[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 154 (2008), Part 13]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 17771]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




            HONORING THE CAREER AND SERVICE OF MARTHA FLORES

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. ILEANA ROS-LEHTINEN

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, July 30, 2008

  Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Madam Speaker, I humbly honor a dear friend and a 
strong community activist, Martha Flores, who has done so much to 
improve our South Florida area and who relentlessly promotes the cause 
of human rights. Miami-Dade County has honored Martha by naming the 
segment of 8th Street and SW 42 Ave after her. This is a testament to 
her dedication and service to our community. After leaving her native 
Cuba to escape Fidel Castro's communist regime, she established deep 
roots in Miami. She has been the producer and host of a nightly radio 
program, ``La Noche y Usted (The Night and You), which has earned the 
greatest audience of all nightly Spanish talk shows in South Florida.
  In recognition of her indelible impact on the community, Martha 
Flores was the first woman enshrined in the ``Calle Ocho Walk of 
Fame.'' Throughout her distinguished career, she has received many 
accolades, but this has not deterred her from her main objective: to 
humbly serve her community. One of her first radio shows, ``La Voz de 
la Mujer (the Voice of a Woman),'' was the first Spanish radio program 
that raised issues concerning the plight of Cuban exiles. She never 
forgot her homeland and for nearly 50 years now she has been at the 
forefront, while working alongside numerous community organizations, of 
bringing to light the repression of Castro's Cuba.
  Martha Flores has selflessly given of her time and resources to 
volunteer for many humanitarian causes including the League Against 
Cancer and League Against Blindness. In addition, she also helped St. 
Jude Children's Research Hospital raise much needed funds. She has been 
instrumental in bringing public attention and awareness to the needs of 
the elderly and disabled adults through her radio program and 
volunteerism. She will also be the first ever recipient of the Claude 
Pepper Memorial Award in the Media category.
  Martha has also made her radio show available to those who work on 
behalf of a free and independent Cuba, the sacred land of her birth. 
She sends a nightly message of hope and solidarity to her multitude of 
fans, many from the oppressed island nation.
  Once again, I would like to congratulate Martha Flores for her recent 
honor as well as for all the service and activism she has undertaken. 
South Florida is honored to have her and the example she has given all 
of us.

                          ____________________