[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 30 (Thursday, February 25, 2016)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E224]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 HONORING CONGRESSMAN CHARLES B. RANGEL

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. JOSE E. SERRANO

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, February 25, 2016

  Mr. SERRANO. Mr. Speaker, today I rise in honor of Black History 
Month and to recognize the important contributions made by African-
Americans to our communities and to our nation. African-Americans have 
made countless contributions to and sacrifices for this great nation, 
and nowhere is this more visible than in New York City. That is why I 
want to stand before you today to honor my friend and colleague 
Congressman Charles B. Rangel for his many years of public service and 
tireless work to improve the lives of residents of our community and 
our nation.
  Charles Rangel, or Charlie as many of us know him, is a legend in New 
York City and in Congress. His story is well chronicled, growing up on 
Lenox Avenue in Harlem and then volunteering to serve in the Army 
during the Korean War. Charlie became a war hero during his service 
when he was wounded by the enemy during the conflict, and then leading 
his surviving comrades back from behind enemy lines to safety. For his 
leadership and bravery, Charlie was awarded a Purple Heart and a Bronze 
Star.
  Charlie returned from the war determined to make a difference. With 
the aid of the G.I. Bill, he graduated from New York University and St. 
John's University Law School, and became increasingly involved in his 
community. He also began a career of public service, serving for a time 
as an Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, 
and involving himself in local politics and the civil rights movement. 
It was during this time that he met his mentor and friend, Percy 
Sutton, along with a number of other young leaders fighting to make a 
difference in Harlem. Four of those leaders, Percy Sutton, David 
Dinkins, Basil Paterson, and Charlie Rangel, became the legendary Gang 
of Four, and each of them went on to incredible success in city, state, 
and national politics. Charlie's political journey formally began soon 
thereafter, with his election in 1966 to the New York State Assembly.
  Charlie served in Albany for four years, and then in 1970, he took on 
the legendary Congressman Adam Clayton Powell, Jr. for the right to 
represent Harlem in Congress. He beat the incumbent in a tough battle, 
and began his service here in the House of Representatives.
  In 1971, during his first term, Charlie became a founding member of 
the Congressional Black Caucus. He has broken barriers throughout his 
23 terms in office, and has maintained a consistent set of political 
principles. He has sought to help the least among us, and has worked to 
ensure the American Dream for all Americans, regardless of income. And 
his record of accomplishment shows just how effective he has been.
  Congressman Rangel's accomplishments in Congress are truly too many 
to list, but let me name just a few. He has boosted the incomes of 
millions of working families through the Earned Income Tax Credit. He 
worked with my predecessor, Bob Garcia, to establish and pass the 
Empowerment Zone program, which has helped revitalize communities 
across the nation. He enabled the financing mechanisms to allow public 
school systems across the nation to construct new buildings and 
rehabilitate old ones. He helped isolate apartheid South Africa by 
passing the Rangel Amendment, which forced many investors in the 1980s 
to abandon the country. He has created trade and investment 
opportunities for countries across the Caribbean and Africa.
  Lastly, he mentored a then junior Congressman from the Bronx, who 
arrived in Congress in 1990. It was with his friendship, advice, and 
support that I won my seat on the Appropriations Committee. He has 
always been a source of knowledge and know-how, and I am proud to count 
him as a colleague and a dear friend. He has extended his generosity 
and friendship to my son, State Senator Jose M. Serrano, and we know we 
can always count on his friendship, personally and politically.
  Charlie still lives in the community where he was born with his 
wonderful wife Alma. They have two adult children and three 
grandchildren.
  Charlie still has 11 months left in Congress, so this might seem a 
little bit early to some. But as we celebrate Black History Month and 
reflect on the contributions African-Americans have made to our nation, 
I thought it was important to acknowledge just how important and 
influential Charlie Rangel, New York's own master legislator, has been 
to our nation.
  Mr. Speaker, I respectfully ask that you and my other distinguished 
colleagues join me in honoring Congressman Charles B. Rangel for his 
consistently remarkable dedication to public service and longstanding 
commitment to improving our nation.

                          ____________________