Moment of Silence in Honor of Congressman Major R. Owens

Floor Speech

Ms. CLARKE. Mr. Speaker, my colleagues, we were all saddened last Monday evening to hear of the passing of my predecessor, the Honorable Congressman Major R. Owens, and I stand here with colleagues to commemorate his life and his record of dedicated service to the people of central Brooklyn.

Congressman Owens was committed to the children and families who had been marginalized and ignored by the body politic. He worked to involve the community in the control of local public schools in Brooklyn and was a strong advocate for education as a member of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce. His efforts were critical to the enactment of the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Congressman Owens had always been dedicated to expanding access to information and the empowerment of the citizenry. Before being elected to the New York State Senate, he was a proud librarian at the Brooklyn Public Library, and he remains the only librarian to have been a Member of Congress; and he was a mayoral appointee of Mayor John Lindsay as commissioner for the Community Development Agency, fighting on behalf of impoverished New York citizens.

Congressman Major Owens retired from elected office. He devoted himself to training the next generation of leaders. As a professor, he shared his experience with the students at Medgar Evers College.

Mr. Speaker, the example of Congressman Major R. Owens' public service will remain an inspiration to this and future generations of elected officials in Brooklyn and across the Nation.

Mr. Speaker, I ask that the House stand to offer a moment of silence in honor of the late Congressman Major R. Owens.

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