[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 145 (Thursday, September 27, 2007)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1997-E1998]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




            RECOGNIZING THE ACHIEVEMENTS OF MR. ALVIN BROOKS

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. EMANUEL CLEAVER

                              of missouri

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, September 27, 2007

  Mr. CLEAVER. Madam Speaker, I proudly rise today in recognition of 
the achievements of Mr. Alvin Brooks, a pioneer for civil and human 
rights, and a resident of the Fifth District of Missouri which I am 
honored to represent. This week, Mr. Brooks will be inducted into the 
Missouri Walk of Fame during a reception as part of the Congressional 
Black Caucus Foundation's Annual Legislative Conference, an event held 
to honor the achievements of African-Americans who have made 
significant contributions to Missouri.
  As a former Mayor of Kansas City, Missouri, I am well aware of the 
contributions Al has made to the landscape of Kansas City. Mr. Alvin 
Brooks' experience in City government spans over a quarter century. 
Alvin Brooks is the former Mayor Pro Tem and 6th District At-Large City 
Councilperson for the City of Kansas City, Missouri. He was first 
elected in 1999 and re-elected in 2003. After his first election, 
Brooks was appointed as Mayor Pro Tem by Mayor Kay Barnes. In addition 
to serving as Mayor Pro Tem, Brooks chaired the Public Safety 
Committee, the Police Capital Improvements Oversight Committee, the 
Police Site Selection Committee, and was vice-chair of the Aviation 
Committee and the Finance and Audit Committee. Brooks lost a bid for 
Mayor of Kansas City this past spring by a mere 851 votes.
  While Kansas City's Mayor Pro Tem, Councilman Brooks served as a 
member of numerous committees and perhaps most visible through his work 
as President of the Ad Hoc Group Against Crime, which he founded in 
1977. The Ad Hoc Group Against Crime is a broad-based, grass roots 
community organization, which appointed him President/CEO of Ad Hoc in 
April of 1991. ``I get my strength from my spirituality--from being 
spiritual and believing that one lightens his or her burden by helping 
people lighten their burden. People enter our space and you are 
energized by them,'' said Mr. Brooks.
  Brooks learned his philosophy on the street. As Kansas City police 
officer from 1954 to 1964, he held the rank of detective and worked 
with runaways and gang members. Shortly after the civil disorder of 
1968, he organized the city's Human Relations Department and served as 
its first director until 1984. He was the first African-American to 
serve as a department head for the City of Kansas City, Mo. In 1999, he 
was first elected to serve as the Sixth District at-Large Councilman in 
1999 and re-elected in 2003. Brooks was appointed as Mayor Pro Tem by 
Mayor Kay Barnes. In addition, to serving as Mayor Pro Tem, Councilman 
Brooks was a member of the Legislative, Rules, and Ethics Committee and 
the Aviation Committees. His dedication to Kansas City includes serving 
as an Assistant City Manager for 7 years.
  Presently, Mr. Brooks is a consultant to many business executives in 
the area of diversity, minority and women matters. He has also been a 
motivational speaker and lecturer for various governmental agencies, 
colleges and universities, and the private sector. He has conducted 
hundreds of seminars and workshops on the subject of cultural/racial 
diversity, religious tolerance and civil rights. He has taught classes 
and conducted lectures and workshops on a multitude of subjects, 
including the criminal justice system, crime and violence prevention, 
community involvement and police-community relations. He is also a 
certified mediator, and has lobbied at the local, state and federal 
levels.
  In 1989, Brooks received national attention from President George 
H.W. Bush in 1989 as he was recognized as one of ``America's 1,000 
points of light,'' and was subsequently appointed to a 3-year term on 
the President's National Drug Advisory Council. This is but one of the 
many accolades Al has received over the years. The recipient of four 
honorary doctorate degrees from colleges and universities in 
metropolitan Kansas City and surrounding areas, Brooks has also 
received too numerous other accolades to mention. In all of his 
activities, he demonstrates his dedication and commitment to the 
greater good of others.
  Al lives in South Kansas City, Missouri with his wife Carol, to whom 
he has been married for 57 years. Together they have raised six 
children--one son (deceased), and five daughters. They also have 17 
grandchildren, 17 great-grandchildren, and 2 great-great-grandchildren.
  Throughout his life, he has put his principles to practice, and the 
effects of his efforts have brought about a more diverse and concerned 
citizenry throughout the Kansas City metropolitan area. For these 
reasons and more, it is indeed an honor and privilege to recognize Mr. 
Alvin Brooks at the Missouri Walk of Fame reception, hosted by myself 
and fellow Missourian, U.S. Representative William Lacy Clay of St. 
Louis.
  Madam Speaker, please join me in expressing our appreciation to Mr. 
Alvin Brooks, not just to the Kansas City community, but to the entire 
country at large. He is a true role model, a person who has been 
dedicated with

[[Page E1998]]

improving the condition of his fellow man for nearly 50 years.

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