[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 145 (1999), Part 12]
[Senate]
[Page 16989]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



        SWEARING IN OF DIANE WATSON AS AMBASSADOR TO MICRONESIA

  Mrs. FEINSTEIN. Mr. President, it is with real pleasure that I rise 
today to note the swearing-in this afternoon of California State 
Senator Diane Watson as United States Ambassador to the Federated 
States of Micronesia. Senator Watson's confirmation was a long time 
coming, and I am proud that today she will finally come to occupy the 
Ambassadorial posting which she so well deserves.
  State Senator Watson was the first African-American women elected to 
the California State Senate, and has represented California's 26th 
District--which includes Los Angeles, Culver City, Ladera Heights, 
Baldwin Hills, Palms, Miracle Mile, Mar Vista, Cheviot Hills, and 
Koreatown--since 1978. Senator Watson has been a real leader in 
California politics and community life, and has been in the forefront 
of the fight for civil rights and human rights in Los Angeles and the 
entire state of California for her entire career. She was a dedicated 
crusader in the desegregation of Los Angeles school, and, in 1975, 
became the first elected African American to serve on the Board of 
Education of the Los Angeles Unified School District.
  Prior to her elected office, Senator Watson led a distinguished 
career in the field of education, including service as an assistant 
superintendent of child welfare, a school psychologist, and as a member 
of the faculty at both California State university Los Angeles and Long 
Beach. She has also traveled extensively, participating in numerous 
international conference on women's health issues, democracy building, 
and trade.
  As a member of the State Senate and as an educator, Diane Watson has 
always brought honor to the organizations and people she has 
represented. For many years now she has been a leader in improving the 
lives of Californians, and I am pleased that the people of the United 
States will now also be able to benefit from her experience, energy, 
and talents as our Ambassador to the Federated States of Micronesia.

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