[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 150 (2004), Part 9]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 11360-11361]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




  RECOGNIZING LEONARD PITTS, JR. FOR BEING AWARDED THE 2004 PULITZER 
                   PRIZE IN JOURNALISM FOR COMMENTARY

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. ALCEE L. HASTINGS

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, June 1, 2004

  Mr. HASTINGS of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate 
Mr. Leonard Pitts, Jr. of The Miami Herald, winner of the 2004 Pulitzer 
Prize in Journalism for Commentary. As a long-time fan of Mr. Pitts' 
work, I am delighted that he has been honored with this very 
prestigious award.
  Leonard Pitts is a hugely talented writer with a sharp eye and a 
sharp wit. Newspaper readers in Miami and around the country who are 
fortunate to read his column would surely agree. Mr. Pitts' work is an 
important contribution to the social and political debate in America, 
and I am immensely grateful for his dedication to upholding the highest 
standard of his craft.
  Formerly a pop music critic, Leonard Pitts was hired by The Miami 
Herald in 1991. By

[[Page 11361]]

1994 he was writing about race and current affairs in his own column. 
Syndicated nationally, Leonard Pitts 1999 book Becoming Dad: Black Men 
and the Journey to Fatherhood was a bestseller.
  After the September 11 attacks on New York and Washington, D.C., 
Pitts' Herald column headlined ``We'll Go Forward From This Moment'' 
was widely circulated on the Internet and frequently quoted in the 
press. In the column, Pitts bluntly expressed his anger, defiance and 
resolve to an unnamed evil terrorist. He wrote, ``You monster. You 
beast. You unspeakable bastard.'' These words, which I remember reading 
the first time, expressed what so many of us were feeling at the moment 
and still feel today.
  Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to share this moment with Leonard Pitts, 
Jr. and his family. On behalf of this body, I express my 
congratulations to him and wish him well.

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