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“HONORING DON JELINEK” mentioning the U.S. Dept of Agriculture was published in the Extensions of Remarks section on pages E1170 on July 25, 2016.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
HONORING DON JELINEK
______
HON. BARBARA LEE
of california
in the house of representatives
Monday, July 25, 2016
Ms. LEE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the extraordinary life of an outstanding member of the Bay Area community, Mr. Don Jelinek. With his passing on March 23, 2016, we honor his commitment and service to our community.
Mr. Don Jelinek was born Feb. 17, 1934 in Bronx, New York, the proud son of two Jewish immigrants. His heritage, culture, education, and experience played key roles in the man he became.
He attended the Bronx High School of Science and later New York University where he received both his Bachelor of Arts and Juris Doctorate. In 1955, he moved to a tenement in Greenwich Village where he worked as a janitor in exchange for rent. He was often seen returning the building's garbage cans before walking to his law classes. In the Village, Mr. Jelinek was exposed to the beauty of diversity. He met people from different races, classes, creeds, cultures, religions, and sexual orientations. Their stories, experiences, and life lessons fueled his passion for politics, reading, and theatre until the day he died.
After receiving his J.D., Mr. Jelinek took a job as an attorney on Wall Street. In 1965, he traveled to Mississippi to work with the American Civil Liberties Union for a three-week stint. At the end of that visit, he decided to stay behind and work with the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee.
Mr. Jelinek remained in the South for three years and focused on ending the overtly racist practices of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. In the process he shined a light on the shameful realities of rural malnutrition and starvation in America. Over the years he provided legal representation for individuals and organizations involved in civil rights including Martin Luther King, Jr., Stokely Carmichael, H. ``Rap'' Brown, black sharecroppers, SNCC, the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, and the NAACP. He later defended 61 inmates who had been indicted for 1,400 felonies in connection with the Attica Prison uprising.
Mr. Jelinek moved to Berkeley in 1969 and continued his civil rights efforts throughout the Bay Area. When a group of Native Americans seized Alcatraz in 1969 and lived there for 19 months, claiming the land under a 100-year-old treaty, Jelinek moved to the island to assist them. He later defended hundreds of flea market vendors, free of charge, after they were ousted from the Ashby BART parking lot. The vendors were later reinstated.
Soon after his successful advocacy, Mr. Jelinek decided to run for Berkeley City Council where he proudly served from 1984 to 1990. After his tenure, he became a trusted advisor to the council.
In addition to his legal and political career, Mr. Jelinek authored three books, ``Survivor of the Alamo,'' ``Attica Justice,'' and ``White Lawyer, Black Power.'' Both his life and legacy are testaments to what our country stands for and our continued fight for true and lasting equality.
Mr. Jelinek is survived by his brother Roger, his wife Jane Scherr, his children Dove and Apollinaire, and his grandchildren Hanelle and Pascal.
Today, California's 13th Congressional District salutes the legacy of Mr. Don Jelinek. His contributions have truly impacted countless lives. I join all of Mr. Don Jelinek's loved ones in celebrating his incredible life and offer my most sincere condolences.
