Honoring Jerry Whyatt Mondesire

HONORING JERRY WHYATT MONDESIRE -- (Extensions of Remarks - July 09, 2004)

SPEECH OF
HON. ROBERT A. BRADY
OF PENNSYLVANIA
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
FRIDAY, JULY 9, 2004

Mr. BRADY of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor the accomplishments of journalist, former Congressional staffer, Pennsylvania State NAACP Vice President, Philadelphia NAACP President, and activist Jerry Whyatt Mondesire. Mr. Mondesire has consistently proven himself to be a proponent of civil rights and an agent of social activism here in the United States and around the world.

Mr. Mondesire's career as a journalist began in college, where he discovered that each of his school's four student newspapers intentionally overlooked the concerns and affairs of the school's African-American student minority. In response to this negligence, and to address the diverse needs of the student body, he helped found an Afrocentric magazine. Within a year, Mondesire took control of one of the campus' weekly papers and set up a fully integrated staff.

Mr. Mondesire's post-collegiate journalistic career was further marked by the activism that had so deeply characterized his years in college. After a decade in mainstream journalism, he concluded that the "glass ceiling" that denied African-Americans to work and excel to their full potential was present in that field. He left his editorial position at a major Philadelphia newspaper in order to become Chief of Staff for the Majority Whip of the U.S. Congress; there he was able to utilize his talents to combat both foreign and domestic social inequities. After spending 12 years in the most prestigious Congressional staff position, he rekindled his passion, revitalized his journalistic career and sought to address the issue of the journalistic glass ceiling by helping start The Philadelphia Sunday Sun.

In the past twelve years, Jerry Mondesire has become the host of a radio public affairs program on WDAS FM, the host of a cable television program called "Freedomquest", President of the Philadelphia National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, and Vice President of the Pennsylvania state NAACP. This gentleman is clearly an example of social activism at its best.

It is a privilege to recognize someone whose ambition, motivation, and desire for social equality are an inspiration to all Americans. I ask you and my other distinguished colleagues to join me in commending Mr. Mondesire for his lifetime of activism, journalistic integrity, and perseverance.

END