[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 109 (Thursday, July 19, 2012)]
[House]
[Pages H5018-H5019]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  HONORING REVEREND JACOB N. UNDERWOOD

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from New 
York (Mr. Towns) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. TOWNS. Mr. Speaker, I come to the floor today to recognize 
Reverend Jacob N. Underwood, the founder of the Grace Baptist Church in 
east New York's section of Brooklyn. He is a very unusual person and 
has done some great things.
  For instance, when the people in east New York were complaining about 
the lack of housing, Reverend Underwood pulled the group together and 
started building houses. He established the Grace Towers because people 
were complaining about not having housing. Then they came to talk about 
the inadequate schools. Then, of course, at that point in time he 
pulled some folks together and started a school.
  Then, when they were talking about jobs, he also provided jobs. I 
recall recently talking to Brother Lee in the east New York section, 
who indicated that Reverend Underwood gave him a job and that as a 
result now he has a house and family, and he went on to say how excited 
he was about that job that Reverend Underwood provided.
  Reverend Underwood did so much in the community. He was the kind of 
person who didn't believe in just complaining, sitting around and 
talking about what needs to be done. He was the kind of person that 
would go and get it done. We need more people like him today because 
Reverend Underwood was a very progressive person, had an agenda, 
promoted human welfare and social reform in the church and in the 
community.
  When people would say you can't do that, he would just say watch me 
because all things are possible with God. He is a very strong man of 
faith, and he just felt that with a little support that he could 
accomplish anything that he wanted to do.
  Pastor Underwood also established a soup kitchen and one of the first 
day care centers in the east New York section Brooklyn. He really 
believed in helping others. What I liked about him is that he was not 
the kind of person, if you asked him for help, that he would call a 
press conference. You know, some people, if you asked them for help, 
the first thing they want to do is call a press conference and let the 
world know that you've asked them for help.
  He was not that kind of person. He would make a decision to help and 
very quietly would just do it and was happy that he was in a position 
to do it for you.
  Pastor Underwood served on the local school board, and he was very 
big on voter registration. A lot of people in the area were not 
registered, but he sort of talked to them, called meetings together and 
encouraged us to get involved in terms of registering people. As a 
result, a lot of folks were registered in that community.
  He was also on the civil rights committee. He was the first elected 
chairman of the East New York Community Corporation back in those days 
and president of the New York Progressive State Congress. He served 
twice as the moderator of the New York Missionary Baptist Association. 
What a great man.
  He was the chairman of the Brownsville East New York Clergy 
Association and president of the New York Progressive State Convention 
and corresponding secretary of the Presidents Department of the 
Progressive National Baptist Convention, the president of the African 
American Clergy and Elected Officials Association of Brooklyn, and he 
currently serves as the chairman of the Churches United for Worldwide 
Action. At the age of 84, he decided to start another church, not in 
New York, but in the State of his birth, South Carolina.
  Let me conclude and thank Reverend Underwood for his inspiration and 
commitment to making the world a better place for all of us to live. He 
is a great teacher, he is a great innovator, a great educator; and, of 
course, he believed that he has an obligation and responsibility to 
help others. That is what it's all about.
  Now, at the age of 86, on his 86th birthday, he indicated that he was 
not through organizing and doing things. I would say to Reverend 
Underwood and to those who actually know him, the world is a better 
place because of the fact that this man has been here for 86 years 
making a difference, doing things on behalf of people. He can surely 
say that this world is better because of his involvement.

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