[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 161 (2015), Part 12]
[Senate]
[Page 16664]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                         ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS

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           TRIBUTE TO REVEREND DOCTOR M. WILLIAM HOWARD, JR.

 Mr. BOOKER. Mr. President, today I would like to recognize 
Rev. Dr. M. William Howard, Jr., pastor of Newark's Bethany Baptist 
Church. Dr. Howard has spent many decades leading the charge for 
change, fueled by his personal mission to utilize his faith to 
transform the human condition.
  From his Georgia roots to his work at Bethany Baptist, Dr. Howard has 
shown an extraordinary commitment to serving others. His work outside 
of the church has spanned the realms of human rights, international 
affairs, domestic policy, and education. In his role over the last 15 
years as pastor of Bethany Baptist Church, he has worked tirelessly to 
expand outreach to the community as a whole.
  Since his first position as a youth leader conducting some of the 
earliest voter outreach efforts in southwest Georgia, Dr. Howard has 
been a beacon of light across the globe, bridging the worlds of faith 
and political activism. He has consistently taken on leadership roles, 
serving as moderator of the Programme to Combat Racism of the World 
Council of Churches, president of the National Council of Churches, and 
president of the American Committee on Africa. Through these posts, Dr. 
Howard has provided a powerful example of our Nation's commitment to 
human rights and equality. In ministering to U.S. personnel held 
hostage in Iran in 1979 and working for the release of U.S. Navy pilot 
Robert O. Goodman, Dr. Howard was a quiet but powerful force for faith 
and peace.
  Dr. Howard's record of service and leadership domestically is equally 
impressive. Serving as president of New York Theological Seminary, he 
demonstrated the importance of interdisciplinary approaches to 
community development by implementing joint programs in social work and 
urban education. He has been a board member for such organizations as 
the National Urban League, the Children's Defense Fund, and the Rutgers 
University Board of Governors. Under his leadership, the New Jersey 
Death Penalty Study Commission was instrumental in New Jersey becoming 
the first State to abolish the death penalty since 1976.
  Finally, Dr. Howard's impact on the city of Newark has been 
remarkable. As pastor of Bethany, Dr. Howard quickly established 
Bethany Cares, Inc., and through this outreach corporation, the church 
has actively transcended its congregation walls to serve the community 
at large. Such transformative work has played an integral part in 
strengthening the development of New Jersey's largest city.
  After 15 years of devoted service as pastor of Bethany Baptist 
Church, Dr. Howard will be retiring. It is an honor to formally 
recognize Dr. Howard for his unwavering commitment to creating a better 
world.

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