[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 45 (Wednesday, April 16, 1997)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E677]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        TRIBUTE TO JOHN J. MANCE

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. HOWARD L. BERMAN

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, April 16, 1997

  Mr. BERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to John J. 
Mance, who officially retired from the NAACP on February 15 of this 
year. The tenure of Mr. Mance with the NAACP parallels the rise of the 
civil rights movement. He joined the organization in 1944, and became 
president of the San Fernando Valley Branch in 1959. That same year he 
met Dr. Martin Luther King at the NAACP Convention in New York City.
  John Mance was an active participant in the events that finally 
brought legal segregation to an end in the American south. Much of his 
work was done in the San Fernando Valley, educating local residents to 
the need for change. For example, he organized demonstrations in 
support of the Southern College student sit-ins, stopping street 
traffic and halting business at Woolworth, Kress, and Grant's stores 
for several weekends.
  It is because of people like John Mance that the civil rights 
movement was such a success. And it is because of people such as John 
Mance that we all recognize the work that remains to be done. He has 
set a wonderful example for the next generation of community leaders to 
follow.
  I ask my colleagues to join me in honoring John J. Mance, along with 
his wife, Eleanore, and sons Rick and David. John's tireless dedication 
and profound sense of justice serve as examples to us all.

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