[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 80 (Tuesday, June 20, 2006)]
[House]
[Pages H4226-H4228]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




         HONORING THE LIFE AND ACCOMPLISHMENTS OF JAMES CAMERON

  Mr. DENT. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the 
resolution (H. Res. 867) honoring the life and accomplishments of James 
Cameron, as amended.

[[Page H4227]]

  The Clerk read as follows:

                              H. Res. 867

       Whereas James Cameron founded America's Black Holocaust 
     Museum (the Museum) in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, the only 
     memorial in the United States to victims of lynching and 
     racial violence;
       Whereas Mr. Cameron was the last living survivor of a 
     lynching until his death on June 11, 2006, at age 92;
       Whereas a Senate resolution recognized Mr. Cameron as the 
     Nation's oldest living lynching victim in June 2005 and 
     formally apologized for its failure to outlaw lynching, which 
     killed more than 4,700 people from 1882 to 1968, three-
     fourths of whom were black;
       Whereas seven United States Presidents called for lynching 
     to be outlawed, and the House of Representatives passed bans 
     three times in the early twentieth century, only to have the 
     Senate filibuster each of them, one filibuster lasting six 
     weeks;
       Whereas in Marion, Indiana in 1930, when he was 16 years 
     old, Mr. Cameron and two friends, Abe Smith (age 19) and 
     Tommy Shipp (age 18), were falsely accused of killing a 
     Caucasian man and raping his girlfriend;
       Whereas after the arrest of the three men, a mob broke into 
     the jail where they were being held and tried to lynch them;
       Whereas the mob lynched Mr. Smith and Mr. Shipp but spared 
     Mr. Cameron's life;
       Whereas Mr. Cameron was beaten into signing a false 
     confession, convicted in 1931, and paroled in 1935;
       Whereas the governor of Indiana pardoned Mr. Cameron in 
     1993 and apologized to him;
       Whereas Mr. Cameron promoted civil and social justice 
     issues and founded three NAACP chapters in Indiana during the 
     1940s;
       Whereas James Cameron served as the Indiana State Director 
     of Civil Liberties from 1942 to 1950, and he investigated 
     over 25 cases involving civil rights violations;
       Whereas Mr. Cameron relocated to Wisconsin after receiving 
     many death threats, but he continued civil rights work and 
     played a role in protests to end segregated housing in 
     Milwaukee;
       Whereas in 1983, Mr. Cameron published A Time of Terror, 
     his autobiographical account of the events surrounding his 
     arrest in 1930;
       Whereas Mr. Cameron founded America's Black Holocaust 
     Museum in 1988 in order to preserve the history of lynching 
     in the United States and to recognize the struggle of 
     African-American people for equality;
       Whereas the Museum contains the Nation's foremost 
     collection of lynching images, both photographs and 
     postcards, documenting the heinous practice of lynching in 
     the United States;
       Whereas the Museum performs a critical role by exposing 
     this painful, dark, and ugly practice in the Nation's 
     history, so that knowledge can be used to promote 
     understanding and to counter racism, fear, and violence;
       Whereas the Museum also documents the history of the 
     African-American experience from slavery to the civil rights 
     movement to the present day; and
       Whereas the Museum exists to educate the public about 
     injustices suffered by people of African-American heritage, 
     and to provide visitors with an opportunity to rethink 
     assumptions about race and racism: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the House of Representatives honors and 
     celebrates the life and accomplishments of James Cameron and 
     expresses condolences at his passing.

