[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 36 (Thursday, February 25, 2021)]
[House]
[Pages H622-H623]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       RECOGNIZING KAPPA RHO ZETA

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from 
Michigan (Ms. Tlaib) for 5 minutes.
  Ms. TLAIB. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the resilience of 
the residents in my district who have seen the traumatic impacts of the 
pandemic but they continue to show up for each other.
  The sisterhood among the women of the Zeta Phi Beta's Highland Park 
Michigan chapter, Kappa Rho Zeta, in my district are a true testament 
to our community's strength. This sorority was founded with the purpose 
of upholding the tenets of sisterhood and service. Over the past 40 
years, the sisters have given countless hours of community service to 
the people of Highland Park.
  Their service and charity work has extended to so many organizations 
across my district. Even during some

[[Page H623]]

of our district's most challenging times, they continue to show up for 
our neighborhoods and community members who are most vulnerable. They 
have spearheaded annual holiday celebrations for our seniors, provided 
workshops and assistance for pregnant mothers, and uplifted the 
graduating high school students of Highland Park by awarding 
scholarships to support them in their academic pursuits.
  This is our district's strength. I am honored to uplift the 40 years 
of sisterhood, service, and strength of the women of Zeta Phi Beta's 
Kappa Rho Zeta Chapter and their many outstanding contributions to the 
residents of Highland Park and 13th District Strong.

                              {time}  1015


            Honoring Wayne County Residents Lost to COVID-19

  Ms. TLAIB. The people define my district and its history, so it is 
essential that I give reverence to the residents who are among the 
500,000 people in the United States who lost their lives as a result of 
the coronavirus.
  I would like to honor a valuable member of the community who has 
passed, Ms. Abena Hogan.
  Ms. Hogan was born and raised in Detroit and was a proud daughter of 
our community.
  She began her first career in public service working for southeast 
Michigan's regional public transit system. After 20 years of service, 
Ms. Hogan briefly retired before she was called back into service to 
work for our Wayne County Clerk.
  Ms. Hogan took immense pride in serving the people of Wayne County, 
and Ms. Hogan believed deeply in the power of the people and grassroots 
action. She will be dearly, dearly missed.
  I also want to give tribute to a very highly respected public 
servant. This is Wayne County Sheriff Benny Napoleon. He left a 
tremendous mark on our community and the community that he truly loved 
to serve.
  Benny Napoleon served as our Wayne County Sheriff from 2009 until the 
time of his death. His love for Detroit and its people was unwavering. 
His tenure as Wayne County Sheriff was marked by his work to reduce 
inmate populations by utilizing alternatives to incarceration and 
employing electronic tethering.
  Napoleon was well-known for his personality and his big heart, and he 
had a smile that would just light up a room.
  Shortly after his death, we lost yet another public servant in our 
district, Mayor Dan Paletko.
  Mayor Paletko served the Dearborn Heights community from 2004 until 
his death late last year. He prioritized making Dearborn Heights a 
welcoming place for all of its residents to call home and was 
especially proud of his city's rich cultural diversity and recreational 
resources. His pride in Dearborn Heights was evident in his dedication.
  We will continue to honor the memories of not only the mayor, the 
sheriff, and Abena, but also the countless other residents of 13th 
District Strong who have lost their lives to this deadly disease.
  Wayne County Sheriff Benny Napoleon, Dearborn Heights Mayor Dan 
Paletko, and Abena Hogan are three of more than 16,000 Michigan 
residents who have lost their lives to COVID.
  It is essential that our families who have suffered such a great loss 
this past year get the resources and support they need from our 
government so that they do not face financial struggles and hardship 
because of the pandemic.
  We must act now. Our families and our communities can't wait any 
longer. Our families deserve recurring payments. Our local communities 
deserve direct aid. Our residents deserve to be vaccinated, and our 
students deserve to be educated in a safe environment where they can 
not only learn but thrive.
  So today, I rise in remembrance of those we have lost due to COVID 
but lean on the strength and the resiliency of my district who deserves 
more.

                          ____________________