[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 85 (Thursday, June 7, 2012)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1013]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


                 HONORING PEACE ACTIVIST DICK HEIDKAMP

                                 ______
                                 

                       HON. JANICE D. SCHAKOWSKY

                              of illinois

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, June 7, 2012

  Ms. SCHAKOWSKY. Mr. Speaker, I rise to recognize Dick Heidkamp, a 
former Catholic priest and member of the Chicago Religious Leadership 
Network on Latin America, an organization that seeks to promote peace 
and improve the lives of people living in Latin American countries. 
Throughout his career, Dick has passionately advocated for human 
rights, peace, and justice for all, with a special focus on Central and 
South America.
  Dick has been a member of the Peace and Justice Committee at the Mary 
Seat of Wisdom Church in Park Ridge, Illinois, for 38 years. He has 
also advocated for justice at organizations throughout Chicagoland, 
including Illinois SOA Watch, Eighth Day Center for Justice, Su Casa 
Catholic Worker, and Cristo Ray High School.
  Dick first brought his high energy commitment to Chicago Religious 
Leadership Network in 1998. He has been a dedicated participant in 
CRLN, serving on its Board of Directors since 1999. In his time at 
CRLN, Dick has traveled throughout Latin America promoting justice and 
peace in underdeveloped countries, seeking to improve the lives of 
people living in nations such as Cuba, Guatemala, El Salvador, and 
Colombia.
  Dick has consistently advocated for policies that would increase 
standard of living for all people, recognizing that poverty is not just 
a tragedy for individuals and families but a key cause of global 
instability. Dick has fought for a U.S. foreign aid system that 
considers human rights above militarization. He has also lobbied 
Congress to end military aid to Colombia and to eliminate the trade 
embargo of Cuba, arguing that it keeps essential goods away from the 
Cuban people.
  Understanding the plight of impoverished economies, Dick led the CRLN 
public policy delegation to Washington D.C. for the Jubilee 2000 
campaign. That successful campaign pushed to cancel third world debt 
owed to the wealthiest nations of the world. Looking out for the 
average citizen, Dick and CRLN believed that this debt cripples 
already-struggling nations, preventing their governments from supplying 
services for their people.
  Dick has always sought to give a voice to the voiceless. He has been 
a cheerful and committed public witness for nonviolent action in 
response to injustice worldwide, bringing attention to some of the 
Western Hemisphere's most overlooked problems. I congratulate him on 
his decades of service and his vocal support of justice, peace, and 
human rights in Latin America.

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