[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 146 (2000), Part 1]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 585-586]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



                       A TRIBUTE TO SONIA SANCHEZ

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. ROBERT A. BRADY

                            of pennsylvania

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, February 2, 2000

  Mr. BRADY of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I rise to pay tribute to a 
woman who has become a living legend in Philadelphia and around the 
world, Sonia Sanchez. Sonia Sanchez deserves our praise for reasons 
more numerous than can be listed here. Her leading roles as a mother, 
activist, professor, and poet have made her a beacon of hope to people 
who have traditionally been marginalized in our society, including 
people of color, homosexuals, women, the poor and the young. A petite, 
African-American woman born into a poor family in Alabama, Sonia 
Sanchez transcended what most would consider a modest existence to 
become one of Temple University's most cherished professors. It is with 
a hint of sadness that I reflect on her accomplishments today, for last 
month Sonia decided to retire from Temple University, after 22 years of 
service.
  To realize the significance that Sonia has had on our community, one 
need look no further than her resume, which serves as a testament to 
Sonia's courage and the strength of her convictions. She is the author 
of 16 books including Homecoming, We a BaddDDD People, and Homegirls 
and Handgrenades, for which she won the American Book Award in 1985. 
Sonia has also edited two anthologies; We Be Word Sorcerers: 25 Stories 
by Black Americans and 360 Degrees of Blackness Coming at You. She was 
furthermore a contributing editor to The Black Scholar and The

[[Page 586]]

Journal of African Studies. Sonia has won a multitude of national 
awards for her accomplishments in literature including the Governor's 
Award for Excellence in the Humanities in 1988 and the Outstanding Arts 
Award from the Pennsylvania Coalition of Black Women.
  Sonia's works are now recognized all over the world. She has lectured 
at over 500 universities and colleges in the United States and has 
traveled extensively, reading her poetry in Africa, Cuba, England, the 
People's Republic of China, Norway, and Canada. Despite such 
international acclaim, Sonia has always focused her efforts to the 
shaping of young minds, which for the past 22 years has been back in 
Philadelphia at Temple University. Her brilliant career in education, 
which began on the west coast at San Francisco State University (where 
she started one of the first black studies curriculums in the United 
States) has always pushed the edges, breaking down barriers between men 
and women, whites and blacks, and intellectuals and the working class.
  This unique contribution has not gone unnoticed at Temple University. 
Sonia was the first Presidential Fellow at Temple University and 
currently holds the Laura Carnell Chair in English as well as being the 
Chairperson of the Women's Studies Program. As you can see, Temple 
University will sorely miss the presence of Sonia Sanchez. However, I 
am confident that retirement will not mute the voice that has 
influenced so many of us over the past 65 years. It is with great pride 
that I reflect on these past years in which Philadelphia has been home 
to Sonia Sanchez. And it is with great enthusiasm that I hope for many 
more.

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