[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 20 (Thursday, February 1, 2007)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E239-E240]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  HONORING DR. MARSHA COLEMAN-ADEBAYO FOR HER LIFELONG COMMITMENT TO 
                              CIVIL RIGHTS

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. CHRIS VAN HOLLEN

                              of maryland

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, January 31, 2007

  Mr. VAN HOLLEN. Madam Speaker, I rise today, as we begin observance 
of Black History Month, to pay tribute to one of my constituents, Dr. 
Marsha Coleman-Adebayo, a leader in the struggle for civil rights and 
worker protection.
  Dr. Marsha Coleman-Adebayo won an historic lawsuit in 2000 against 
the Environmental Protection Agency for race, sex, and color 
discrimination and a hostile work environment. As a result of this 
victory and her subsequent testimony before Congress, the Notification 
of Federal Employees Anti-Discrimination and Retaliation Act (``NO FEAR 
Act'') was passed by Congress and signed into law. Thousands of federal 
workers and their families have benefited from this law.
  After passage of this legislation, Dr. Coleman-Adebayo formed the No 
FEAR Coalition, a group of civil rights and whistle-blowing 
organizations dedicated to working for increased legislative 
protections for federal employees, who speak out to protect the public 
good. We must ensure that these courageous individuals are not 
penalized.
  Dr. Coleman-Adebayo has had a distinguished academic career. She 
earned a B.A. degree from Barnard College/Columbia University and a 
doctorate degree from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. She 
holds an academic chair at George Mason University and is an Adjunct 
Professor at the Georgetown University School of Foreign Studies. She 
has also taught at MIT, American University and the University of 
California at Santa Barbara.
  Dr. Coleman-Adebayo has served at the United Nations, representing it 
in Ethiopia and Tanzania. At the National Summit on Africa, she chaired 
the Sustainable Development and Environment Expert Group and was the 
Executive Secretary for the U.S./South Africa Bi-national Commission.

[[Page E240]]

  Dr. Coleman-Adebayo's work has been frequently recognized and she has 
received numerous honors and awards, including Harvard University's 
award for Outstanding Commitment to Global Health and Development and 
Good Housekeeping Magazine's Woman of the Year. She was selected by the 
National Whistleblower Center as one of the most influential ``truth-
tellers'' in the United States and was inducted into the Project on 
Government Oversight's Hall of Fame. Dr. Coleman-Adebayo is the subject 
of a major motion picture, currently in production, entitled ``No FEAR: 
The Marsha Coleman-Adebayo Story.''
  Madam Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in saluting Dr. Marsha 
Coleman-Adebayo for her lifelong commitment to civil and workers' 
rights.

                          ____________________