IN MEMORY OF SENATOR FRED HARRIS

On 2024-12-11, Representative Teresa Leger Fernandez (D-NM-3) delivered a floor speech titled "IN MEMORY OF SENATOR FRED HARRIS" in the House. The speech addressed taxes and also covered foreign policy, trade policy.

IN MEMORY OF SENATOR FRED HARRIS

Congressional Record, Volume 170 Issue 184 (Wednesday, December 11, 2024) [Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 184 (Wednesday, December 11, 2024)] [House] [Page H6812] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [ www.gpo.gov ] IN MEMORY OF SENATOR FRED HARRIS The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from New Mexico (Ms. Leger Fernandez) for 5 minutes. Ms. LEGER FERNANDEZ. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life of Fred Harris, a Senator, civil rights and Tribal advocate, Presidential candidate, chairman, professor, and so much more to the people lucky enough to have known him. The title that I love best for my dear friend is ``radical optimist.'' In times when we might despair, like the time we find ourselves in now, Fred never gave in to fatalism. Instead, Fred asked each of us to charge ahead with commitment and courage. His radical optimism was not passive but proactive. He called upon us to each act with purpose and passion, to find the unique places where each of us could lend our action to change the direction of the world to better. He called upon us to act collectively in the joy that comes from working together with friends and colleagues on a cause. I first met Senator Harris as a young attorney working on Tribal issues in New Mexico. He shared stories of his work together with LaDonna Harris, his former wife, elevating Native American issues across this country. Senator Harris sponsored the landmark bill to restore sacred Blue Lake to Taos Pueblo. He created the bipartisan alliance that led to President Richard Nixon signing that bill into law in 1970. Blue Lake became the touchstone and spark for the return of sacred lands to Tribal nations across this country. Senator Harris and his beautiful wife, Margaret Elliston, herself a democracy hero, then became good friends as I myself ran for office. His deep laughter and inexhaustible supply of stories to illustrate a path forward helped me immensely over the last 5 years. Harris' career included serving in Oklahoma and the United States Senate as chairman of the Democratic National Committee. Throughout his career and his many roles, he always led and listened with courage and empathy. He was a strong supporter of and voted for--imagine this--the Voting Rights Act in 1965 during his first year in the United States Senate and continued to advocate until this year. At the University of New Mexico, he founded the Fred Harris Internship Program. Since 2006, Congress has welcomed smart, dedicated New Mexicans to serve in our delegation offices. I have hosted and then hired Fred Harris interns because they bring with them the same radical optimism as their sponsor. I hope his family takes solace in the fact that every intern and person whose life he touched will keep his spirit alive as they also bring his love of country, community, and service to their own life work. Senator Harris' legacy will ring through history in the laughter and radical optimism he left us. Recognizing Santa Fe New Mexican's 175th Anniversary Ms. LEGER FERNANDEZ. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate my hometown newspaper, the Santa Fe New Mexican, on its 175th anniversary. The first issue of the paper was printed in 1849. The New Mexican has brought stories to life about gold strikes, floods, votes on prohibition, and debates on statehood and whether women should have the right to vote. It has shared stories of the struggles and strengths of the survivors of wildfires, informed voters about their local candidates, and anointed the best chili in the city. To keep democracy strong, it made sure voters understood the positions and perspectives of local, Senate, Federal, and national candidates for office. I myself like this one page from 1938 that juxtaposes the rise of fascism in Europe with Santa Fe's burning of old man gloom. My local newspaper was ahead of the curve. It took The New York Times 80 years before they reported on Zozobra. Santa Feans, as the New Mexican has shown, have been choosing joy over fascism for over 100 years. Stories matter, and who tells them matters just as much. That is why it is important that an independent paper with integrity, like the New Mexican, has been telling stories about our communities since it was founded. Papers like the New Mexican keep us well-informed and active citizens. In this time of democracy at risk, we need papers like the New Mexican, and I am so happy to be on this floor to celebrate its anniversary. ____________________