[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 146 (2000), Part 12]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 17217]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



                 IN HONOR OF JULIAN ``RICH'' RICHARDSON

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. BARBARA LEE

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, September 6, 2000

  Ms. LEE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay homage and tribute to a 
great community leader and mentor. Julian ``Rich'' Richardson, an 
honorable member of the Oakland/San Francisco Bay Area community, and a 
great distributor of knowledge to the human family, passed away Monday, 
August 21, 2000.
  It was an honor and privilege to have known this incredible man, whom 
I called my friend. One of eight children, Rich put himself through 
school at the Tuskegee Institute, founded by Booker T. Washington, 
working nights and weekends at a print shop. He studied under the 
famous scientist George Washington Carver, and earned a degree in 
Lithography.
  While at Tuskegee Institute he married his beautiful and brilliant 
wife, Raye, and they settled in San Francisco in the 1940's, a time 
when Black people were still denied access to many hotels, restaurants, 
and jobs that paid a livable wage. During the Korean conflict he served 
his country in the Army as a map printer, and in 1960 launched Success 
Printing, a printing and publishing company.
  Julian Richardson then opened Success Books, later renamed Marcus 
Books, after Marcus Garvey, the Jamaican and Harlem-based Black 
Nationalist who urged Blacks to foster a connection to their African 
homeland and learn a history commonly ignored in American textbooks.
  Marcus Books is not only one of the oldest Black-owned bookstores in 
the country, it is a venue for new and vintage novels, a place for the 
community to meet with the numerous Black intellectuals, poets, and 
legends who frequent the store on book tours. Rich not only sold books 
that bettered the lives and intellects of countless members of the 
community, he cultivated an audience for the books and nurtured 
authors, even publishing a number of them.
  Rich, with his family by his side, introduced a world of literature 
and an appreciation of books to thousands of people who would not have 
had such an opportunity without his landmark bookstores. At Marcus 
Bookstores, I personally spent many hours among my heroes; the 
intellectuals, artists, musicians, poets, and authors that spoke 
through the enormous collection of works contained within the shelves. 
Many times I came across authors with whom I was unfamiliar, and this 
remarkable community institution allowed me to expand my intellect and 
world view by discovering their work.
  Rich was a giant among men, a champion for Black people and a true 
leader in every sense of the word. His great insight and wisdom allowed 
him to be a mentor, educator, and even a surrogate to young men in the 
community who did not know their fathers and looked to him for advice, 
support, and criticism that was given with compassion. On a personal 
level, Rich always encouraged me no matter what I was doing--as a 
student, an aide to Congressman Ron Dellums, and throughout my career 
of public service--Rich uplifted my spirits and told me to carry on.
  I know I speak for the thousands of individuals whose lives have been 
bettered in saying that Julian ``Rich'' Richardson will be greatly 
missed, and that his contribution to the Black community and the entire 
world is immeasurable.

                          ____________________