Congresswoman Clarke issued the following statement on the death of Congressman Major Owens, who represented central Brooklyn in the United States House of Representatives from 1983 to 2007.

“It was with great sadness that I learned this morning of the death of my esteemed predecessor, the Honorable Major Owens. My prayers are with his family and friends. Born in Tennessee, Congressman Owens was educated at Morehouse College and Atlanta University. He soon came to New York City, where he became the leader of New York City’s Community Development Agency. His commitment to expanding opportunities in education for the students of Ocean Hill and Brownsville and to allowing the entire community to have a voice in their schools introduced real democracy to our system of education.

“As a member of the New York State Senate and the United States House of Representatives, Congressman Owens was a voice of conscience on behalf of families and children who had previously been ignored in our politics. His work in Congress was critical to the enactment of the Americans With Disabilities Act. Recently, Congressman Owens continued his leadership as a professor at Medgar Evers College and a member the Medgar Evers College Coalition of Concerned Faculty. His example of public service will remain an inspiration the future generations of elected officials here in Brooklyn and around this nation.”

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U.S. Representative Yvette D. Clarke is a member of the House Committee on Small Business, Ethics, and Homeland Security, where she is the Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Cybersecurity, Infrastructure Protection, and Security Technologies. She represents many neighborhoods in central and southern Brooklyn, NY which include Brownsville, Crown Heights, East Flatbush, Flatbush, Gerritsen Beach, Madison, Midwood, parts of Park Slope and Flatlands, Prospect Heights, Prospect-Lefferts Gardens, Sheepshead Bay, and Windsor Terrace.