[Congressional Bills 108th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Con. Res. 476 Introduced in House (IH)]






108th CONGRESS
  2d Session
H. CON. RES. 476

  Recognizing the 40th anniversary of the founding of the Mississippi 
   Freedom Democratic Party and encouraging the people of the United 
  States to recognize the accomplishments of the Mississippi Freedom 
Democratic Party by committing themselves to the fundamental principles 
                  of freedom, equality, and democracy.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             July 21, 2004

 Mr. Thompson of Mississippi (for himself, Mrs. Christensen, Mr. Lewis 
 of Georgia, Mr. Towns, Mr. Frost, Mr. Ford, Mr. Wynn, Mr. Jackson of 
 Illinois, Mr. Clay, Mr. Fattah, Mr. Owens, Mr. Payne, Ms. Norton, Mr. 
Cummings, Mr. Meeks of New York, Ms. Carson of Indiana, and Mr. Bishop 
 of Georgia) submitted the following concurrent resolution; which was 
             referred to the Committee on Government Reform

_______________________________________________________________________

                         CONCURRENT RESOLUTION


 
  Recognizing the 40th anniversary of the founding of the Mississippi 
   Freedom Democratic Party and encouraging the people of the United 
  States to recognize the accomplishments of the Mississippi Freedom 
Democratic Party by committing themselves to the fundamental principles 
                  of freedom, equality, and democracy.

Whereas 2004 marks the 40th anniversary of the founding of the Mississippi 
        Freedom Democratic Party and the Party's presence at the 1964 Democratic 
        National Convention;
Whereas the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party was established in order to 
        break the reign of white supremacy in Mississippi;
Whereas the original members of the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party 
        delegation in 1964 were Lawrence Guyot, Peggy J. Conner, Victoria Gray, 
        Edwin King, Aaron Henry, Fannie Lou Hamer, Annie Devine, Helen Anderson, 
        A.D. Beittel, Elizabeth Blackwell, Marie Blalock, Sylvester Bowens, J.W. 
        Brown, Charles Bryant, James Carr, Lois Chaffee, Clint Collier, Willie 
        Ervin, J.C. Fairley, Dewey Green, Winson Hudson, Johnny Jackson, N.L. 
        Kirkland, Mary Lane, Merrill W. Lindsay, Eddie Mack, Lula Matthews, 
        Yvonne MacGowan, Charles McLaurin, Leslie B. McLemore, Robert Miles, 
        Otis Millsaps, Hazel Palmer, R.S. Porter, William D. Scott, Henry Sias, 
        Slate Stallworth, E.W. Steptoe, Robert Lee Stinson, Joseph Stone, Eddie 
        Thomas, Jimmie Travis, Hartman Turnbow, Abraham Washington, Clifton R. 
        Whitley, Robert W. Williams, J. Walter Wright, C.R. Darden, Ruby Evans, 
        Oscar Giles, Charlie Graves, Pinkie Hall, George Harper, Macy Hardaway, 
        Andrew Hawkins, William Jackson, Alta Lloyd, J.F. McRae, W.G. Middleton, 
        Joe Newton, M.A. Phelps, Beverly Polk, Henry Reaves, Harold Roby, Emma 
        Sanders, Cora Smith, R.L.T. Smith, Elmira Tyson, and L.H. Waborn;
Whereas in the face of threats on their lives from the Government obliged to 
        protect them, Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party delegates attracted 
        over 60,000 members to their racially integrated party;
Whereas, although African Americans made up more than 40 percent of 
        Mississippi's population in 1964, there were no African American 
        registrars in the State and only 6.7 percent of African American 
        Mississippians of voting age were registered to vote;
Whereas a political party composed primarily of African Americans advocating 
        issues of particular interest to African Americans was an extremely 
        radical concept in the Deep South at that time;
Whereas the mere presence and sheer determination of the Mississippi Freedom 
        Democratic Party inspired tens of thousands of African Americans in 
        Mississippi to attempt to register to vote and actively fight against 
        discrimination;
Whereas the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party provided experience and access 
        to leadership positions for African Americans in Mississippi who had a 
        desire to represent their communities as local and State elected 
        officials;
Whereas the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party presented African American 
        citizens of Mississippi with their first legitimate opportunity for 
        political participation since the Reconstruction era;
Whereas the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party provided an alternative to the 
        traditional Mississippi Democratic Party's disenfranchisement of African 
        American citizens;
Whereas the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party succeeded in raising national 
        awareness of Mississippi's overt violation of constitutional rights with 
        respect to African Americans as well as the inhumane racial 
        discrimination prevalent in Mississippi and the rest of the southern 
        United States;
Whereas the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party pressured the Federal 
        Government to pass the historic Voting Rights Act of 1965, which further 
        secured the right to vote for African Americans in Mississippi and the 
        Nation;
Whereas delegate Fannie Lou Hamer, who served as a spokesperson for the 
        Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party at the 1964 Democratic National 
        Convention, gave an emotional testimony of her struggles to gain 
        equality in the State of Mississippi;
Whereas Fannie Lou Hamer testified in front of thousands at the Democratic 
        National Convention as well as national media representatives from 
        across the country about how she was brutally beaten by five men after 
        being jailed for her voter registration activities;
Whereas the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party courageously rejected the 1964 
        Democratic National Committee's offer to seat two at-large Mississippi 
        Freedom Democratic Party delegates, asserting that the compromise was 
        not satisfactory in light of the great suffering African Americans in 
        Mississippi had endured throughout their lifetime and the great struggle 
        Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party organizers and delegates overcame 
        to attend the Democratic National Convention;
Whereas, as a result of the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party's presence at 
        the 1964 Democratic National Convention, the national Democratic party 
        pledged that African Americans would be allowed to participate in all 
        future Democratic party activities in Mississippi;
Whereas Mississippi now has the highest number of African American elected 
        officials of all the States in the Nation;
Whereas the accomplishments of the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party 
        unequivocally represent one of the civil rights era's greatest triumphs; 
        and
Whereas the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party transformed the political 
        landscape of the State of Mississippi and the Nation: Now, therefore, be 
        it
    Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate concurring), 
That the Congress--
            (1) recognizes the 40th anniversary of the founding of the 
        Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party and the Party's 
        accomplishments at the 1964 Democratic National Convention; and
            (2) encourages the people of the United States to recognize 
        the accomplishments of the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party 
        by committing themselves to the fundamental principles of 
        freedom, equality, and democracy.
                                 <all>