[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 66 (Thursday, April 24, 2008)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E720-E721]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




            TRIBUTE TO THE HONORABLE YVONNE BRATHWAITE BURKE

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. BARBARA LEE

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, April 24, 2008

  Ms. LEE. Madam Speaker and Ms. Kilpatrick of Michigan, I rise today 
on behalf of the Congressional Black Caucus to honor Yvonne Brathwaite 
Burke, one of our own who served as a Representative of California's 
37th Congressional District from 1973 to 1979, and is retiring at the 
end of this year, after an impressive 50-year career as a public 
servant in the State of California.
  On the occasion of Mrs. Burke's retirement from public office, we 
wish to extend to her sincere congratulations for the decades of 
dedicated service that she has given to her nation, her State, and her 
County, most recently as Chair of the County of Los Angeles Board of 
Supervisors, the largest county in the

[[Page E721]]

nation with a population of over 10 million. For the past 15 years, she 
has served with distinction as the Supervisor of the Second District, 
representing nearly 2.5 million residents.
  Indeed. Mrs. Burke has blazed a path for African-American women in 
public service that had its genesis during her high school years when, 
as a teenager, she got involved in public speaking and competitive 
contests, earning scholarships to the University of California-Berkeley 
and later to the University of California-Los Angeles.
  In 1953, she was the first African-American woman to be admitted to 
the University of Southern California Law School since its founding in 
1928. Upon graduation from Law School, inasmuch as many private law 
firms showed no interest in hiring women as attorneys, particularly 
African Americans, she opened a law practice, specializing in civil 
rights and laws regarding housing, immigration, eminent domain, and the 
licensing of residential care homes for children and adults.
  Mrs. Burke was active in the Civil Rights Movement, with memberships 
in various local and national organizations, and served as a staff 
attorney on the McCone Commission that investigated the causes of the 
1965 Watts Riots in Los Angeles. She became a spokesperson for the 
underrepresented and, through a grassroots campaign, won her first 
political office in 1966 as a California State Assemblywoman, a 
position she held for the next six years.
  In 1972, Mrs. Burke was the first African-American woman, west of the 
Mississippi River, to be elected to the U.S. House of Representatives 
and, one year later, she was the first Member of Congress to give birth 
while in office. In 1978, she ran for Attorney General of California 
winning the Democratic nomination, but subsequently losing in the 
general election. The Governor of California in 1979 appointed her to a 
vacancy on the Fourth Supervisorial District in Los Angeles County. She 
also was appointed by the Governor in 1982 to serve on the Board of 
Regents of the University of California. In 1984, Mrs. Burke was 
selected to serve as Vice Chairman of the U.S. Olympics Organizing 
Committee. before becoming the first African-American elected to the 
Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors in 1992.
  Notably, Mrs. Burke served as the Vice Chair of the 1972 Democratic 
National Convention, and she played a significant role in the 2000 
Democratic National Convention in hosting an event for hundreds of 
African-American elected officials nationwide.
  She has received innumerable awards and honors both as an African 
American and as a woman, including being selected as one of Time 
Magazine's ``America's 200 Future Leaders'' in 1974, as The Los Angeles 
Times'' ``Woman of the Year'' in 1996: UCLA's ``Alumni of the Year'' 
also in 1996, and UCLA's ``Local Legislator of the Year'' in 2008. She 
has served on the Boards of numerous prestigious organizations and 
corporations.
  While these are just some of Mrs. Burke's significant 
accomplishments, on behalf of the Congressional Black Caucus, the House 
of Representatives, and the State of California, we extend our deepest 
gratitude for her important contributions throughout her illustrious 
career. With sincere best wishes, we congratulate Mrs. Burke upon her 
retirement from elective office. We are pleased to join her many co-
workers, family, friends, and associates in wishing her health, 
happiness, and continued good fortune in her future endeavors.
  In conclusion, Yvonne Brathwaite Burke's exemplary record testifies 
that she is a woman of indomitable compassion, courage, character, and 
faith. We believe that she will be remembered for the beneficial 
changes she made in people's lives.

                          ____________________