[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 156 (2010), Part 13]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 19125]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                A TRIBUTE TO JASMINE DANIELLE VELAZQUEZ

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. EDOLPHUS TOWNS

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, December 7, 2010

  Mr. TOWNS. Madam Speaker, I rise today in recognition of Jasmine 
Danielle Velazquez.
  Jasmine Danielle Velazquez is a natural born leader. Growing up in 
Bushwick, Brooklyn in her grandmother's three-family house, she 
realized at an early age the effects of economic disparities. She saw 
her grandmother at her ripe age of 70 remain a staple in the community, 
making sure that the community was treated with dignity and respect by 
all its inhabitants and visitors. Jasmine noticed that families were 
simply doing what it took to survive and experienced the real meaning 
of ``it takes a village to raise a child.''
  That village helped Jasmine stay on a focused track. She was accepted 
into a specialized middle school in East Harlem, Manhattan East Junior 
High School, where she developed her love of the arts and leadership, 
becoming Vice President of the Student Body in 8th grade. Jasmine went 
on to attend a prestigious Catholic school in the Bronx, Mt. St. 
Ursula. Catholic school was a very unique experience. Although Jasmine 
was not used to the structure of Catholic education, she blossomed 
academically.
  At the age of 17, Jasmine had an unexpected life altering decision to 
make--she was pregnant. Jasmine decided that she would not become a 
statistic as another African American/Latina teen mother. She gave 
birth to her daughter, graduated from high school early, and enrolled 
into Fordham University.
  During her tenure at Fordham, Jasmine was incredibly active. She 
became the President of the Black Student Union her junior year, where 
she advocated for students' rights. Jasmine was awarded the W.E.B. 
DuBois Award for Academic Excellence as well as the Senior Leadership 
Award for Outstanding Leadership. She received her Bachelor's of Arts 
at Fordham University, majoring in African and African American Studies 
as well as Communications and Media Studies in 2008.
  Jasmine was accepted into the esteemed Teach for America program 
where she taught as a Special Education Teacher at P.S. 165 in 
Brownsville, Brooklyn. Jasmine currently teaches at Geoffrey Canada's 
Harlem Children's Zone Promise Academy Upper Elementary/Middle School, 
where she is a Learning Specialist teaching students with special needs 
in small groups. Jasmine loves her job and wants to advocate for 
families on a larger scale.
  This year, Jasmine ran for District Leader/State Committeewoman in 
Brooklyn's 50th Assembly District, which covers Greenpoint, 
Williamsburg, Fort Greene, and Clinton Hill. She ran against longtime 
incumbent Linda Minucci who has been serving as District Leader for 
over 26 years. Jasmine did not win the race, but she will continue 
advocating for people in her community and advance her political 
career.
  Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in recognizing the 
achievements of Jasmine Danielle Velazquez.

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