Sheila Jackson Lee: “He sold millions of records. He was known around the world: Harry Belafonte. That song we remember, ``Day- O.'' But for…”

“He sold millions of records. He was known around the world: Harry Belafonte. That song we remember, ``Day- O.'' But for those of us who admired and hung onto his every word, we know that he provided a transformational change in the civil rights history of this Nation. Heroic and courageous, he was not afraid of those who attacked him and called him names. What a major force standing by Dr. Martin Luther King, intervening with politicians and entertainers and providing financial support. He continued questioning this Nation's issues of race. He was fearless. Mr. Speaker, I am sad about his passing, but I will say that no one will fill his giant shoes. To his wife Pamela, Gina, and other wonderful relatives, I offer my personal regrets and sympathy. As a Jamaican immigrant that he was, he obviously touches my heart and that of my family. Mr. Speaker, I hope that we will always remember a man that could have been only an entertainer, as well as rich and resounding, but Harry Belafonte wanted to change this country. Harry, as I see you soar where the eagles fly, may the Lord bless you. Rest in peace, my brother, and rest in power. ____________________”