 
Clarke's Assumption of Duties as Representative for 11th Congressional 
District, Hundreds Attend Community Event at Brooklyn College.''
  Yvette Clarke was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York. She is the 
daughter of Leslie Clarke, father, and former Brooklyn councilwoman Una 
Clarke. The Clarkes migrated to the United States before Congresswoman 
Clarke was born. Clarke attended New York City public schools and 
received a scholarship to Oberlin College in Ohio.
  Yvette Clarke was elected to the New York City council in November 
2001 as the representative for the 40th District in Brooklyn. Clarke 
was overwhelmingly re-elected to office in November 2003 and November 
2005. She succeeded her pioneering mother, the former city 
councilmember, Dr. Una Clarke, making them the first mother-daughter 
succession in the history of the council.
  In November 2006, Clarke was elected to represent the 11th 
Congressional District in Brooklyn, New York. Clarke, a life-long 
Flatbush resident, will continue to ably represent her mostly working-
class constituents in her district the same way she did while sitting 
on the council, particularly as Congress takes up immigration reform 
and long-deferred issues of economic fairness.
  Yvette Clarke has the reputation of being a good listener and a true 
leader. She distinguished herself as a strong negotiator and has a 
record of getting things done to meet the needs of the residents of her 
district. I look forward to working closely with Yvette on the issues 
facing the American people and I ask you to join me in welcoming 
Congresswoman Clarke into the 110th Congress of the United States of 
America.

                     [From the New York CaribNews]

      Brooklyn Celebrates Yvette Clarke's Assumption of Duties as 
    Representative for 11th Congressional District; Hundreds Attend 
                  Community Event at Brooklyn College 

                             (By Tony Best)

       After one of New York City's big political flash points: a 
     brutal election campaign to fill a Congressional seat once 
     held by the iconic figure Shirley Chisholm, it was time for a 
     community celebration.
       And the emotional atmosphere that encased the ceremonial 
     swearing in of Congresswoman Yvette Clarke was punctuated 
     with music, dance, prayers, poetry, glowing tributes by 
     prominent elected officials, tears of joy and the obvious 
     satisfaction of the Clarke family that one of their own had 
     made it to the halls of the U.S. House of Representatives.
       ``She got there the old fashioned way, she earned it,'' 
     asserted U.S. Senator Chuck Schumer, a Democrat of New York 
     and one of his party's major architects of the successful 
     mid-term election which resulted in the ousting of the 
     Republicans from control of Capitol Hill.
       ``We are proud of Yvette,'' he told a cheering crowd. ``She 
     worked hard to get elected. She didn't rest on her laurels. 
     It's a great day for Brooklyn, a great day for the Clarke 
     family, and a great day for the United States.''
       Actually, the ceremonial taking of the oath of office 
     followed the official swearing-in which had taken place in 
     Washington a week earlier, and when Brooklyn Civil Court 
     Judge Sylvia Ash asked the freshman member of the House to 
     pledge to carry out her duties in accordance with the 
     country's constitution, members of the audience joined in 
     responding in the affirmative as if they too were going to 
     the nation's capital.
       Clarke won the 11th Congressional District election last 
     September when she defeated three other candidates in the 
     Democratic Primary. Among the competitors was the well-
     financed Jewish City Council member David Yassky who had 
     moved into the District just before launching his campaign 
     with the clear and opportunistic goal of capturing the white 
     votes while leaving the Blacks to split their support from 
     the Hispanic, Asian and Black majority. Yassky had raised 
     almost $2 million for his campaign war chest, more than the 
     combined funds raised by the other three candidates. But it 
     didn't work.
       The seat had become vacant when Major Owens who had 
     occupied it for at least two decades after succeeding 
     Chisholm in the 1980's decided to retire. He had hoped that 
     his son, Chris Owens, a community activist would succeed him. 
     But like Yassky's plans, that goal failed.
       Clarke went on to win the November election with about 90 
     percent of the vote.
       ``She worked hard,'' said U.S. Representative Anthony 
     Weiner, who shocked the political establishment when he 
     endorsed Clarke in the Primary campaign and campaigned 
     with her, instead of backing Yassky. ``She shares the 
     values of the community and understands its needs,'' he 
     told the audience.
       The Congressman was on a list of speakers, mainly members 
     of the state legislature in Albany and the City Council in 
     Manhattan, who joined Marty Markowitz, Brooklyn Borough 
     President and others in extolling the qualities which 
     catapulted Clarke from City Hall to Congress, a feat which 
     eluded her mother, Una Clarke, several years ago when she 
     sought to replace Major Owens in a hard fought race.
       New York State Assemblyman Nick Perry alluded to that 
     election battle when he told

