[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 145 (1999), Part 6] [Extensions of Remarks] [Page 8937] [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]IN HONOR OF BETTY FRANKLIN-HAMMONDS ______ HON. TAMMY BALDWIN of wisconsin in the house of representatives Thursday, May 6, 1999 Ms. BALDWIN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay solemn tribute to a longtime civil rights advocate, Betty Franklin-Hammonds, of Madison, Wisconsin. Ms. Franklin-Hammonds has been known in the Madison community for her long-time advocacy on behalf of human equality and mutual understanding. She has ranked among the region's noted civil rights leaders, and has been widely recognized as effective, tenacious, low-key, and out front in nearly every civil rights campaign of the past 20 years. It is with great sadness that I note her passing on April 28, 1999. Betty Franklin-Hammonds' commitment to organizations such as the NAACP and the Urban League was critical in ensuring equal rights for all of our citizens. Her unshakeable belief in equality of education for all was likely the force behind her strong leadership of the Madison Committee on the Achievement of Black Students, leadership which positively affected the educational possibilities for countless African American children in Madison. For nearly a decade, Betty Franklin-Hammonds served as the publisher of the Madison Times, today one of the most widely-read publications in Dane County. In her weekly column, Betty Franklin-Hammonds remained an outspoken advocate, sometimes voicing the concerns of thousands of others, other times advising, educating, or comforting. Her unselfish contributions to the community brought numerous awards and recognition and she graciously accepted it all in stride, never slowing for even a minute from the enduring struggle for human equality and understanding. In the past few years, she has been recognized for her leadership at the helm of the Madison Urban League, and in 1993, Betty received the City of Madison's prestigious Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Humanitarian Award. Earlier this year, she received the City of Madison Martin Luther King Heritage Award, and this month was due to receive the YWCA's Women of Distinction Award. In recognition of the lifelong leadership provided by Ms. Betty Franklin-Hammonds, I ask the Congress today to recognize the life of this great Civil Rights leader. She will be greatly missed by many, but her legacy lives on, as together we strive to achieve the goals of equality, education, and understanding that were so central to her life's work. ____________________