[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 129 (Thursday, July 22, 2021)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5042-S5043]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        REMEMBERING HARRY CHAPIN

  Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, it has been 40 years since the Nation lost 
a champion for the hungry, and the American people lost a talented and 
inspirational musical artist. And I lost a dear partner and friend.
  I was proud to have been able to work side by side with Harry Chapin 
on several projects to address hunger, here at home, and in the world. 
We strategized. We met with other Senators to build support. And I got 
to know him well. He stayed at our home and even sang for our 
enthralled children. I was with him on the grounds of the Capitol 
Building when he pulled out his guitar and gave an impromptu concert. 
Passersby were drawn to him, and it was one more magical moment, among 
so many with Harry.
  Harry had incredible energy and drive and commitment to his goals. 
Bill Ayres, a former Catholic priest who cofounded the organization 
WhyHunger with Harry, has noted that Harry used to say: ``When in 
doubt, do something.'' And do something, he certainly did. Since its 
founding in 1975, WhyHunger has raised more than $30 million to help 
more than 10 million families, children, veterans, and others around 
the world gain access to nutritious food and vital services.
  One of Harry's ideas was to convince President Jimmy Carter to form a 
Commission on world hunger. I readily signed on to help him. When we 
had that meeting with the President in the Cabinet Room, Harry's 
persistence was on overdrive. President Carter agreed to establish the 
Commission. So that goal was in hand. But Harry kept telling the 
President why we should do this, and President Carter kept trying to 
tell Harry that he agreed with him. Harry was wound up and excited to 
have the chance to lay out the case for a Commission. And I finally 
said: ``Harry, don't talk him out of it.'' Everyone laughed because we 
all knew that it was a moment that distilled the pure energy for which 
we all loved and admired him.
  I worked with Senator Byron Dorgan and others in gaining 
authorization for a Congressional Gold Medal, which I was honored to 
carry to a memorial concert at Carnegie Hall to present to Harry's 
family. Harry Belafonte and Bruce Springsteen were there and so were so 
many others who had known and worked with Harry. Harry Belafonte, whom 
I also admire so deeply, has said this:

       I grew to really admire him, not only for his commitment to 
     the cause of hunger, but also the fact that he did it with 
     such passion, such real commitment. As an artist, I certainly 
     loved his work. Not only his music, but the content of his 
     words. He spoke about the human condition with a sense of 
     humor and as a lyricist he had his hand on the pulse of 
     social needs.

  A few years ago, I received a letter from a 16-year-old Canadian boy 
in Newmarket, Ontario, Ryan Kruger. He had heard about my work with 
Harry and wanted me to know how much he admires him.
  ``I am a big fan of Harry,'' he wrote, ``and think he exemplifies the 
ideals of both of our respective nations, as well as the world, or at 
least what they should be. In this volatile political climate, on both 
sides of the border, as well as around the world, I think we need a bit 
more Harry.''
  And we certainly do.
  Harry's children wrote an eloquent tribute that was carried in the 
New York Daily News on July 16. They, and many of us, want to keep 
alight and aloft the candle that helps Harry Chapin's important legacy 
live on and on.
  I commend their tribute to the attention of the Senate.

[[Page S5043]]

  I ask unanimous consent to have the article printed in the Record
  There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in 
the Record, as follows:

             [From the New York Daily News, July 16, 2021]

                How Harry Chapin, Our Dad, Fought Hunger

   (By Josh Chapin, Jen Chapin, Jason Chapin, Jono Chapin and Jaime 
                                Chapin)

       For many, attaining fame and fortune is enough to feel 
     successful. For our father, Harry Chapin, it wasn't. His true 
     fulfillment came through service, and 40 years following his 
     untimely death, along with his timeless hit song ``Cat's in 
     the Cradle,'' our dad's passionate commitment to ending 
     hunger is what he is best remembered for. During his life 
     (1942-1981), he released 11 albums, performed 220 concerts a 
     year, and received Grammy and Oscar nominations as well as 
     Emmy, Tony and many other awards, including the Congressional 
     Gold Medal. While music was his passion, our father's success 
     became not laurels to rest upon but rather a platform that 
     led to his becoming one of the leading humanitarians of his 
     generation.
       Through starting three dynamic and visionary organizations 
     in his short lifetime, WhyHunger, Long Island Cares and the 
     Center for Food Action in New Jersey, he left a lasting 
     impact in the fight against hunger and poverty.
       Today marks 40 years since our father's passing in an 
     automobile accident on the Long Island Expressway. It's been 
     four decades without him--four decades of change in culture, 
     politics, music and technology--but after all that change, 
     and even a global pandemic, his legacy organizations 
     WhyHunger and Long Island Cares remain centered on fulfilling 
     our dad's mission of deeply understanding the root causes of 
     hunger and seeking solutions grounded in community power and 
     self-reliance.
       Notably, during his lifetime, our father worked with 
     President Jimmy Carter, his dear friend and Democratic Sen. 
     Patrick Leahy, Republican Sen. Bob Dole, and a bipartisan 
     team to form the first and only Presidential Commission on 
     World Hunger. Our father's work to create political urgency 
     and a truly patriotic, bipartisan dialogue surrounding the 
     human right to nutritious food--in our wealthy nation and in 
     a world that can feed itself many times over--should be a 
     call to inspire a new surge of commitment today.
       While he embarked on a mission decades ago to combat 
     hunger, the work is far from complete. Today, nearly 2.1 
     million New Yorkers face hunger every day. On Long Island, 
     nearly half a million face the same reality--a problem that's 
     many times worse than when he started Long Island Cares in 
     1980. These statistics are staggering, and sadly have 
     increased over recent years. While prior to COVID-19, Long 
     Island neared a 40% reduction of food insecurity, during the 
     height of the pandemic, an additional 223,000 Long Islanders 
     became food insecure, nearly doubling the prior population 
     count.
       A generous charitable response and a massive, 
     industrialized emergency food system are not enough. What our 
     father understood years ago is that in order to ameliorate 
     this needless suffering, we need to address the root causes 
     and advance the human right to nutritious food in the U.S. 
     and around the world. Hunger in the U.S. and hunger around 
     the world are deeply connected, and thanks to the work of 
     WhyHunger and our diverse array of partners, exciting 
     alliances are building self-reliance and lasting change. 
     WhyHunger has shown that by offering critical resources to 
     support grassroots movements, we can build community 
     solutions rooted in social, environmental, racial and 
     economic justice.
       Our hope is that the current administration is prepared to 
     substantively address these issues and do what our father 
     knew was, and still is, possible: bring an end to hunger. 
     Currently, Rep. James McGovern of Massachusetts is asking 
     President Biden to convene a new White House Conference on 
     Hunger, just as our father pushed for four decades ago. When 
     asked what his motivation was for this cause, McGovern said 
     that meeting Harry left a lasting impression on his political 
     views on hunger.
       What Harry Chapin began with WhyHunger, Long Island Cares 
     and the Center for Food Action continues to make a great 
     impact, but of course there is more to be done. More 
     organizations need to realize that fighting hunger is not 
     only about handing out food in times of need, or even the 
     proverbial teaching people to fish--it is about supporting 
     social movements so that people can organize, advocate and 
     work together to ensure they will always be able to feed 
     their families. Additionally, we need to keep speaking up for 
     social and legislative reform that promotes social and 
     economic justice. If you happened to love our father's music 
     and message, if you care about America reaching its yet 
     unrealized mission of justice for all, or if you want to live 
     in a more peaceful and sustainable world, consider this a 
     call to action.
       The authors are the sons and daughters of Harry Chapin.

                          ____________________