Alpha
general presidents salute Sen. Edward W. Brooke III. From left: 31st General
President Harry E. Johnson Sr., 29th General President Milton C. Davis,
Brother Brooke, General President Herman "Skip" Mason Jr., and
Immediate Past (32nd) General President Darryl R. Matthews Sr. Photo by: B.
J. A. Kelly
WASHINGTON—President
Barack Obama came back to Capitol Hill Wednesday, Oct. 29, to bestow the
Congressional Gold Medal on Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity member and former U.S.
Senator Edward M. Brooke III, (R-Mass.). Brooke, who celebrated his 90th
birthday Monday, is a life member of the fraternity and the fifth-oldest U.S.
Senator.
Dignitaries,
members of Congress, military officials, fraternity brothers and family
members filled the rotunda of the Capitol building to witness the
presentation of the medal. The Gold Medal, along with the Presidential Medal
of Freedom, is the highest honor given to civilians in the United States.
Brooke also received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, in 2004 from
President George W. Bush.
Mr. Obama spoke about the trail that Brooke blazed for
politicians like him.
“He
ran for office, as he put it, to bring people together who had never been
together before,” Obama said. “He didn't care whether a bill was popular or
politically expedient, Democratic or Republican -- he cared about whether it
helped people, whether it made a difference in their daily lives.”
Brooke
became the first African-American elected to the Senate by popular vote, 43
years ago. He also was the first black person to hold statewide office in
Massachusetts when in 1962 he was elected attorney general, at the same time
becoming the first African-American state Attorney General in the U.S.
“Our
fraternity members understand the importance of Brother Brooke’s dedication
to the people of this great country,” said Herman “Skip” Mason, Jr., General
President of the fraternity.
“Every
law he has enacted protects the values that we sometimes take for granted. On
behalf of all the members of Alpha Phi Alpha, we salute him, his
lifelong achievements, and his receiving this richly deserved Congressional
Gold Medal,” said Mason.
The
medal is bestowed by an official Act of Congress after the legislation is signed
by the President. Due to the nature of the honor, and per committee rules,
legislation bestowing a Congressional Gold Medal upon a recipient must be
co-sponsored by two-thirds of the membership of both the House of
Representatives and the Senate before their respective committees will
consider the legislation.
After
receiving his medal, Brooke took the opportunity to directly address both
Republican and Democratic
congressional leaders and to speak out on the current
partisan bickering that has plagued Washington of late.
“You've
got to get together. We have no alternative. There's nothing left. It's time
for politics to be put aside on the back burner,” Brooke said.
The
former senator also noted the day would be perfect, except for the
absence of longtime friend and colleague, Sen. Edward M. Kennedy (D-Mass.)
who died of brain cancer earlier this year.
Also,
on hand for the event were family members of Sen. Kennedy including his son
Rep. Patrick Kennedy, (D-R.I.), and wife Victoria Kennedy.
“This
medal, bestowed to Brother Brooke today, reaffirms the idea that from the
White House to Capitol Hill, and across the country, Brother Brooke is
clearly seen as one of our greatest living treasures—not only in Alpha Phi
Alpha, but in all of America,” Mason said. “Brother Brooke has spent his life
breaking barriers and bridging divides across this country."
Brooke
was initiated into Alpha Phi Alpha Saturday, December 4, 1937, at Beta
Chapter, on the campus of Howard University. While a member of the
Senate, he was a leading advocate against discrimination in housing and
co-authored the 1968 Fair Housing Act. In 1996, he became the first chairman
of the World Policy Council, the fraternity’s, “Think Tank.”
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About Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc.
Founded on December 4, 1906 at Cornell
University in Ithaca, New York, Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. has
continued to supply voice and vision to the struggle of African Americans and
people of color around the world. The fraternity has long stood at the
forefront of the African-American community's fight for civil rights, through
Alpha men such as Martin Luther King Jr., Adam Clayton Powell, Thurgood
Marshall, Andrew Young, Edward Brooke and Cornel West. The fraternity through
its college and alumni chapters serves the community through nearly a
thousand chapters in the United States, Europe and the Caribbean. For more
information, please visit www.apa1906.net.
