The Congressional Record is a unique source of public documentation. It started in 1873, documenting nearly all the major and minor policies being discussed and debated.
“REMEMBERING HARRY CHAPIN” mentioning Patrick J. Leahy was published in the Senate section on pages S5042-S5043 on July 22.
Of the 100 senators in 117th Congress, 24 percent were women, and 76 percent were men, according to the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.
Senators' salaries are historically higher than the median US income.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
REMEMBERING HARRY CHAPIN
Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, it has been 40 years since the Nation lost a champion for the hungry, and the American people lost a talented and inspirational musical artist. And I lost a dear partner and friend.
I was proud to have been able to work side by side with Harry Chapin on several projects to address hunger, here at home, and in the world. We strategized. We met with other Senators to build support. And I got to know him well. He stayed at our home and even sang for our enthralled children. I was with him on the grounds of the Capitol Building when he pulled out his guitar and gave an impromptu concert. Passersby were drawn to him, and it was one more magical moment, among so many with Harry.
Harry had incredible energy and drive and commitment to his goals. Bill Ayres, a former Catholic priest who cofounded the organization WhyHunger with Harry, has noted that Harry used to say: ``When in doubt, do something.'' And do something, he certainly did. Since its founding in 1975, WhyHunger has raised more than $30 million to help more than 10 million families, children, veterans, and others around the world gain access to nutritious food and vital services.
One of Harry's ideas was to convince President Jimmy Carter to form a Commission on world hunger. I readily signed on to help him. When we had that meeting with the President in the Cabinet Room, Harry's persistence was on overdrive. President Carter agreed to establish the Commission. So that goal was in hand. But Harry kept telling the President why we should do this, and President Carter kept trying to tell Harry that he agreed with him. Harry was wound up and excited to have the chance to lay out the case for a Commission. And I finally said: ``Harry, don't talk him out of it.'' Everyone laughed because we all knew that it was a moment that distilled the pure energy for which we all loved and admired him.
I worked with Senator Byron Dorgan and others in gaining authorization for a Congressional Gold Medal, which I was honored to carry to a memorial concert at Carnegie Hall to present to Harry's family. Harry Belafonte and Bruce Springsteen were there and so were so many others who had known and worked with Harry. Harry Belafonte, whom I also admire so deeply, has said this:
I grew to really admire him, not only for his commitment to the cause of hunger, but also the fact that he did it with such passion, such real commitment. As an artist, I certainly loved his work. Not only his music, but the content of his words. He spoke about the human condition with a sense of humor and as a lyricist he had his hand on the pulse of social needs.
A few years ago, I received a letter from a 16-year-old Canadian boy in Newmarket, Ontario, Ryan Kruger. He had heard about my work with Harry and wanted me to know how much he admires him.
``I am a big fan of Harry,'' he wrote, ``and think he exemplifies the ideals of both of our respective nations, as well as the world, or at least what they should be. In this volatile political climate, on both sides of the border, as well as around the world, I think we need a bit more Harry.''
And we certainly do.
Harry's children wrote an eloquent tribute that was carried in the New York Daily News on July 16. They, and many of us, want to keep alight and aloft the candle that helps Harry Chapin's important legacy live on and on.
I commend their tribute to the attention of the Senate.
I ask unanimous consent to have the article printed in the Record
There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in the Record, as follows:
How Harry Chapin, Our Dad, Fought Hunger
(By Josh Chapin, Jen Chapin, Jason Chapin, Jono Chapin and Jaime
Chapin)
For many, attaining fame and fortune is enough to feel successful. For our father, Harry Chapin, it wasn't. His true fulfillment came through service, and 40 years following his untimely death, along with his timeless hit song ``Cat's in the Cradle,'' our dad's passionate commitment to ending hunger is what he is best remembered for. During his life
(1942-1981), he released 11 albums, performed 220 concerts a year, and received Grammy and Oscar nominations as well as Emmy, Tony and many other awards, including the Congressional Gold Medal. While music was his passion, our father's success became not laurels to rest upon but rather a platform that led to his becoming one of the leading humanitarians of his generation.
Through starting three dynamic and visionary organizations in his short lifetime, WhyHunger, Long Island Cares and the Center for Food Action in New Jersey, he left a lasting impact in the fight against hunger and poverty.
Today marks 40 years since our father's passing in an automobile accident on the Long Island Expressway. It's been four decades without him--four decades of change in culture, politics, music and technology--but after all that change, and even a global pandemic, his legacy organizations WhyHunger and Long Island Cares remain centered on fulfilling our dad's mission of deeply understanding the root causes of hunger and seeking solutions grounded in community power and self-reliance.
Notably, during his lifetime, our father worked with President Jimmy Carter, his dear friend and Democratic Sen. Patrick Leahy, Republican Sen. Bob Dole, and a bipartisan team to form the first and only Presidential Commission on World Hunger. Our father's work to create political urgency and a truly patriotic, bipartisan dialogue surrounding the human right to nutritious food--in our wealthy nation and in a world that can feed itself many times over--should be a call to inspire a new surge of commitment today.
While he embarked on a mission decades ago to combat hunger, the work is far from complete. Today, nearly 2.1 million New Yorkers face hunger every day. On Long Island, nearly half a million face the same reality--a problem that's many times worse than when he started Long Island Cares in 1980. These statistics are staggering, and sadly have increased over recent years. While prior to COVID-19, Long Island neared a 40% reduction of food insecurity, during the height of the pandemic, an additional 223,000 Long Islanders became food insecure, nearly doubling the prior population count.
A generous charitable response and a massive, industrialized emergency food system are not enough. What our father understood years ago is that in order to ameliorate this needless suffering, we need to address the root causes and advance the human right to nutritious food in the U.S. and around the world. Hunger in the U.S. and hunger around the world are deeply connected, and thanks to the work of WhyHunger and our diverse array of partners, exciting alliances are building self-reliance and lasting change. WhyHunger has shown that by offering critical resources to support grassroots movements, we can build community solutions rooted in social, environmental, racial and economic justice.
Our hope is that the current administration is prepared to substantively address these issues and do what our father knew was, and still is, possible: bring an end to hunger. Currently, Rep. James McGovern of Massachusetts is asking President Biden to convene a new White House Conference on Hunger, just as our father pushed for four decades ago. When asked what his motivation was for this cause, McGovern said that meeting Harry left a lasting impression on his political views on hunger.
What Harry Chapin began with WhyHunger, Long Island Cares and the Center for Food Action continues to make a great impact, but of course there is more to be done. More organizations need to realize that fighting hunger is not only about handing out food in times of need, or even the proverbial teaching people to fish--it is about supporting social movements so that people can organize, advocate and work together to ensure they will always be able to feed their families. Additionally, we need to keep speaking up for social and legislative reform that promotes social and economic justice. If you happened to love our father's music and message, if you care about America reaching its yet unrealized mission of justice for all, or if you want to live in a more peaceful and sustainable world, consider this a call to action.
The authors are the sons and daughters of Harry Chapin.
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