[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 39 (Tuesday, March 5, 2024)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E206]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 RECOGNIZING TAMPA BAY'S TRAILBLAZER MARCUS BROOKS, IN HONOR OF BLACK 
                             HISTORY MONTH

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. KATHY CASTOR

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, March 5, 2024

  Ms. CASTOR of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I rise today during Black History 
Month to celebrate a change agent and one of Tampa Bay's most 
distinguished torch bearers, Marcus Brooks.
  Mr. Brooks is a fourth-generation resident of St. Petersburg, 
Florida, where he currently lives with his wife and children. He 
received his bachelor's degree in political science with a minor in 
communications from Florida State University. Brooks credits his 
upbringing of racial contrast in Clearwater, Florida and South St. 
Petersburg, which afforded him different perspectives to shape him into 
the leader he is today. He is also a recipient of the St. Petersburg 
NAACP's Next-Gen Trailblazer award and currently serves on the boards 
of the St. Petersburg Downtown Partnership and Allegany Franciscan 
Ministries.
  ``Whatever gifts you are believed to have are not yours. They were 
gifted to you for a finite amount of time to be passed on and used in 
service of others.'' These are words Mr. Brooks uses to govern his work 
and daily life. After graduating from Florida State University, he 
began his journey in public service of more than 15 years. Mr. Brooks 
has served as the youth coordinator for Coordinated Childcare of 
Pinellas, development officer at St. Petersburg College, regional 
director of Junior Achievement of Tampa Bay, director of development 
for Eckerd Youth Alternatives, to name a few. While serving in these 
roles, his goal was to cultivate, plan and execute developmental 
efforts that would change and touch the lives of our youth through 
education.
  Mr. Brooks is an advocate for diversity, equity and inclusion, and 
believes unequivocally that if we advance racial equity and improve the 
overall health of the community, we will see the growth of more 
sustainable communities. Mr. Brooks is the executive director of the 
Center for Health Equity, whose mission is to inspire and empower 
people, share ideas, exchange information, organize and build 
relationships to end differences in health due to institutional racism. 
Under his leadership, the Center for Health Equity has pushed new 
bounds with the creation of Courageous Conversations, which is an 
award-winning protocol for effectively engaging, sustaining and 
deepening interracial dialogue. This conversation examines the impact 
of race in our lives and fosters the development of essential literacy 
and competency through which to experience our personal, professional 
and organizational journeys. Mr. Brooks believes that if we are able to 
strip away past beliefs, experiences and actions to truly get to know 
our neighbor, we can begin to have a better understanding of one 
another.
  Mr. Speaker, on behalf of the Tampa Bay community, I am honored to 
recognize the outstanding accomplishments, leadership and service of 
Mr. Marcus Brooks, who stands as a shining example of the tremendous 
impact of hard work, nurturing others and service to the community to 
encourage others to reach their highest potential.

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