110 HRES 1528 IH: Honoring the life and recognizing the U.S. House of Representatives 2008-10-03 text/xml EN Pursuant to Title 17 Section 105 of the United States Code, this file is not subject to copyright protection and is in the public domain.

IV 110th CONGRESS 2d Session H. RES. 1528 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES October 3, 2008 Mr. Davis of Alabama submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary RESOLUTION Honoring the life and recognizing the accomplishments of civil rights leader J.L. Chestnut, Jr.

Whereas J.L. Chestnut Jr., was born on December 16, 1930, in Selma, Alabama, and attended Talladega College and Howard University School of Law; Whereas in 1958, J.L. Chestnut Jr., returned to his hometown and began practice as the first African-American lawyer in Selma; Whereas during the 1960s, J.L., Chestnut Jr., served as an advisor, strategist and participant in efforts led by civil rights leaders, including the late Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., to seek racial justice in Alabama; Whereas J.L. Chestnut, Jr., was present at the Edmund Pettus Bridge on “Bloody Sunday,” March 7, 1965, when the police attempted to prevent demonstrators from beginning the historic march from Selma to Montgomery; Whereas J.L. Chestnut, Jr., successfully argued critical civil rights cases, leading to the rights of African-Americans to serve on juries in Dallas County, to desegregate Selma public schools, and, in 1999, to provide relief to farmers who were discriminated against by the United States Department of Agriculture; Whereas the life story of J.L. Chestnut Jr., is outlined in his memoir, “Black in Selma: The Uncommon Life and Times of J.L. Chestnut, Jr.; and Whereas the community of Selma has lost a beloved son with passing of J.L. Chestnut, Jr., on September 30, 2008, at the age of 77: Now, therefore, be it

That the House of Representatives— (1)expresses its condolences to the surviving family of J.L. Chestnut, Jr., his wife Vivian, three daughters, three sons, sister, six grandchildren and two great-grandchildren; and (2)honors the life of J.L. Chestnut Jr., a recognized leader and powerful advocate for justice and equality.