[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 78 (Tuesday, May 13, 2008)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E900]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        RECOGNIZING GRACE THORPE

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. HILDA L. SOLIS

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, May 13, 2008

  Ms. SOLIS. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize the achievements 
of Grace Thorpe, an environmental justice activist who fought to 
protect the Native American community who passed away on April I, 2008 
at the Claremore Veterans Center.
  Ms. Thorpe dedicated herself to the improvement of health and the 
environment for the Native American community. As a result of her 
efforts to prevent the Sac and Fox leaders from accepting grants for 
storage of nuclear waste in nation territory, many Native American 
tribes were able to establish Nuclear Free Zones. Ms. Thorpe later 
served as the Director for the National Environmental Coalition of 
Native Americans, as well as on the advisory council for Native 
American affairs at Greenpeace. She authored ``Our Homes Are Not Dumps: 
Creating Nuclear Free Zones'' and brought awareness about the 
environmental injustices in the Native American community.
  Ms. Thorpe was also a dedicated public servant. She served in the 
Women's Army Corps during World War II in New Guinea, the Philippines 
and Japan, and was awarded a Bronze star for her performance in the 
battle of New Guinea. She further served as a Tribal District Court 
Judge and was a Congressional Liaison to the American Indian Policy 
Review Commission in the U.S. House of Representatives. She earned her 
Bachelors degree from the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, 
obtained a paralegal degree from the Antioch School of Law while in 
Washington, DC, and was an Urban Fellow at the Massachusetts Institute 
of Technology.
  I applaud Grace Thorpe's achievements and important contributions in 
bringing environmental justice and awareness to the Native American 
community. These contributions will not be forgotten.

                          ____________________