[[Page E197]]

     the crowd that while he had political differences with the 
     Congresswoman's mother it didn't stop him from vigorously 
     backing ``Yvette'' and helping to raise money for her.
       ``I feel like I won too,'' said Perry who dropped out of 
     the Congressional race early last year and then threw his 
     support behind Clarke. ``She will do great things for 
     America. She is young and bright.''
       State Senator John Sampson was another of the elected 
     office holders, who at the urging of both ``Yvette'' and her 
     mother, not only backed her drive for the House but 
     contributed campaign funds and material support. He became 
     philosophical when he invoked the presence and role of the 
     Almighty God in people's lives and reminded the 
     Congressperson that prosperity and success breed many friends 
     but ``adversity proves them.''
       State Senator Kevin Parker, who had declined to back Clarke 
     during the Primary, supporting Karl Andrews, at the time a 
     State Senator from Brooklyn instead, said that he too was 
     confident ``Yvette'' would succeed in Washington. In his 
     brief remarks, the Borough President, who sat out the 
     Congressional race by opting not to endorse any of the four 
     candidates, said the new House member was ``committed to 
     public service.''
       Dr. Kendal Stewart, a City Councilman, joined in the chorus 
     of praise, saying her victory was a reminder to immigrants 
     and their children, ``those who came by plane or by boat'' 
     that they too could succeed and perhaps follow in 
     ``Yvette's'' footsteps.
       Dr. Edison Jackson, President of the highly successful 
     Medgar Evers College, put it differently, describing the 
     lawmaker as a worthy ``advocate'' of the community that sent 
     her to Capitol Hill.
       When the time came for Clarke to respond after wiping away 
     tears, she spoke out against the Iraq war and the Bush 
     Administration's misplaced priorities which had resulted in 
     $130 billion needed to fix schools in the 11th Congressional 
     District and elsewhere in the City, State and country being 
     diverted to the Persian Gulf to finance a conflict ``we don't 
     want.''
       She said that as a member of the House's Committee that 
     monitors the work of the Department of Homeland Security, she 
     had already backed a measure, which would bring more funds 
     into the City for the Police and Fire Departments as well 
     as the Emergency Medical services.
       Congresswoman Clarke insisted that the City urgently needed 
     funds, federal dollars, for its schools, drug treatment 
     programs and other social services. She took time out to 
     thank the community, the hard-working campaign volunteers, 
     staff and others who ``came together'' and worked to place 
     her in Congress.
       ``I am thankful,'' she said.
       She spoke about her parents, Leslie Clarke, father, and Una 
     Clarke, mother, for the way they raised her, and the rest of 
     the family from Jamaica who instilled core values in her.
       With the Rev. Barbara Lucas as ``the officiating minister, 
     the celebration featured a mix of ecumenical blessings 
     offered by a variety of religious ministers, including a 
     Jewish Rabbi; dances by young performers of different 
     cultural backgrounds; inspirational songs by a plethora of 
     artistes, among them was Brooklyn Temple Seventh Day 
     Adventist mass choir; steelband music by members CASYM, a 
     youth orchestra; and a celebratory procession by the 
     Panamanian Marching Band. Dr. Harold Robinson, Trinidad and 
     Tobago' Consul-General, summed up the situation when he said 
     that the Caribbean, the source of Congresswoman Clarke's 
     early strength, might consist of countries with different 
     languages but ``we are all one.''
       Cynthia Brown-Franklin, Panama's Vice Consul-General, said 
     afterwards ``great things are expected of the Congresswoman 
     and she will deliver on those dreams.''

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