[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 149 (2003), Part 12]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 16268-16269]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




            IN MEMORY AND PRAISE OF MAYNARD HOLBROOK JACKSON

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. MAJOR R. OWENS

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, June 25, 2003

  Mr. OWENS. Mr. Speaker, l join with all of my colleagues, with the 
family and with all Americans in mourning the passage of a great 
political leader and a personal friend, Mayor Maynard Jackson. I rise 
to salute the outstanding achievements of the former Mayor of Atlanta 
who was also a national political leader and a major asset of the 
Democratic Party. But before I sound the loud trumpets which are 
appropriate for the highlighting of Mayor Jackson's public life, I 
would like to pause and note my fond personal memories of Maynard.
  In the Morehouse College class of 1956 he was my classmate. But even 
more intimate than that space were the roles we shared as part of an 
experimental program sponsored by the Ford Foundation. Maynard and I 
were two of 30 college freshmen who had been admitted without 
completing the last 2 years of high school. Most of the so called 
``Ford Boys'' were 16 years old. Maynard was the youngest at age 14.
  Maynard was a native of Atlanta, the location of Morehouse College. 
He was a member of one of the oldest African American leadership 
families. Maynard even at that early age had a strong sense of mission 
and personal responsibility. Despite his youth he became the host for 
our group of 30 special students. We were from very different worlds. 
My father was a factory worker who had never earned more than the 
minimum wage. But during that freshman year Maynard's father who was 
the minister of one of Atlanta's most prestigious churches, died 
suddenly. My mother also died in the Spring of that year. Few 
understand better than I did the sudden escalated maturation of the 14 
year old Maynard. It was probably the first great crisis of his life 
but he rallied his personal resources and he overcame that great 
emotional obstacle. It was a challenge which set a pattern for the rest 
of his life and career.
  My classmate, Mayor Maynard Jackson leaves a clear and shining legacy 
for all to see and for African American leaders to utilize as a guiding 
beacon. Mayor Maynard sought power and through a very creative strategy 
and set of tactics he won power. But the truly distinguishing 
achievement of Mayor Maynard Jackson was his bold and uncompromising 
use of his power to further empower the African American community of 
Atlanta. In very concrete dollar and cents terms he confronted the 
business elite of Atlanta and forced the opening of new doors of 
significant business opportunities for minorities.
  Under Mayor Jackson's early leadership as Mayor, Atlanta City 
contracts soared from less than 1 per cent in 1973 to 39 per cent 
within 5 years. Many of these contracts were related to the 
construction of the expanded world class Atlanta airport. It is 
believed that several dozen new black millionaires were created via 
Maynard's mandated joint venture models. It is important to note that 
the airport expansion was still completed ahead of time and under

[[Page 16269]]

budget. For African Americans unprecedented new opportunities were 
opened up as a result of the Mayor's confrontation with the white 
business establishment. Maynard Jackson could never be called an 
``empty suit'' concerned only with the ceremony and symbolism of being 
the first Black Mayor of Atlanta. The legacy he leaves is a lesson for 
all African American leaders: power is acquired for the purpose of 
empowering those who lacked power before. Martin Luther King's movement 
and the Voting Rights Act were constructed, not to install peacocks 
with their limited agendas for personal wealth and fame; instead the 
assumption of public office is a method of extending the struggle.
  Let it be noted and fully understood that Maynard Jackson had to pay 
a price for his courage and his boldness on behalf of the continuing 
struggle. When he left office as Mayor, the white establishment 
attempted to lynch him economically by denying him an appropriate berth 
in the private sector. Fortunately, it was one more hurdle which 
Maynard overcame. More of the story of the battle of Atlanta must be 
told in order for the legacy to be understood clearly. Mayor Maynard 
Jackson was more than just a successful politician. He was a 
trailblazer, a hero who set high standards that all African American 
public officials must measure up to in performance.

                          ____________________