[Congressional Bills 111th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 150 Introduced in House (IH)]

111th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. RES. 150

  Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that A. Philip 
 Randolph should be recognized for his lifelong leadership and work to 
end discrimination and secure equal employment and labor opportunities 
                           for all Americans.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           February 10, 2009

 Mr. Rangel submitted the following resolution; which was referred to 
  the Committee on the Judiciary, and in addition to the Committee on 
Education and Labor, for a period to be subsequently determined by the 
  Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall 
           within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
  Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that A. Philip 
 Randolph should be recognized for his lifelong leadership and work to 
end discrimination and secure equal employment and labor opportunities 
                           for all Americans.

Whereas A. Philip Randolph was born April 15, 1889;
Whereas A. Philip Randolph was in New York during the height of the Harlem 
        Renaissance and was a student in politics and economics at City College, 
        which served as the intellectual center of the movement;
Whereas A. Philip Randolph was the cofounder of The Messenger in 1917, a widely 
        read and respected magazine known for its radical persuasion;
Whereas A. Philip Randolph was the leader of the successful movement to organize 
        the Pullman Company (one of the most powerful businesses in the Nation) 
        which led to the formation of the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters 
        (BSCP), an organization that advanced the claims of African-Americans to 
        dignity, respect, and a decent livelihood;
Whereas A. Philip Randolph was selected by the porters at the Pullman Company as 
        a representative because he was a good orator and a tireless fighter for 
        the rights of African-Americans and was dedicated to the porters' cause 
        for over a decade;
Whereas A. Philip Randolph was able to gain an international charter from the 
        American Federation of Labor (now AFL-CIO) after Franklin Roosevelt's 
        New Deal legislation forced the Pullman Company to negotiate with the 
        Brotherhood, and was able to successfully negotiate the first-ever 
        contract between a company and a black union, in 1937;
Whereas A. Philip Randolph was one of the central figures speaking out for 
        African-American rights during the 1930s and 1940s and focused on labor 
        and employment issues;
Whereas A. Philip Randolph was a leader in the movement challenging 
        discrimination in defense industry jobs and used the threat of a march 
        on Washington as part of an effort to lobby President Roosevelt to sign 
        an executive order banning discrimination within the Government and the 
        defense industries;
Whereas A. Philip Randolph was, in 1947, a leader in the movement to end 
        segregation in the military and called for African-Americans to refuse 
        to register for the draft until these practices were ended and was 
        successful in this effort, which saw President Truman issue an executive 
        order barring discrimination in the military on July 26, 1948;
Whereas A. Philip Randolph was the leading force behind the March on Washington 
        for Jobs and Freedom and worked with many old friends and foes of his 
        earlier labor struggles to ensure the success of the event, which took 
        place on August 28, 1963, drew a crowd of over 250,000 people, and was 
        the occasion of a meeting with President Kennedy and Dr. Martin Luther 
        King, Jr.; and
Whereas A. Philip Randolph died in 1979 as an elder statesman of the civil 
        rights movement, a much admired figure and role model for the young 
        people of this Nation: Now, therefore, be it:
    Resolved, That it is the sense of the House of Representatives that 
A. Phillip Randolph should be recognized for his lifelong leadership 
and work to end discrimination and secure equal employment and labor 
opportunities for all Americans.
                                 <all>