[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 89 (Wednesday, May 22, 2024)]
[House]
[Page H3404]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        HONORING MARICELA GARCIA

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from 
Illinois (Mrs. Ramirez) for 5 minutes.
  Mrs. RAMIREZ. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Maricela Garcia, 
whose distinguished career we celebrate today.
  Maricela will soon retire as the CEO of Gads Hill Center after 12 
years of transformative impact.
  A fellow Guatemalteca, Ms. Garcia immigrated to the U.S. in the 1980s 
seeking refuge from the civil war.
  In her country, Garcia founded Casa Guatemala to support newly 
arrived refugees and cofounded Women for Guatemala to build solidarity 
among women in the U.S. and Guatemala.
  Maricela's impact has been felt across the State of Illinois. In 
addition to her years at Gads Hill Center, she has led the Illinois 
Coalition for Refugee Rights and the Latino Policy Forum. Her work has 
empowered countless families, especially Black, Brown, and immigrant 
families, providing them with education, resources, and hope.
  On behalf of Illinois' Third Congressional District and the 
Guatemalan community in my district, it is my great honor to commend 
Maricela Garcia for her exceptional leadership.
  (English translation of the statement made in Spanish is as follows:)
  Her legacy reminds us of the strength, resilience, and contributions 
of immigrants in building a better future.
  Su legado nos recuerda la fuerza, la resilienca y las contribciones 
de los inmigrantes a la hora de forjar un futuro mejor.
  Congratulations.


                         Honoring Debbie Reznik

  Mrs. RAMIREZ. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Debbie Reznik for 30 
years of distinguished service to our communities, especially working 
to address homelessness.
  It is well known that Debbie has a standout philanthropic career. She 
has changed systems, strengthened sectors, and launched life-changing 
programs.
  What is lesser known is her legacy as a champion for young leaders.
  I met Debbie at the age of 19, having just been promoted to a 
leadership position in a Chicago nonprofit, and she made a commitment 
to me then to support me that day and has honored it every single day 
since. Twenty-one years later, I am who I am standing here in Congress 
in no small part because of Debbie.
  While Debbie is stepping down from her position at the Polk Bros. 
Foundation to pursue new adventures, we know that she will continue to 
be a tireless advocate for a more just and loving society.
  On behalf of Illinois' Third Congressional District, it is my great 
honor to commend Debbie Reznik for the lives changed and the impact 
made through her service to our communities.
  I congratulate and thank Debbie.


               Honoring Reverend Walter ``Slim'' Coleman

  Mrs. RAMIREZ. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life of Reverend 
Walter ``Slim'' Coleman, whose transformational leadership and powerful 
legacy has shaped the political and spiritual consciousness of so many. 
There is so much we have won in Chicago and across the Nation that 
would not be possible without the witness of Reverend Slim Coleman.
  A retired United Methodist pastor, Reverend Coleman and his wife, 
Emma Lozano showed us how to truly love our neighbors when they opened 
the doors of Adalberto Memorial United Methodist Church in Humboldt 
Park to provide sanctuary to Elvira Arellano and many other 
undocumented immigrants fighting their deportations. They laid the 
groundwork for Chicago to declare itself a sanctuary city.
  As a movement builder across several decades, his work with the 
Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, Students for a Democratic 
Society, and, eventually, the Rainbow Coalition showed us how to build 
multiracial, multicultural solidarity movements that center our mutual 
liberation.
  He laid a foundation of solidarity for both Chicago's first Black 
mayor, Harold Washington, and Chicago's most recently elected mayor, 
Mayor Brandon Johnson, to take up their positions on the fifth floor of 
city hall.

                              {time}  1015

  As an organizer, Reverend Coleman showed us what people power can do. 
Whether through his work to establish local school councils throughout 
Chicago, register thousands of voters in the 1983 mayoral election, or 
build coalitions around housing, education, and jobs, his life and his 
legacy will continue to be a light in dark places, reminding us that 
``a united community will never be defeated,'' ``un pueblo unido jamas 
sera vencido.''
  To his wife, Pastora Emma Lozano, she is loved: I am with her. Pastor 
Coleman may have preceded her in his homegoing, but she is not alone.
  Mr. Speaker, on behalf of Illinois' Third Congressional District, it 
is my privilege to submit this commendation in the Record to honor the 
life and the legacy of Reverend Walter ``Slim'' Coleman.
  May Pastor Coleman rest in power. May he rest in power.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentlewoman from Illinois will provide a 
translation of her remarks to the Clerk.

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