[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 100 (Thursday, July 21, 2005)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1570-E1571]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      HONORING ARTHUR A. FLETCHER

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. BARBARA LEE

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, July 21, 2005

  Ms. LEE. Mr. Speaker, Mr. Watt, CBC chairman, and I rise today to 
honor the extraordinary life and achievements of Arthur A. Fletcher of 
Washington, DC. Known for his lifelong commitment to advancing civil 
rights and increasing educational and professional opportunity for 
African Americans and other minorities, Mr. Fletcher was a true pioneer 
in the movement for racial and socioeconomic equality in America. He 
passed away at his home in Washington on July 12, 2005 at the age of 
80.
  Mr. Fletcher was born in Phoenix, Arizona in 1924, but grew up in 
California, Oklahoma, Arizona and Kansas due to his father's career in 
the military. While attending high school in Junction City, Kansas, he 
organized his first civil rights protest after being told that African 
American student photographs would only be included in the back of the 
yearbook. Remaining in Kansas for college, he attended Washburn 
University in Topeka, earning degrees in political science and 
sociology, and later went on to earn a law degree and a Ph.D. in 
education.
  Mr. Fletcher served in World War II under General George Patton, 
earning a purple heart after being shot while fighting with his Army 
tanker division. He went on to become a professional football player in 
1950, joining the Los Angeles Rams and later the Baltimore Colts, where 
he was one of the team's first African American players.
  Mr. Fletcher entered politics in 1954, working first on Fred Hall's 
gubernatorial campaign in Kansas, and later taking a post working for 
the Kansas Highway Commission. Central to his work in that position and 
in subsequent ones was his determination to use his knowledge of 
government contracts to encourage African Americans to bid on contracts 
and grow their businesses.
  Mr. Fletcher lived in the San Francisco Bay Area during the late 
1960s and later moved to Washington, where he served as a special 
assistant to the governor and was the first black candidate to run for 
lieutenant governor or any statewide office. In 1969, President Nixon 
appointed him assistant secretary of wage and labor standards in the 
Department of Labor. There he became best known for devising the 
``Philadelphia plan,'' which set and enforced equal opportunity 
employment standards for companies with federal contracts and their 
labor unions.
  Given Congresswoman Lee's history as a small business owner, we can 
personal attest to the positive impact of Mr. Fletcher's work to extend 
federal contracting opportunities to African Americans has had on the 
minority business community. As a federal contractor in the SBA 8A 
program in the 1980s, Congresswoman Lee was able to directly benefit 
from his vision and foresight with regard to getting minorities 
involved in business, as have countless others.
  In 1972, Mr. Fletcher became the Executive Director of the United 
Negro College Fund, where he fought to extend equal educational 
opportunity to African Americans, and coined the slogan ``a mind is a 
terrible thing to waste.'' Known as ``the father of affirmative 
action,'' he was later asked to serve on the U.S. Commission on Civil 
Rights under Presidents Ford, Reagan and Bush as a commissioner, and 
later as chairman, until 1993. Prompted by a series of attacks on 
longstanding affirmative action policies in the mid-1990s, Mr. Fletcher 
ran for president in 1996, and later became president and CEO of 
Fletcher's Learning Systems and publisher of USA Tomorrow/The Fletcher 
Letter, Mr. Fletcher served as a delegate to the United Nations and as 
the chairman of the National Black Chamber of Commerce, and spent a 
great deal of time speaking at venues across the country on the 
benefits of affirmative action and equal opportunity,
  Many have benefited from the affirmative action policies and Mr. 
Fletcher's unyielding

[[Page E1571]]

commitment and work for equal opportunity, Clearly, this giant of a 
human being has paved the way for the success of countless individuals. 
For this, we are deeply grateful.
  During a time when bipartisanship cooperation is badly needed for 
addressing the critical issues of our time, Mr. Fletcher stands out as 
one who truly embodied this spirit. We personally remember his efforts 
at working ``both sides of the aisle,'' never forgetting what was fair 
and good for Black America was good for our Nation. We owe Mr. Fletcher 
a tremendous debt of gratitude for setting this exceptional standard of 
leadership.
  On July 21, 2005, Mr. Fletcher's wife Bernyce, his three children and 
the rest of his family and friends will gather in Washington, DC to 
celebrate his extraordinary life. Mr. Fletcher's work as a presidential 
adviser and a champion of civil rights and affirmative action shaped 
the course of countless individual lives. Mr. Fletcher's tireless 
advocacy for equal opportunity made higher education and professional 
success possible for entire sectors of our society that otherwise would 
not have had those chances, and the effects of his activism will 
continue to be felt for generations to come. On behalf of the 
Congressional Black Caucus, we thank Mr. Fletcher for his truly 
invaluable contributions to our society, and for his work in making 
success, opportunity and the American dream possible for all people.

                          ____________________