[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 23 (Tuesday, February 23, 2010)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E216-E217]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




    HONORING REVEREND RANDOLPH BRACY, JR.'S SERVICE TO THE FLORIDA 
                               COMMUNITY

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. ALAN GRAYSON

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, February 23, 2010

  Mr. GRAYSON. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor Reverend Randolph 
Bracy, Jr. for his dedicated service to his church, our central Florida 
community, and our great State of Florida. Born on November 4, 1944, 
Reverend Bracy, Jr. is a native of Jacksonville, Florida and has since 
given a great deal back to our community.
  Reverend Bracy, Jr. graduated from Bethune-Cookman College, Daytona 
Beach, Florida in 1967 with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Biology. In 
1970, he pursued graduate studies in Guidance and Counseling, and 
graduated from Florida A&M University with a Master's of Education 
Degree. Later in 1974, he earned the Doctor of Education Degree from 
the University of Florida in Higher Education Administration. In 1982, 
he received the Master of Divinity Degree from Colgate-Rochester 
Divinity School in Rochester, New York. In 1999, he earned a 
certificate at the Center for the Study of Values in Public Life at the 
Harvard Divinity School in Cambridge, Massachusetts with the Summer 
Leadership Institute. In 2004, he presented a paper at the Oxford Round 
Table on Religion, Education and the Role of Government at the 
University of Oxford in England. Reverend Bracy's educational 
accomplishments are only surpassed by his commitment and work in the 
community.
  In 1991, he joined the Shiloh Missionary Baptist Church of Orlando, 
Florida. In August 1992, he and his wife, Dr. LaVon Wright Bracy, led 
the organization of the New Covenant Baptist Church of Orlando. The New 
Covenant Church has grown to a membership of more than 2,000. The New 
Covenant Church has created a charter school to educate and mentor 
hundreds of youth. They have created a community development 
corporation that has rehabbed neighborhoods, created safe havens for 
after-school and community activities, and provided financial and 
housing counseling.

[[Page E217]]

  As President of the local NAACP, he has worked tirelessly for human 
and civil rights for all people. He has inspired and mentored a 
generation of new leaders and for that I am proud to call him my friend 
and ally for justice.
  Madam Speaker, as Black History Month comes to a close, it is with 
great honor that I recognize Reverend Bracy, Jr.'s incredible work and 
his leadership in the African American community and in our Florida 
community as a whole. He provides inspiration for the people in his 
community and is a great activist.