[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 85 (Wednesday, May 23, 2018)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E714-E715]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  IN MEMORY, REMEMBRANCE, AND CELEBRATION OF DR. JOSE FRANCISCO PENA 
                                 GOMEZ

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. ADRIANO ESPAILLAT

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, May 23, 2018

  Mr. ESPAILLAT. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to celebrate and commemorate 
Dr. Jose Francisco Pena Gomez on the 20th anniversary of his passing. 
Throughout his life, Dr. Pena Gomez was a lifelong public servant who 
spoke up for the marginalized and often disenfranchised Afro-Latino 
community from the Dominican Republic; a community and dichotomy 
intrinsic to all Caribbean and Latin American nations.
  It cannot be understated how transcendent Dr. Pena Gomez remains in 
the Dominican Republic to have served as Mayor of Santo Domingo; Vice 
President of the International Socialist Party for the Western 
Hemisphere; President of the Dominican Revolutionary Party, and twice 
nominated for the Presidency of the Dominican Republic. But his legacy 
is not just limited to the Dominican Republic.
  Dr. Pena Gomez spent his life campaigning for democracy, progressive 
public policies, free speech and national sovereignty in the Caribbean 
and Latin America, and greater international community. Through his 
global education and activism, Dr. Pena Gomez became a friend and 
partner with elected leaders and luminaries such as Nobel Peace Prize 
Winner Willy Brandt; U.S. Representative Charles B. Rangel, U.S. 
Senator Edward Kennedy; French President Francois Mitterrand;

[[Page E715]]

U.S. President Jimmy Carter; and Spanish Prime Minister Felipe Gonzalez 
Marquez.
  ``The People First!'' (La gente primero) was a mantra that Dr. Pena 
Gomez personified. He never relented in furthering himself and others 
from the Dominican Republic. His passion for public service in 
government was a result of his political activism with the Dominican 
Revolutionary Party and lived experience as an Afro-Latino. As an 
activist, he loudly voiced his opposition to military intervention in 
the Dominican Republic; was a fierce proponent of free speech; and 
denounced unfair elections practices that undermined democracy. Dr. 
Pena Gomez worked feverishly to advocate for dual-citizenship for 
Dominican nationals living abroad. He was a global advocate for the 
indigent and his fervent condemnation of civil and human rights 
violations in the Dominican Republic never waned.
  From his lifetime of service, Dr. Pena Gomez will, without question, 
be recorded in history as a civil rights icon and advocate for the poor 
in the Dominican Republic. He was never afraid to speak out against 
racism and invective directed towards him. He rose above the racism and 
hatred and in his own words said, ``I am a human being who has 
experienced many vicissitudes . . . I was born in an era of conflicts. 
I have two sets of parents and two families. One is by blood, and the 
other is the result of cohabitation. But both are dear to me.'' It is 
my pleasure and great honor to celebrate the life and legacy of Dr. 
Jose Francisco Pena Gomez with his family and those who fondly remember 
his model and standard.

                          ____________________