[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 140 (Tuesday, September 20, 2011)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1660]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                            KEVIN JEFFERSON

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. STENY H. HOYER

                              of maryland

                    in the house of representatives

                      Tuesday, September 20, 2011

  Mr. HOYER. Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor the memory of Kevin 
Jefferson, a lifelong community leader and public servant. Through his 
work on issues from voter registration to gun control community 
empowerment, and through his service as an Itinerant Elder in the 
African Methodist Episcopal Church, Kevin made a lasting difference for 
the better in the time that he was given.
  Kevin began his career in public service early as a student at Bowie 
State, where he played an active role in student life. After serving on 
Rev. Jesse L. Jackson's Presidential campaign staff in 1984 and 1988, 
Kevin joined the national staff of the Rainbow/PUSH Coalition, through 
which he promoted voter registration and education. He went on to 
become the first National Minority Affairs Coordinator at Handgun 
Control, Inc., and in this role, traveled the country to help secure 
support for the Brady Gun Control Bill. His leadership on these 
important initiatives led to his involvement with President Clinton's 
Presidential campaign. And in 2000, he was appointed to the Federal 
Emergency Management Agency, and later held numerous positions at the 
State Department. Kevin also served as Special Assistant to the 
Secretary of Labor, Honorable Alexis Herman, and was appointed to the 
Office of the President, Community Empowerment Board. Throughout his 
lifetime, Kevin served on a number of Presidential campaigns, worked 
closely with the DNC and served as the Executive Director of the 
Democratic National Committee Voting Rights Institute. He is honored 
and respected by the Democratic Party for his hard work and support.
  I join Kevin's family, church and all those who knew and loved Kevin 
in appreciation for his well-lived life and in fond reflection on his 
memory. I was proud to count him as a friend, and he will be dearly 
missed.

                          ____________________