[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 48 (Thursday, March 22, 2012)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E422]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


 IN REMEMBRANCE OF LEON EARL WYNTER IN HONOR OF NATIONAL BLACK HISTORY 
                                 MONTH

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. CHARLES B. RANGEL

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, March 22, 2012

  Mr. RANGEL. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in honor of writer, journalist, 
former commentator and dear friend Leon Earl Wynter who passed away on 
Tuesday, January 18, 2011 at the age of fifty-seven. Born in 1953, Leon 
grew up in the Bronx, New York and was fond of saying that he arrived 
``just in time for most of the things that mattered; the space race, 
the triumph of the civil rights movement, disco, cable and the 
Macintosh computer''.
  He described himself as ``first a Christian, then American and black 
by way of his Jamaican heritage''. He is survived by his daughter Grace 
Alexandra, his mother Sylvia, and his brother Stephen. Leon left behind 
an abundance of those who knew him personally and loved him, as well as 
those who knew him professionally and respected him. Leon created a 
legacy of friendship, a body of work to be proud of, and a life time of 
vivid memories of those of us who have been privileged, like me.
  Leon had an extraordinary career, which began in commercial banking, 
and continued in journalism as a Washington Post staff reporter in 
1980. At the Washington Post, he covered education and racial change in 
suburban Prince George's County, Maryland. He later joined the Wall 
Street Journal's bureau in 1984, and covered the federal banking beat 
on Capitol Hill, as well as federal telecommunications and technology 
policy. He then created and wrote a monthly column for the Wall Street 
Journal called ``Business & Race''. He considered the title alone as a 
victory, and he wrote it for ten years, from 1989 1999. In his twenty-
years as a journalist, essayist, commentator, speaker and an author, 
Leon develop into an acclaimed voice on the racial and ethnic 
transformation of American identity.
  As a sought-after public speaker in business, Leon shared his 
expertise and perspectives with strategic marketers at Time Warner, 
Pepsico, GlaxoSmithKline, Cox Cable and the Strategic Research 
Institute. His commentaries on race, pop culture and life were 
frequently heard on National Public Radio's ``All Things Considered''. 
Leon published dozens of essays in newspapers and magazines, including 
the Wall Street Journal, Savoy, Washington Post, and New York Newsday, 
among a few.
  In August 2002, Leon realized his goal in life after publishing his 
first book, ``America Skin: Big Business, Pop Culture and the End of 
White America''. In 2007, Leon helped co-write my memoirs, ``And I 
Haven't Had a Bad Day Since.'' Later, Leon would begin a new career 
with the Harlem Community Development Corporation where he served as 
Director of Communications.
  Leon was known by many as one of the Valley elite, a committed 
Christian, professor of journalism, an Elder of the Presbyterian 
Church, an enthusiastic blogger, an evolving musician, a lover of 
Public Radio, a tireless debater, and someone capable of great 
passions. He once wrote, ``I'm just in time to discover that life is 
not about being current it's about being present with God for my child 
and my loved ones''.
  Mr. Speaker, in celebration of National Black History Month, I ask my 
colleagues to join me in remembrance of my dear friend, Leon Earl 
Wynter. If you knew him, these are the facts and the celebration of his 
life. If you did not know him . . . you missed something very special.

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