[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 52 (Thursday, May 4, 2006)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E729]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




     TRIBUTE FOR THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE NAACP BAY CITY BRANCH

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                          HON. DALE E. KILDEE

                              of michigan

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, May 4, 2006

  Mr. KILDEE. Mr. Speaker, I would like to take this opportunity to 
honor the Bay City Branch of the National Association for the 
Advancement of Colored People as it celebrates 50 years as a dedicated 
champion of civil rights. On June 2, 2006 the members of the Bay City 
Branch will come together to revere its founding members and renew its 
commitment to justice for all.
  Roy Wilkins chartered the first branch of the NAACP in Bay City in 
1918. This was at a time when the NAACP was instrumental in convincing 
President Woodrow Wilson to publicly denounce lynching. The Branch was 
disbanded but it was re-chartered in 1938 by Attorney Oscar Baker Sr. 
and chartered a third time in 1946.
  In 1955, NAACP member Rosa Parks was arrested for refusing to give up 
her seat on a Montgomery Alabama bus and one of the largest grassroots 
civil rights movements was born. The NAACP was at the forefront of this 
struggle and Reverend Obie Matthew, Pastor of the Second Baptist 
Church, organized the present Bay City Branch the following year on 
October 8, 1956. 50 years later the Branch is still fighting for 
equality of all citizens.
  The Bay City Branch has led the fight against discrimination in 
housing, education, employment, healthcare, and the criminal justice 
system. Some of its notable fights were the Migrant Negroes from 
Georgia Case, the Bay County Skating Rink Case in the 1960s, the 
Woolworth 5&10 Store Sit-in, the hiring of the first African American 
teachers by the Bay City School District, and the inclusion of a Black 
History Class in the Bay City Central High School curriculum. The 
Branch has given away more than 70 scholarships to high school 
students. They have supported CORY Place, sponsored a summer USDA Food 
and Activity program for children, and worked with other local agencies 
to improve the living conditions in Bay City.
  The hymn, Lift Every Voice and Sing, was written by James Weldon 
Johnson in 1900. In it he wrote, ``Sing a song full of hope that the 
present has brought us; Facing the rising sun of our new day begun, Let 
us march on till victory is won.'' Under the current leadership of 
President Idella White, the Bay City Branch is marching on in the fight 
to remove barriers to racial equality. The Bay City Branch remains 
committed to educating citizens about their constitutional rights, and 
the adverse effects of racial discrimination.
  Mr. Speaker, I am asking the House of Representatives to join me in 
congratulating the Bay City Branch of the NAACP for 50 years of 
commitment to social justice. The members are to be commended for their 
steadfast fight against racial hatred and I pray that together we will 
eliminate this scourge from our nation and the world.

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