[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 130 (Thursday, July 27, 2023)]
[Senate]
[Pages S3749-S3750]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   REMEMBERING EUGENE ``GUS'' NEWPORT

 Mr. SANDERS. Mr. President, I wish to commemorate the life of 
Gus Newport, a long-time champion for human rights and advocate for 
racial and economic justice, who passed away on June 17, 2023.
  Gus will be remembered as a true progressive activist, having worked 
as the mayor of Berkeley, CA, as a member on the leadership committee 
of the National Council of Elders, the vice president from the U.S. to 
the World Peace Council serving on the United Nations Committee against 
Apartheid and the Committee on the Question of

[[Page S3750]]

Palestine, as a member of the Unity Reform Commission, and the board 
president for the Middle East Children's Alliance, among others.
  I first met Gus when I was mayor of Burlington, VT, and I am proud to 
have called him my friend for the past 40 years. In addition to his 
work, Gus' family was important to him. As he said many times, his mom 
was his first role model, and the aspiration for his work came from his 
grandmother. At an early age, Gus immersed himself in local, national, 
and global politics.
  Throughout his life, Gus worked alongside civil rights leaders and 
political activists including Malcolm X, Angela Davis, and Danny 
Glover. His accomplishments span from groundbreaking political 
initiatives and the implementation of critical community economic 
development programs, to global solidarity.
  As mayor, Gus led the city of Berkeley to divest from apartheid South 
Africa, making them the first city in the U.S. to do so. Additionally, 
he created a domestic partner benefits program for LGBTQ+ families and 
childcare initiatives to aid working women. Gus also worked on 
affordable housing programs, rent control, policing reforms, 
environmental protections, and community development.
  In whatever task he took on, Gus worked with his whole heart and a 
deep sense of solidarity for humanity. As Gus said, ``We need to come 
back to what Martin [Luther King Jr.] called Building the Beloved 
Community-helping communities address education, incarceration, mental 
and physical health in an integrated and systematic way. If we want a 
better future for the next generation, we need to build a movement that 
is strategic and constant!''
  I ask my colleagues to join me in honoring Gus Newport for his 
tireless work on behalf of our communities and citizens.
  May the memory of Gus Newport be a blessing.

                          ____________________