PAF 9199
David Hoffman
Omar Douce
8-5-15
Major Owens: A true community leader
Major Owens, a former politician, civil rights icon and librarian dedicated over a half century of his lifeto improving the lives of others. Some of the issue that were dear to Major Owens included education, community development, minimum wage, gun control and healthcare. Major Owens was one of the most progressive members to ever represent Congress. He was someone who believed that education was essential to getting ahead in life. Education was without question the biggest issue Major Owens advocated for. He said in regards to education. “Proper nurturing of and attention to the educational process will achieve a positive domino reaction which will benefit employment and economic development.… The greater the education, the lesser the victimization by drugs, alcoholism, and swindles.… We have to believe that all power and progress really begins with education.”[i]
There were many people I could have written about that inspired to get involve in public service. However, if there was one person who helped me shaped my perception of public service was Major Owens. While attending Medgar Evers College, I took various courses in Public Administration but twocoursse that gave a real insight on how public policy works was called public bureaucracy and intro to public policy. The person who taught that course was none other than Major Owens himself. What I did not know at the time he was used represent NY 11th now the 9th Congressional District which comprised of Bed-stuy, crown heights, Midwood and East Flatbush. I’ll give a brief biography on Major Owens and some of the things he accomplished during his time in Congress.
Major Owens was born in Collierville, Tennessee, on June 28, 1936 during the New Deal Era. He received his BA degree from Morehouse College and MA in library science at Atlanta University. In the late 1950’s to the mid-1960’s he served a librarian in the Brooklyn Public Library. During that time he became involved with Brooklyn chapter of Congress of Racial Equality (CORE). During the early years of then NYC Mayor John Lindsay second term, he was appointed commissioners of community development agency which he was charge of anti-poverty programs. In 1974, he was elected to the New York State and served on the finance and social services committee. In 1982, Shirley Chisholm, the first African-American woman elected to Congress and to run for President on a major party ticket decided to retire. After a bitter contest for the primary, he won the general election with ease. [ii]
While in Congress Major Owens was known to get “raps” on the House floor. He gave these raps to highlight some of the issues that were important. Here is one example. This one is called “The Nation Needs Your Lunch” [iii]which talked about the newly controlled GOP in 1995 cutting school lunches.
Kids of America
There is a fiscal crunch
This great nation
Now needs your lunch
To set
The budget right
Go hungry
For one night
Don’t eat
What we could save
Be brave
Patriots stand out
Above the bunch
Some of the key legislation that Major Owens sponsored or provided a key vote would include the American with Disabilities Act (ADA) which is a civil rights that protect disable from discrimination and theDomestic Volunteer Service Act, which provided major reforms to the long–established Volunteers in Service to America (VISTA) program. Major Owens retired in 2007 after serving two dozen in Congress and became an Adjunct Professor at Medgar Evers College until his death on October, 28, 2013. He taught hundreds of students included myself and gave us insight on public policy is achieved. He famously stated that A students have a hard time running government because C students run the world. He cited Bill Clinton and Barack Obama as decent examples as they were very gifted politicians convincing the American people to get their agendas passed early in their terms.
When the former passed away in late 2013, New York lost a champion for the modern cause. Major Owens was not only brilliant, but tenacious outspoken, bold compassionate. When I met for the first time as student, I had no idea how he accomplish during his lifetime and the contributions he made to New York City and to a lesser extent America. When he started serving Congress in the early 1980’s the Democratic Party was on the ropes. Ronald Reagan’s Revolution to fundamentally change the United States was taking shape which he philosophy that government was to solution to our nation problems. However, there were few people willing to stand up to Reagan and Major Owens was one of them. If there’s one man who deserve to have his name a statewide holiday, it would be Major Owens. His record of public service and his commitment to improving the lives of millions of New York speaks for itself. So I call upon City Council to draft legislation making June 28 Major Owens Day and what better place than to declare that day at Medgar Evers College, the first historically black college in New York. I’ll leave you with this saying from the late Congressman. “You have no power at all if you do not exercise constant power.”
[i]Quoted in “Major Owens,” Contemporary Black Biography,Volume 6 (Detroit, MI: Gale Research Inc., 1994) (hereinafter referred to as CBB).
[ii]Bernstien, Alice. "JMajor Owens Interview." JMajor Owens Interview. 28 June 2015. Web. 6 Aug. 2015.
[iii] Owens, Major CONGRESSIONAL RECORD Extensions of Remarks April 4, 1995. Retrieved August 5, 2015