[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 126 (Thursday, October 7, 2004)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1824-E1825]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               RECOGNIZING GARY, INDIANA MEMBERS OF NAACP

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. PETER J. VISCLOSKY

                               of indiana

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, October 6, 2004

  Mr. VISCLOSKY. Mr. Speaker, it is my distinct pleasure to recognize 
and commend the members of the Gary, Indiana branch of the National 
Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). On Friday, 
October 15, 2004, the Gary NAACP will hold its 44th Annual Mary White 
Ovington Awards Banquet at St. Timothy Community Church's Fellowship 
Hall in Gary, Indiana.
  This annual event is a major fundraiser for the Gary branch of the 
NAACP. The funds generated through this activity, and others like it, 
go directly to the organization's needed programs and advocacy efforts. 
In addition, the dinner serves to update and keep the community aware 
of the activities, accomplishments, and accolades of the local and 
national chapters of the NAACP on an annual basis.
  The featured speaker at this gala event will be Dr. Mary Steele. Dr. 
Steele is the Superintendent of the Gary Community School Corporation. 
This is a celebration of the 50th Anniversary of the Brown vs. Board of 
Education, the 75th Birthday of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and the 
39th Anniversary of the Voting Rights Act. This year's theme is ``The 
Race Is On. The Time Is Now.'' The NAACP Gary Branch will honor members 
of the community that have contributed to the cause of civil rights, 
labor and industry, the community, and its organization.
  On February 12, 1909, the National Association for the Advancement of 
Colored People was founded by a multiracial group of activists, and 
their goal among many was to secure the political, economic, and social 
rights of all African Americans. For more than 95 years, the NAACP 
built and grew on the collective courage of thousands of people. As the 
Nation's oldest and largest civil rights organization, the NAACP has 
worked successfully with allies of all races who believe in and stand 
for the principles on which the organization was founded. Throughout 
its history, some of America's greatest minds have worked to effect 
change.
  The Gary NAACP was organized by a group of residents that felt there 
was a need for an organization that would monitor and defend the rights 
of African Americans in Northwest Indiana. The national organization, 
of which the Gary branch is a member, focuses on providing better and 
more positive ways of addressing the important issues facing minorities 
in social and job-related settings. Like the national organization, the 
Gary branch of the NAACP serves its community by combating injustice, 
discrimination, and unfair treatment in our society.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask you and my other distinguished colleagues to join 
me in paying tribute to the members of the Gary NAACP for the efforts, 
activities, and leadership that these outstanding men and women have 
championed to improve the quality of life for all residents of 
Indiana's First Congressional District.

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