Holcombe Rucker Park National Commemorative Site Act

Floor Speech

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 6852, the Holcombe Rucker Park National Commemorative Site Act, introduced by my colleague from New York City, Representative Espaillat.

Holcombe Rucker Park in Harlem is named in honor of Holcombe Rucker, who dedicated his life to uplifting his community in Harlem through compassion.

A World War II veteran and graduate of the City College of New York, Mr. Rucker returned home from his military service and continued a life in public service as a junior high school teacher and as the playground director for New York City Parks at several parks in Harlem, including the one that now bears his name.

During his tenure at the park, Mr. Rucker not only served as a mentor for the community's youth but was actively engaged in empowering them. He established a youth basketball league to help kids build life skills and to keep them out of trouble in the summer, back at a time when naysayers told him it would never work because basketball was supposedly just a winter sport.

The program was a success. Mr. Rucker held popular, now-legendary tournaments at the park which became the Rucker Tournament. His efforts turned this neighborhood site into what The New York Times has called a ``Street Basketball Mecca.''

Using the increased visibility, Mr. Rucker went even further and worked to help secure hundreds of college scholarships for the youths he mentored.

Through the establishment of the Rucker Tournament, Mr. Rucker paved the way for future generations of basketball players to grow and build their skills in Harlem and Washington Heights. Many of the players who participated in his tournaments went on to play in the NBA and became legendary players in their own right. The park was renamed in his honor in 1974 and is often affectionately called just ``the Rucker.''

My friend Mr. Espaillat's bill would recognize the iconic Holcombe Rucker Park and its historical significance in Harlem and around the world by designating it as the Holcombe Rucker Park National Commemorative Site.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on the bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.
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Ms. OCASIO-CORTEZ. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support the legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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