[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 185 (Wednesday, December 5, 2007)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E2498-E2499]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  IN REMEMBRANCE OF LATE CONGRESSMAN AUGUSTUS FREEMAN ``GUS'' HAWKINS

                                 ______
                                 

                       HON. LUCILLE ROYBAL-ALLARD

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, December 5, 2007

  Ms. ROYBAL-ALLARD. Madam Speaker, it is with a heavy heart that I 
rise to recognize the passing of our former colleague and my fellow 
Angeleno, Augustus Freeman Hawkins.
  I had the privilege of meeting Congressman Hawkins on several 
occasions during the years he served with my father, Congressman Edward 
R. Roybal, and I was struck by his warmth, intelligence, courage, and 
his dedication to serving the people of his Los Angeles congressional 
district.
  Known affectionately as ``Gus'' to his colleagues and friends, 
Congressman Hawkins served his Los Angeles-area community, the State of 
California and the Nation with distinction. Dedicating his life to 
public service, Congressman Hawkins served for 27 years in the 
California Assembly and 28 years in the U.S. House of Representatives.
  His entry into Congress in 1962 could not have come at a more 
auspicious time. With the Civil Rights Movement already coming to the 
forefront of our Nation's consciousness, Congressman Hawkins became a 
powerful advocate for civil rights for all Americans. As the first 
African-American from the western United States to serve in the House 
of Representatives, he keenly understood the importance of the minority 
voice in American politics, and he worked to magnify this voice by 
becoming a founding member of the Congressional Black Caucus. The CBC's 
current success can be traced back to Congressman Hawkins' vision and 
commitment to the organization in its formative years.
  His achievements during his nearly three-decade tenure as a 
legislator are too numerous to recount. He was chairman of the powerful 
House Education and Labor Committee and the House Administration 
Committee, and he used his role as chairman to champion critical civil 
rights measures that expanded opportunities for millions of Americans.

[[Page E2499]]

  Most notably, he sponsored a section of the landmark Civil Rights Act 
of 1964 that established the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. 
The EEOC has been a critical tool in efforts to enforce laws that 
prohibit discrimination based on race, religion, gender, national 
origin, age, or disability.
  Reacting to rising inflation and unemployment in the 1970s, 
Congressman Hawkins introduced, along with Senator Hubert Humphrey, the 
Full Employment and Balanced Growth Act, better known as the Humphrey-
Hawkins Act of 1978. This measure was signed into law by President 
Carter and proved to be a blueprint for debates on how Government 
should interact with private enterprise to bring about national growth 
and fiscal responsibility. And, true to his nature as a defender of 
civil rights, the Humphrey-Hawkins Act specifically prohibited 
discrimination based on race, religion, age, gender, or national 
origin.
  On the home front, Congressman Hawkins served his district during a 
tumultuous time in Los Angeles' history. Gus had been in Congress only 
3 years when the 1965 Watts riots occurred, ultimately claiming the 
lives of dozens of his constituents. He decried the abusive actions of 
the police, and he redoubled his efforts to secure funds to fight 
poverty in his district and underserved minority communities across the 
Nation.
  Congressman Hawkins' forceful defense of Americans held back by 
discrimination and poverty made him both an effective advocate and a 
devoted mentor to young minority lawmakers. Indeed, many of my 
colleagues in the House have been touched and inspired by Gus Hawkins' 
advice and mentorship. I know that my father, who was his counterpart 
in the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, valued him as an ally and deeply 
respected and admired his leadership role as a civil rights advocate 
and promoter of equal opportunity for all.
  Congressman Gus Hawkins will be remembered as an outstanding 
legislator, a trailblazer, as a trusted mentor, and as a friend. As a 
colleague, he will be remembered for the hard work, dedication, and 
dignity he always brought to his life, his work in public service, and 
to this people's House of Representatives.
  I extend my condolences to his family and to the many people whose 
lives he touched.

                          ____________________