[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 141 (Wednesday, October 8, 2003)]
[House]
[Pages H9316-H9318]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




RECOGNIZING THE IMPORTANCE OF RALPH BUNCHE, THE FIRST AFRICAN-AMERICAN 
                        NOBEL PEACE PRIZE WINNER

  Mr. PLATTS. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the 
concurrent resolution (H. Con. Res. 71) recognizing the importance of 
Ralph Bunche as one of the great leaders of the United States, the 
first African-American Nobel Peace Prize winner, an accomplished 
scholar, a distinguished diplomat, and a tireless campaigner of civil 
rights for people throughout the world.
  The Clerk read as follows:

                            H. Con. Res. 71

       Whereas Ralph Bunche's life of achievement made him truly 
     one of the twentieth century's foremost figures and a role 
     model for youth;
       Whereas Ralph Bunche graduated valedictorian, summa cum 
     laude, and Phi Beta Kappa from the University of California 
     at Los Angeles in 1927 with a degree in International 
     Relations;
       Whereas Ralph Bunche was the first African-American to 
     receive a Ph.D. in Government and International Relations at 
     Harvard University in 1934;
       Whereas Ralph Bunche served as a professor and established 
     and chaired the Political Science Department at Howard 
     University from 1928 to 1941;
       Whereas, in 1941, Ralph Bunche served as an analyst for the 
     Office of Strategic Services;
       Whereas Ralph Bunche joined the Department of State in 1944 
     as an advisor;
       Whereas Ralph Bunche served as an advisor to the United 
     States delegation to the 1945 San Francisco conference 
     charged with establishing the United Nations and drafting the 
     Charter of the nascent international organization;
       Whereas Ralph Bunche was instrumental in drafting Chapters 
     11 and 12 of the United Nations Charter, dealing with non-
     self-governing territories and the International Trusteeship 
     System, which helped African countries achieve their 
     independence and assisted in their transition to self-
     governing, sovereign states;
       Whereas, in 1946, Ralph Bunche was appointed Director of 
     the Trusteeship Division of the United Nations;
       Whereas, in 1948, Ralph Bunche was named acting Chief 
     Mediator in Palestine for the United Nations, and, in 1949, 
     successfully brokered an armistice agreement between Israel, 
     Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, and Syria;
       Whereas Ralph Bunche was deeply committed to ending 
     colonialism and restoring individual state sovereignty 
     through peaceful means;
       Whereas the National Association for the Advancement of 
     Colored People awarded its highest honor, the Spingarn Medal, 
     to Ralph Bunche in 1949;
       Whereas for his many significant contributions and efforts 
     towards achieving a peaceful resolution to seemingly 
     intractable national and international disputes, Ralph Bunche 
     was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1950, the first African-
     American and the first person of color to be so honored;
       Whereas Ralph Bunche was named United Nations Under 
     Secretary General in 1955, in charge of directing 
     peacekeeping missions in several countries;
       Whereas, in 1963, Ralph Bunche was presented by President 
     John F. Kennedy with the United States' highest civilian 
     award, the Medal of Freedom; and

[[Page H9317]]

       Whereas Ralph Bunche's critical contributions to the 
     attempt to resolve the Arab-Israeli conflict and towards the 
     de-colonization of Africa, and his commitment to and long 
     service in the United Nations and numerous other national and 
     international humanitarian efforts, warrant his 
     commemoration. Now, therefore, be it:
       Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate 
     concurring), That Congress--
       (1) recognizes and honors Ralph Bunche as a pivotal 20th 
     century figure and fighter in the struggle for the 
     realization and attainment of human rights on a global scale; 
     and
       (2) urges the President to take appropriate measures to 
     encourage the celebration and remembrance of Ralph Bunche's 
     many significant achievements.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Pennsylvania (Mr. Platts) and the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Davis) 
each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Platts).


