[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 30 (Thursday, March 9, 2006)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E342]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 HONORING AND PRAISING THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF 
         COLORED PEOPLE ON THE OCCASION OF ITS 97TH ANNIVERSARY

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                               speech of

                         HON. DENNIS A. CARDOZA

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, March 1, 2006

  Mr. CARDOZA. Mr. Speaker, it is with great pleasure that I rise today 
to pay tribute to the National Association for the Advancement of 
Colored People (NAACP) as they celebrate the 97th anniversary of their 
inception.
  Since February 12, 1909, the NAACP has strived to promote their 
mission to ensure the political, educational, social, and economic 
equality of rights for all persons and to eliminate racial hatred and 
racial discrimination.
  As the oldest and largest civil rights organization in the nation, 
the members of the NAACP have sought to remove all barriers of racial 
discrimination through non-violence and positive reinforcement.
  The NAACP won one of the nation's greatest legal victories--the 1954 
Supreme Court decision Brown v. Board of Education. The NAACP was also 
a prominent power that lobbied for the passage of the Civil Rights Acts 
of 1957, 1960, and 1964. The Voting Rights Act of 1965 and the Fair 
Housing Act were also achievements of this longstanding organization.
  In 2005, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored 
People launched the Disaster Relief Fund to help Hurricane Katrina 
survivors in Louisiana, Mississippi, Texas, Florida, and Alabama 
rebuild their lives.
  Today the NAACP is a network of more than 2,200 affiliates covering 
all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Japan and Germany. As a 
Californian, it is with honor that I note that our state contains 72 
branches and youth units.
  The perseverance demonstrated by members of the NAACP reflects the 
strength of this exceptional organization. Over the past 97 years, this 
national organization has provided communities around the United States 
with strong and passionate leaders who have fought for social change. I 
congratulate them on their successes and look forward to many more 
years of continued achievements in the future.
  I commend the NAACP and look forward to celebrating their centennial 
in 3 years.

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