[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 22]
[House]
[Page 31283]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                          MR. AUGUSTUS HAWKINS

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentlewoman from California (Ms. Watson) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Ms. WATSON. Mr. Speaker, we mourn the passing of a great Congressman 
whose public service was emulated by leaders present and past. Gus 
Hawkins has left us with a sterling legacy that was built on the 
politics of inclusion.
  While in office, he authored over 100 laws in the area of adult 
education, apprenticeship training, slum clearance, low-cost housing, 
workmen's compensation for domestics, disability insurance, pensions 
for senior citizens, and child care centers. He was also responsible 
for the Fair Employment Practice Act of 1959, the Manpower Development 
and Training Act of 1962, and the Fair Housing Act of 1963. More 
importantly, he authored the Elementary and Secondary School Act of 
1965, which was an extensive statute funding primary and secondary 
education.
  As a founding member of the Congressional Black Caucus, he chaired 
various committees and continued in his effort to enhance educational 
opportunities for children. He was instrumental in forming the National 
Council on Educating Black Children.
  Augustus Hawkins' philosophy of service and leadership to the State 
of California and the Nation is perhaps best said in his own words, and 
I quote, ``The leadership belongs not to the loudest, not to those who 
beat the drums or blow the trumpets, but to those who day in and day 
out in all seasons work for the practical realization of a better 
world, those who have the stamina to persist and to remain dedicated. 
To those belong the leadership.''

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