[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 149 (2003), Part 13]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 17774]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                        IN HONOR OF RUTH HUNTER

                                 ______
                                 

                             HON. SAM FARR

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, July 10, 2003

  Mr. FARR. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Ruth Hunter, a 
courageous activist who has spent her life doing what she felt was 
right, if not always popular. She works tirelessly to right both global 
and local wrongs, encompassing the community spirit of Santa Cruz 
County that sees inequality as everyone's problem.
  Ruth first caught the activist bug while visiting the Soviet Union in 
1985. Over the next 2 decades she traveled across war-ravaged and 
impoverished lands from Central America to Africa and the Middle East 
to document the suffering of people caught in the middle of global 
conflicts. She has protested the United States' involvement in some of 
these conflicts, not fearing arrest because she was advocating for what 
she believed was a greater cause. These selfless acts are an 
inspiration to anyone who wishes justice not just for their countrymen, 
but for all the people of the world.
  Throughout her travels, Ruth wrote about the places and people she 
visited, but it was not until the early 1990s that she made a career of 
her love of writing. Inspired by stories from the members of the 
Women's International League for Peace and Freedom, Ruth began 
publishing her work in La Gazette as a monthly columnist. It was these 
women's stories that also became the basis for her book, What a Life: 
Heroines Sung and Unsung.
  Ruth's passion for her work stems from the fun she has while doing 
good deeds. I know her personally as my Cuban dancing partner, and her 
friends warmly refer to her as the Queen of Mojitos! And through her 
good spirit and love for humanity, she continues to amaze us all by 
choosing to stand up and fight when so many people are content to sit 
down.
  Mr. Speaker, Ruth Hunter continues her work in activism and writing, 
even on her eighty-seventh birthday, and I wish to take this 
opportunity to honor her and to congratulate her for being an 
inspiration to us all.

                          ____________________