[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 150 (2004), Part 14]
[Senate]
[Page 18686]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                      HONORING WILMER AMINA CARTER

 Mrs. BOXER. Mr. President, I rise today to recognize the 
tremendous public service of Wilmer Amina Carter. Mrs. Carter has long 
served as a leader, mentor and an advocate for children in San 
Bernardino County. For her longstanding personal commitment to her 
community and to the academic achievement of young people, the city of 
Rialto's third high school will be named Wilmer Amina Carter High 
School in her honor.
  The Wilmer Amina Carter High School is the first high school in the 
Inland Empire to be named after a living African-American woman. Mrs. 
Carter earned this honor through the many pioneering and leadership 
roles she has assumed in her community.
  Born in an era when adequate public education for African-American 
children was not provided, Mrs. Carter was fortunate to receive an 
education from her grandfather. In her professional and personal 
pursuits, Mrs. Carter has always worked to provide others with the 
immensely important and empowering opportunities afforded her through 
education. She capped this service with 16 years as a member of the 
Rialto Board of Education.
  Mrs. Carter also served for 23 years as district director for the 
late, much revered United States Congressman George Brown, Jr. There, 
she carried out Congressman Brown's directive that everyone receive 
careful attention and compassionate service.
  Mrs. Carter used her scholarship and expertise to guide educational 
policy and curriculum in her community and beyond. Under her 
leadership, a school career education venture of the National Council 
of Negro Women, Inc. and the United States Department of Labor became a 
nationwide model for high school career development programs.
  In her service to the Rialto Unified School District, Mrs. Carter 
became the first African-American member of the Rialto Board of 
Education in 1983 and served until 1999. Throughout her tenure on the 
board of education, Mrs. Carter sought to make education a valued 
community endeavor, helping both young people and parents navigate the 
school system to optimize positive outcomes. She has been an inspiring 
force in ensuring that our Nation's future leaders have the tools they 
need to achieve their dreams.
  The dedication of this school reflects the impact of a woman who has 
provided an outstanding model of determination and service. I am 
confident that, true to Mrs. Carter's life work, this school's name 
will serve as a constant reminder to the students who pass through its 
doors of their immense potential to achieve and effect positive change 
in their local and national communities. And knowing Mrs. Carter's 
penchant for hands on involvement, it would not surprise me to see her 
at the school, working to instill those values in its students. It is 
with great pleasure that I congratulate Mrs. Wilmer Amina Carter on 
this much-deserved recognition.

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