[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 104 (Friday, July 19, 2013)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1104]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      IN RECOGNITION OF RON COOPER

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. DORIS O. MATSUI

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                         Friday, July 19, 2013

  Ms. MATSUI. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Mr. Ron Cooper as 
he retires from Access Sacramento. As his family, friends and 
colleagues all gather to celebrate his outstanding career, I ask my 
colleagues to join me in tribute to Mr. Cooper's decades of service.
  Mr. Cooper selflessly served the Sacramento media, television and 
radio community for 26 years at the non-profit organization, Access 
Sacramento. For more than 22 of those years, he was its executive 
director. Under his leadership, Access Sacramento became nationally 
recognized as a pioneer in media technology and advocate for voicing 
unheard, marginalized voices and opinions.
  Access Sacramento has succeeded in providing important and timely 
ideas, thoughts, sights, and sounds, especially for minority programs 
that commercial and public television and radio did not find 
economically viable. Mr. Cooper founded and cultivated the annual ``A 
Place Called Sacramento'' film festival, which supports local 
filmmaking and offers training, coaching and production assistance to 
community filmmakers.
  Mr. Cooper also gave a voice to the youth of Sacramento by creating 
Neighborhood News Bureaus, which initiated ingenious methods of 
newsgathering and collaborations with neighborhood community centers 
through the implementation of current media technology and training. He 
also worked with college students from Cosumnes River College, high 
school students, seniors, and individuals with disabilities, creating 
and fostering cooperative training arrangements to provide practical 
media production experience and opportunities in media careers. Mr. 
Cooper's tireless service enriched our democratic values by offering 
voter education programming during election cycles.
  Mr. Speaker, I am honored to pay tribute to Mr. Ron Cooper, who has 
served the Sacramento community and its people for more than two 
decades. His service has greatly contributed to the community and 
ensured the exercise of free speech. I ask all of my colleagues to join 
me in recognizing this man whose leadership has strengthened and 
broadened Sacramento's very best attributes.

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