[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 158 (Tuesday, September 30, 2008)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2168]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        INTRODUCTION TO H.O.P.E.

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                         HON. LUIS V. GUTIERREZ

                              of illinois

                    in the house of representatives

                       Monday, September 29, 2008

  Mr. GUTIERREZ. Madam Speaker, I rise today to announce the 
introduction of my bill, the H.O.P.E. resolution of 2008: Honoring 
Organizers for Promoting Equality.
  In every community across our Nation, the contributions of community 
organizers are woven into the fabric of our history. They have worked 
to ignite movements such as the Underground Railroad, farm laborers' 
rights, civil rights, and women's suffrage. Today, community organizers 
in my own city of Chicago fight for improved housing, adult literacy 
initiatives, equal access to quality healthcare, and fair and just 
immigration laws.
  As citizens of the United States--a country founded on the principles 
of freedom and justice--we should not discredit the serious and 
historic responsibilities of community organizers. I believe that there 
is no greater responsibility than standing up to injustice.
  The men and women who followed in the footsteps of Cesar Chavez and 
were committed to speak out for the voiceless, who saw the work of Jane 
Addams and decided to champion an unpopular cause, or who heard the 
words of Dr. Martin Luther King and chose to stand firm against the 
status quo--these men and women know where true power lies. In 
educating and encouraging others to reject injustice and to demand 
change, organizers create better communities and a better country for 
us all.
  Madam Speaker, let me conclude with these words from Thomas 
Jefferson: ``Enlighten the people, generally, and tyranny and 
oppressions of body and mind will vanish like spirits at the dawn of 
day.'' Community organizers play an integral role in empowering people 
of every faith, gender, race, ethnicity, and sexual orientation, and 
their efforts are worthy of more than a punch line.

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