                             General Leave

  Mr. PLATTS. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may 
have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks 
on the bill under consideration.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Terry). Is there objection to the 
request of the gentleman from Pennsylvania?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. PLATTS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I am proud that this House is considering this 
resolution that honors a great American with whom many Americans may 
not be very familiar. House Concurrent Resolution 71, introduced by my 
distinguished colleague, the gentleman from New York (Mr. Rangel), 
recognizes Ambassador Ralph Bunche, a great diplomat, scholar and human 
rights champion.
  Mr. Speaker, one could begin nearly anywhere in discussing the resume 
and accomplishments of Ambassador Bunche. He earned his doctorate at 
Harvard University before he single-handedly established the political 
science department at Howard University here in Washington.
  After World War II, Ambassador Bunche left Howard and became one of 
the most influential founders of the United Nations, helping to draft 
the U.N. charter. In 1948, he became mediator of the U.N. Special 
Committee on Palestine and played a critical role in engineering the 
armistice that ended the Arab-Israel conflict in 1949. His work on 
negotiations earned him the honor for which he may be best known, the 
1949 Nobel Peace Prize. Ambassador Bunche was the first African 
American to win this prestigious award. Ultimately, he became the 
Undersecretary General of the United Nations in 1955.
  Mr. Speaker, Ambassador Bunche was an unrelenting advocate for human 
rights both at home and abroad; and this House justifiably recognizes 
his distinguished life. For this reason, I urge all members to support 
the adoption of House Concurrent Resolution 71.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to rise in support of H. Con. Res. 71, 
recognizing the importance of Ralph Bunche, introduced by the 
distinguished gentleman from New York (Mr. Rangel).
  Mr. Speaker, American diplomat and winner of the 1950 Nobel Peace 
Prize, Ralph Bunche was born in Detroit, Michigan, on August 7, 1904. 
His father, Fred Bunche, was a barber in a shop having an all-white 
clientele, and his mother, Olive Johnson Bunche, was an amateur 
musician. When Ralph Bunche was 12 years old his parents died, and he 
was raised by his grandmother, Ms. Nana Johnson, who had been born into 
slavery.
  Ralph Bunche was valedictorian of his graduating class at Jefferson 
High School in Los Angeles where he had been a debater and well-rounded 
athlete. While studying at the University of California at Los Angeles, 
he supported himself with an athletic scholarship, which paid for his 
collegiate expenses, and a janitorial job, which paid for his personal 
expenses. With a scholarship granted by Harvard University and a fund 
of a $1,000 raised by the black community of Los Angeles, Ralph Bunche 
began his graduate studies in political science.
  In the time between earning his masters and doctorate degrees in 
government and international relations at Harvard University, he 
established a department of political science at Howard University in 
1928.
  During that time, he also traveled through French West Africa on a 
Rosenwald field fellowship, which enabled him to conduct research in 
Africa for a dissertation comparing French rule in Togoland and 
Dahomey. He completed his work with such distinction that he was 
awarded the Toppan Prize for outstanding research in social studies.
  Between 1938 and 1940, he collaborated with Swedish sociologist 
Gunnar Mydral on the monumental study of U.S. race relations published 
as An American Dilemma: The Negro Problem and Modern Democracy. The 
study is renowned for presenting the theory that poverty breeds 
poverty.
  During World War II, Ralph Bunche worked for the War Department and 
the State Department. Toward the end of the war, he played an important 
role in preliminary planning for the United Nations, the organization 
he served for the rest of his career.
  After the chief mediator between the warring factions in Palestine, 
Count Folke Bernadotte, was assassinated, Bunche, then an aide on a 
special U.N. committee to negotiate an end to the first Arab-Israeli 
War, was thrust into a leading role in the process. His successful 
negotiation of a 1949 truce between the parties earned him the Nobel 
Peace Prize in 1950.
  In the last decade of his life, he became an increasingly vocal 
supporter of the civil rights movement in the United States, 
participating in the 1965 civil rights marches in Selma and Montgomery, 
Alabama.
  Ralph Bunche died on December 9, 1971, in New York City, shortly 
after retiring as Undersecretary General of the United Nations.
  H. Con. Res. 71 recognizes the importance of Ralph Bunche and the 
enduring legacy that he has left as a skillful negotiator and an 
example of what diplomacy can provide and generate when adroitly used.
  Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to urge swift passage of this resolution.
  Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I am here today to join my 
colleagues in recognizing and honoring Ralph Bunche as a pivotal 20th 
century figure and fighter in the struggle for the realization and 
attainment of human rights on a global scale.
  Ralph Bunche is one of the great leaders of the United States, the 
first African-American Nobel Peace Prize winner, an accomplished 
scholar, a distinguished diplomat, and a tireless campaigner of civil 
rights for people throughout the world.
  Ralph Bunche's life of achievement made him truly one of the 
twentieth century's foremost figures and a role model for youth of 
America. He graduated valedictorian, summa cum laude, and Phi Beta 
Kappa from the University of California at Los Angeles in 1927 with a 
degree in International Relations. From there he went on to be the 
first African-American to receive a Ph.D. in Government and 
International Relations at Harvard University in 1934; and he served as 
a professor and established and chaired the Political Science 
Department at Howard University from 1928 to 1941.
  Ralph Bunche was instrumental in drafting Chapters 11 and 12 of the 
United Nations Charter, dealing with non-self-governing territories and 
the International Trusteeship System, which helped African countries 
achieve their independence and assisted in their transition to self-
governing, sovereign states.
  In 1948, Ralph Bunche was named acting Chief Mediator in Palestine 
for the United Nations, and, in 1949, successfully brokered an 
armistice agreement between Israel, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, and Syria. 
He was deeply committed to ending colonialism and restoring individual 
state sovereignty through peaceful means.
  The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People 
awarded its highest honor, the Spingarn Medal, to Ralph Bunche in 1949. 
In 1950, Ralph Bunche became the first African-American to be awarded 
the Nobel Peace Prize, for his many significant contributions and 
efforts towards achieving a peaceful resolution to seemingly difficult 
national and international disputes.
  Ralph Bunche has a scholarship in his name at Colby College in 
Waterville, Maine. This scholarship is for top minority students who 
have achieved academic excellence.
  Ralph Bunche was named United Nations Under Secretary General in 
1955, in charge of directing peacekeeping missions in several 
countries. In 1963, President John F. Kennedy presented Ralph Bunche 
with the Medal of Freedom, which is the United States' highest civilian 
award.

[[Page H9318]]

  Ralph Bunche's critical contributions to the attempt to resolve the 
Arab-Israeli conflict and towards the de-colonization of Africa, and 
his commitment to and long service in the United Nations and numerous 
other national and international humanitarian efforts, warrant his 
commemoration. I am proud to stand on the House floor today and 
celebrate his accomplishments. He is truly a great American hero.
  Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my 
time.
  Mr. PLATTS. Mr. Speaker, I want to commend the gentleman from New 
York (Mr. Rangel) for his work in introducing this measure and 
certainly encourage all members to support it.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Platts) that the House suspend the 
rules and agree to the concurrent resolution, H. Con. Res. 71.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds having voted in favor 
thereof) the rules were suspended and the concurrent resolution was 
agreed to.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

                          ____________________