[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 155 (2009), Part 5]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 6743]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                   HONORING THE LIFE OF MARWAN BURGAN

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. JAMES P. MORAN

                              of virginia

                    in the house of representatives

                         Monday, March 9, 2009

  Mr. MORAN of Virginia. Madam Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to 
the life of Marwan Burgan, community activist, human rights leader, 
Democratic Party stalwart and dear personal friend. Marwan's long 
struggle with cancer has ended, but the contributions he made to 
Northern Virginia, particularly within the Arab American community, 
will continue as a lasting tribute to his life.
  By his own example of civic engagement and leadership, Marwan served 
as a remarkable model for other first-generation Palestinian Americans. 
In 2008, he founded PACE (Project for American Civic Engagement), to 
facilitate placement of underrepresented young people into Congress as 
interns and staff. His devotion to public service and efforts to 
politically empower young people, especially in the Arab American 
community, has charted a course for a next generation of engaged, 
enlightened and energetic leaders.
  A lifelong civil servant, Marwan worked in Congress for eight years, 
first as a Foreign Affairs Legislative Assistant, then Legislative 
Director, and finally as Chief of Staff for former Congressman Mervyn 
Dymally. Later in his career, he dived into local government, serving 
as Chief Aide to Penny Gross, a member of the Board of Supervisors of 
Fairfax County.
  Ever since moving to Northern Virginia in the late 1980's, Marwan was 
heavily involved in local politics and the Democratic Party in 
Virginia. In his home county of Fairfax, he served as Vice-Chair of 
Fairfax County Democratic Committee (FCDC) for Voter Registration, 
chaired the Local Affairs Committee for FCDC and until his death, 
served on the Steering Committee for the Democratic Party of Virginia.
  On the night he passed away, Marwan was planning to attend a dinner 
with Speaker Pelosi and Northern Virginia leaders at my home. He was 
feeling especially weak that day and had to decline. I wish he had been 
able to come. Despite his pain, it would have brought a smile to his 
lips to hear the Speaker explain how close we are to achieving 
universal healthcare and economic opportunity for all Americans and the 
renewed hope for peace throughout the world--issues he had spent his 
life fighting for.
  Madam Speaker, when someone dies so young, it's important that we 
bear in mind the real tragedy of life is not at death but what dies 
inside of us while we live. In that sense Marwan lived a long and 
fruitful life. He never lost his passion, courage or commitment for 
justice and human rights. Without Marwan its now up to us to stand up 
and speak out all the louder for what he cared about: dignity of all 
human beings, the end of the violence and oppression which in many 
parts of the world is taken for granted, and the love of each other as 
precious instruments of our God.

                          ____________________