[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 161 (2015), Part 5]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 6679]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                   25TH ANNUAL LOCAL COLORS FESTIVAL

                                  _____
                                 

                           HON. BOB GOODLATTE

                              of virginia

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, May 13, 2015

  Mr. GOODLATTE. Mr. Speaker, as the Roanoke community prepares to 
celebrate the 25th Annual Local Colors Festival, I want to take this 
opportunity to express my deepest thanks to my constituent, Pearl Fu, 
for her leadership of the Roanoke Valley's annual celebration of our 
diverse heritage.
  Pearl is a truly special individual and has played an instrumental 
role in bringing the Roanoke Valley together over the last quarter 
century. She has offered Local Colors as a special event to remind us 
that, as Americans, we are one country out of many nationalities that 
have preceded us on these shores. In Local Colors, she solidified a 
celebration of the varied cultures that make up the Roanoke region. She 
helped increase awareness of our history--a melting pot of origins, 
races, and ethnic backgrounds.
  Late last year, Pearl marked the culmination of her leadership of 
this event. Local Colors is known by many for what they encounter at 
the festival--a day to share food and fellowship; enjoy music, arts, 
and crafts; and, experience the languages, attire, and traditions of 
the more than 100 countries whose roots have been planted in Roanoke 
and its neighboring cities, towns, and counties.
  However, I also want to recognize Pearl for what she did day in and 
day out for so many years. Through Local Colors, she worked with many 
other individuals and organizations to offer language translations and 
conflict resolution, publicity in the local media, and multicultural 
education for schoolchildren, community organizations, government 
officials, and businesses. Without Pearl at the helm, none of this 
would have been possible.
  I fondly remember selecting Local Colors as a ``Local Legacy'' 
project in 1999, bringing national recognition from the Library of 
Congress that has permitted so many people around our nation and around 
the world to experience what Local Colors is all about. They can visit 
the Library of Congress, view the digital recognition on the Internet, 
or visit the festival to see all that it has become.
  Local Colors is truly one of America's proud traditions. Pearl can 
stand assured that she has been responsible for its success and the 
community is thankful to her for helping them experience such a 
memorable event over so many years.
  As Pearl steps away from the leadership of Local Colors, I and so 
many others will continue to support and experience Local Colors as a 
way of showing the world that we are truly one nation. I extend my 
gratitude to Pearl for making it all possible for us and for her deep 
spirit of goodwill.

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