Washington, D.C. — Congresswoman Yvette D. Clarke (NY-09) issued the following statement regarding the passing of General Colin L. Powell:
“On behalf of the people of the 9th District of New York, the Clarke Family, and myself, I extend my deepest condolences to the Powell Family and his loved ones and friends. General Colin L. Powell was a trailblazer in the U.S. military establishment. He rose through the ranks to become a four-star General and the Joint Chief of Staff in the Bush Administration, and he would go on to be appointed the first Black U.S. Secretary of State. He was a hero to many,” said Congresswoman Clarke. “Like me, he was born and raised in New York to Jamaican immigrant parents and was a proud Jamaican American. However, my tenure in Congress began after General Powell’s retirement. I was honored to have been sent alongside him by President Obama to represent the United States to Jamaica to celebrate their 50th Independence Anniversary. While we both represent two different political parties, and I’ve questioned his role in the Iraq War, as he ultimately did, he was a principled statesman who loved his country. We are all beneficiaries of his decades of service, and his life and legacy are a testament to the greatness of this man.”
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Yvette D. Clarke has been in Congress since 2007. She represents New York’s Ninth Congressional District, which includes Central and South Brooklyn. Clarke is Chair of the Congressional Black Caucus Taskforce on Immigration, a Senior Member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, and a Senior Member of the House Committee on Homeland Security.
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