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[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 1607 Introduced in House (IH)]

<DOC>

118th CONGRESS
  2d Session
H. RES. 1607

Recognizing the significant global impact and legacy of Peter Westbrook 
 in the sport of fencing in the United States and the work that he has 
     done to improve the lives of underserved and vulnerable youth.

_______________________________________________________________________

                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            December 4, 2024

   Mr. Espaillat (for himself, Mrs. Watson Coleman, and Mrs. McIver) 
submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee 
                    on Oversight and Accountability

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION

 
Recognizing the significant global impact and legacy of Peter Westbrook 
 in the sport of fencing in the United States and the work that he has 
     done to improve the lives of underserved and vulnerable youth.

Whereas Peter Westbrook (hereafter referred to as ``Westbrook'') was born in St. 
        Louis, Missouri, on April 16, 1952, to Ulysses and Mariko;
Whereas Westbrook grew up in the Haynes Avenue public housing project in Newark, 
        New Jersey with his mother and sister during the 1967 Newark riots;
Whereas, in an effort to keep him off of the often violent streets of Newark, 
        Westbrook's mother enrolled him in fencing classes from a young age 
        where he found that he had a natural talent for the sport;
Whereas Westbrook earned a spot as a fencing recruit and a full scholarship to 
        New York University;
Whereas Westbrook went on to compete in six Olympic Games between 1976 and 1996;
Whereas Westbrook won the bronze medal in the individual saber competition at 
        the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles, making him the first African 
        American to win an Olympic medal in the sport and the first American to 
        win an Olympic medal in the sport since 1960;
Whereas Westbrook won the United States National Individual Sabre Championship 
        on 13 occasions;
Whereas Westbrook was inducted into the New York University Athletics Hall of 
        Fame in 1985, the United States Fencing Association Hall of Fame in 
        1996, the Sports Hall of Fame of New Jersey in 2002, and the 
        International Sports Hall of Fame in 2021;
Whereas Westbrook has been able to celebrate his achievements with his family, 
        including with Susann Miles-Westbrook, his wife of more than 20 years;
Whereas, in 1991, Westbrook established the Peter Westbrook Foundation 
        (hereafter referred to as the ``Foundation''), an organization dedicated 
        to helping young persons, between the ages of 8 to 18, from underserved 
        communities in New York City to learn not only fencing from world-class 
        coaches but also academic and life skills;
Whereas the Foundation has a long legacy of producing stellar athletes in 
        fencing, sending 17 students in total to the Olympic Games, and having 
        sent at least 1 student to each Olympic Games since 2000;
Whereas Lauren Scruggs, a Foundation alum, won the silver medal in the women's 
        foil competition at the Olympic Games in Paris in the summer of 2024 and 
        became the first Black woman from the United States to win an individual 
        Olympic fencing medal;
Whereas one-third of the United States fencing team that competed at the Olympic 
        Games in summer of 2020 were students from the Foundation;
Whereas the Foundation exposes Black youth to the sport of fencing which is a 
        predominantly White sport, promoting Black excellence in the sport of 
        fencing and more broadly;
Whereas 85 percent of the students at the Foundation are Black or Latino, 49 
        percent of the students at the Foundation are girls, and 77 percent of 
        the of families of the students at the Foundation have a household 
        income that is below the average median income in the area where they 
        reside;
Whereas the Foundation has served more than 4,000 youth and provides free 
        fencing lessons to a variety of communities, giving youth from low- and 
        moderate-income families an opportunity to participate in fencing;
Whereas the Foundation helps uplift at-risk youth academically, as well as 
        athletically and personally;
Whereas the Foundation provides tutoring, homework assistance, and standardized 
        test preparation to the students at the Foundation from a team of 
        licensed educational professionals and college students;
Whereas 100 percent of the students that attend the Foundation graduate from 
        high school;
Whereas 95 percent of the students that attend the Foundation attend college;
Whereas 100 percent of the students that attend the Foundation increased their 
        SAT scores;
Whereas 80 percent of the students that attend the Foundation improved their 
        grade point average;
Whereas alumni of the Foundation routinely return to volunteer, teach, and 
        mentor current students;
Whereas the Foundation teaches young persons values such as good sportsmanship, 
        self-confidence, maintaining an active and healthy lifestyle, and the 
        importance of academic achievement;
Whereas Westbrook continues to have a profound impact on young persons in New 
        York City, giving young persons opportunities for growth and development 
        that would not have otherwise been available to such young persons; and
Whereas the Foundation prioritizes cultivating a close-knit, inclusive community 
        that values teaching the athletic and life skills learned at the 
        Foundation to future generations of fencers: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
            (1) Recognizes that Westbrook was the first African-
        American man to accomplish many feats in the fencing community;
            (2) Recognizes Westbrook's athletic achievement and 
        indelible legacy in Black sports history; and
            (3) Recognizes the work that the Foundation has done to 
        diversify the sport of fencing and increase social and economic 
        opportunities for youth in underserved communities.
                                 <all>
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