[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 159 (2013), Part 4]
[Senate]
[Pages 5611-5612]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                CONGRATULATING PROFESSOR MUHAMMAD YUNUS

  Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, last week Congress recognized one of the 
planet's leading visionaries and humanitarians by awarding Prof. 
Muhammad Yunus the Congressional Gold Medal.
  The ceremony occurred just a few hundred yards from here in the 
august Capitol Rotunda. There to pay tribute to this proud son of 
Bangladesh, this banker to the poor, this Nobel laureate were Members 
of Congress, former heads of state, diplomats, heads of major companies 
and foundations, and grassroots activists--all of whom have been 
inspired by the work of one great man--Prof. Muhammad Yunus. It was a 
great privilege for me to be there.
  More than 6 years ago I introduced a resolution in the Senate to 
award Professor Yunus the Congressional Gold Medal. I was joined in 
this effort by my friends, former Utah Senator Robert Bennett and 
Representative Rush Holt in the House.
  We had a lot of help outside of Congress in making this happen. 
Joanne Carter and her team at RESULTS were instrumental. Thousands of 
RESULTS grassroots volunteers across the country contacted their 
Members of Congress and asked them to support the effort to recognize 
Professor Yunus. Two of those volunteers were Cindy Levin and Richard 
Smiley from Illinois. I am pleased that both could be here to see their 
hard work pay off.
  I first met Muhammad Yunus more than two decades ago in Bangladesh. 
His revolutionary concept of microcredit and the Grameen Bank that he 
founded was helping to lift millions out of poverty. He loaned small 
amounts of money traditional banks wouldn't bother with to individuals 
traditional banks wouldn't bother with.
  His innovative idea defied old beliefs. He proved banking could be 
done without collateral and that investing in women worked. Most of 
Grameen Bank's loans go to poor women who go from beggars to 
entrepreneurs.

[[Page 5612]]

  I have seen it myself. Several years ago, in a ramshackle hut in 
Uganda, I met with three mothers who worked in the local market. I 
asked them, through an interpreter, how microcredit had changed their 
lives. One woman said: ``My knees have gone soft.'' I didn't understand 
what she meant so I asked her to explain. She said that before she 
received the microcredit loan that gave her a chance to go to market 
and make a little money, she used to have to crawl on her knees and beg 
her husband for money to feed her children. But she doesn't have to 
crawl anymore. Her knees have gone soft.
  Over the last nearly 40 years, more than 160 million people on five 
continents have received microloans. His idea changed the world.
  The Congressional Gold Medal is the highest civilian honor Congress 
can bestow and the practice dates back to the Continental Congress. 
Unlike other awards, each Congressional Gold Medal is unique to the 
recipient. It is specifically designed and sculpted according to the 
wishes of the recipient. I couldn't be more thrilled with how this 
tribute to Professor Yunus turned out. It is truly beautiful.
  The obverse of the medal was designed by Indiana artist Donna Weaver 
and sculpted by Phebe Hemphill. The portrait of Professor Yunus is 
meant to ``accurately reflect his optimistic and cheerful 
personality.'' He is depicted wearing the traditional Bengali jamdani 
fabric design.
  On the reverse, a ``lotus open in full bloom, rising above the water 
and cradling the world in its open petals'' evokes powerful symbolism. 
It was designed by Wisconsin artist Richard Masters and sculpted by Jim 
Licaretz. The Bangla inscription in the center is a quote taken from 
Professor Yunus' Nobel speech and reads, ``Let us send poverty to the 
museum.''
  Beyond the typical pomp and circumstance of these ceremonies, last 
week's event truly made history. Professor Yunus becomes the first 
Muslim to win the Congressional Gold Medal. Additionally, he becomes 
only the seventh person in history to receive the Presidential Medal of 
Freedom and the Congressional Gold Medal and the Nobel Peace Prize. In 
doing so, he joins truly exceptional company. Consider the six others 
with whom he now shares this honor: Nelson Mandela, Martin Luther King, 
Jr., Norman Borlaug, Elie Wiesel, Mother Teresa, and Aung San Suu Kyi. 
To most of us these individuals are giants of history; to Professor 
Yunus they are peers in the struggle to advance human dignity.
  Many probably thought Professor Yunus would be a contender for the 
Nobel Prize in Economics, but in awarding him the Peace Prize, the 
Nobel Committee recognized that lasting peace and prosperity can only 
come when the poor can escape the prison of poverty. As I noted at last 
week's ceremony, this simple but important lesson from a Bangladeshi 
professor should not be lost here in Congress.
  In addition to those I have already mentioned who contributed to this 
endeavor, there are many more who deserve a great deal of thanks. I 
would like to thank a few of them.
  First of all, Professor Yunus' assistant and the director of the 
Yunus Centre, Lamiya Morshed. She has worked tirelessly throughout this 
process--helping in the medal design and development and successfully 
taking on the daunting task of planning and coordinating a complex 
series of ceremonies, receptions, and meetings for Professor Yunus.
  The dedicated and professional staff of the U.S. Mint deserve great 
praise for their work to design and produce the medal. Throughout the 
process one person has held this project especially close to her heart. 
Leslie Schwager, program specialist for the Yunus Gold Medal, worked 
tirelessly with my staff, Lamiya, and within the Mint to keep the 
process on track.
  I would finally like to thank Speaker Boehner and his staff, as well 
as the staff of the Senate Sergeant at Arms, for their cooperation and 
leadership on the ceremony.
  At last, Prof. Muhammad Yunus, my friend, has received from Congress 
an honor he has deserved for so long. I congratulate him and his 
family. I thank the country of Bangladesh for sharing this beloved 
national hero with the world.

                          ____________________