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


                             General Leave

  Mr. DENT. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may 
have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks 
and include extraneous materials on the resolution under consideration.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Pennsylvania?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. DENT. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  James Cameron, thought to be the United States' last known survivor 
of a lynching in the early 1930s, fostered a lifelong commitment to 
civil rights that included creating America's Black Holocaust Museum. 
After an emotional 1979 visit to an Israeli museum that honors the 
memories of millions of people killed in the Holocaust, Cameron decided 
to create a similar memorial to pay tribute to the African American 
lives lost to lynching, slavery and other injustices.
  June 19, 1988, also known as Juneteenth, the holiday commemorating 
the end of slavery in the U.S., marked the grand opening of America's 
Black Holocaust Museum. The museum is housed in a 12,000 square-foot 
building in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and features a permanent exhibit on 
slavery that includes a 15-foot reproduction of the cargo hold of a 
slave ship and a 45-foot enclosed mural depicting the journey from 
Africa across the Atlantic.
  Cameron was also responsible for the founding of three NAACP chapters 
in Indiana in the 1940s, and he became the first president of the NAACP 
branch in Anderson, Indiana.
  During the 1960s, Cameron participated in both marches on Washington, 
the first with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and the second with Dr. 
King's widow, Coretta Scott King, and the Reverend Jesse Jackson.
  I urge all Members to come together to honor the life of a man who 
was a true survivor and who persevered above all to promote civil 
rights and equality.
  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 join in consideration of H. Res. 867, a 
bill honoring the life and accomplishments of James Cameron. I also 
want to commend the gentlewoman from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, for her 
introduction of this legislation and for the tremendous amount of work 
that she has done on it.
  Mr. Speaker, on August 7, 1930, a famous photograph was taken in 
Marion, Indiana, depicting two young black men, recently lynched, 
hanging in a tree above the delighted faces of the mob that had just 
beaten and murdered them. Many of us have seen this picture and are 
horrified by the actions and era it represents. What is missing from 
this picture, however, is James Cameron, the sole survivor of this 
gruesome incident.
  James Cameron had also been assaulted by the lynch mob that night. He 
was falsely accused of participating in the murder of a young white 
man. He survived his severe beating and attempted lynching, but was 
sentenced to 4 years in the State prison for accessory before the fact 
to manslaughter. Because of his personal experience, Cameron dedicated 
his life to promoting civil rights, racial peace, unity, and equality.
  Cameron was instrumental in the establishment of several NAACP 
chapters in both Milwaukee and Indiana and served as the Indiana State 
Director of Civil Liberties. During his 8-year tenure, Cameron 
investigated over 25 incidents of civil rights infractions and faced 
many acts of violence and death threats for his work.
  Although a great contributor to the civil rights movement, Cameron 
wanted to do even more, especially to give a voice to the thousands of 
people who lost their lives in the era of lynching.
  In 1988, Cameron founded America's Black Holocaust Museum to document 
racial injustices suffered by people of African heritage. Cameron 
believed that never should we be allowed to forget or deny the horrors 
of the lynch mobs. In total, nearly 4,700 men and women were killed by 
lynch mobs in the 148 years when lynching was common practice in the 
United States. The museum is located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, the city 
where Cameron relocated to after death threats forced him to leave his 
home in Indiana.
  Last week, Mr. Cameron, the last surviving victim of lynch mob 
violence, died in Milwaukee. His commitment to civil rights and to 
those who died at the hands of lynch mobs is a testament to the human 
spirit and overcoming tragedies.
  James Cameron most cherished a letter he received from the State of 
Indiana on February 3, 1993. The letter granted Mr. Cameron a pardon 
and public apology.
  I urge my colleagues to recognize the life and work of James Cameron 
by passing this resolution.
  Mr. DENT. Mr. Speaker, at this time I have no other speakers, and I 
will reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, it is my pleasure to yield such 
time as she may consume to the gentlewoman from Wisconsin (Ms. Moore), 
who not only introduced this legislation, but who also represents the 
area where the holocaust museum is located. It has been my pleasure to 
visit that museum.

                              {time}  1145

  Ms. MOORE of Wisconsin. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support 
of House Resolution 867, a resolution honoring the great late Dr. James 
Cameron, the only known survivor of a

[[Page H4228]]

lynching and founder of America's only black holocaust museum located 
in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise today with my 92 cosponsors, including the entire 
delegation from Wisconsin, in remembrance and to honor one of our 
Nation's true civil rights pioneers, a man who experienced the most 
horrific acts of violence in this country's history and who used that 
experience to promote social justice and racial healing. This 
resolution honors a man who at the tender age of 16 witnessed the 
lynching of his two friends. And although the lynch mob had looped a 
rope around his neck, his life was miraculously spared.
  This resolution honors a man who spent most of his life after that 
point dedicated to the eradication of racism, the preservation of 
African American history, and the advancement of civil rights for all 
of us. Dr. James Cameron embraced the call of civil rights and social 
justice work despite several death threats, Mr. Speaker. He went on to 
found three NAACP chapters in Indiana and played a role in protests to 
end segregated housing in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
  In 1988, Mr. Cameron founded the Black Holocaust Museum after an 
inspirational journey to Israel in order to preserve the history of 
lynching in the United States and to use this knowledge to promote 
understanding and combat racism, fear, and violence.
  Dr. James Cameron left us and passed away on Sunday, June 11 at the 
age of 92. This was almost one year to the day that the United States 
Senate honored Cameron as the only lynching survivor and passed its 
historic resolution formally apologizing for not passing anti-lynching 
legislation throughout much of the 20th century. Just yesterday we laid 
Dr. Cameron to rest on the symbolic day, Juneteenth Day, in 
commemoration for the ending of slavery in this country; also 
Juneteenth Day commemorating the 18th anniversary of the founding of 
America's Black Holocaust Museum.
  Mr. Speaker, this is a significant week in civil rights and in black 
history. In addition to yesterday being Juneteenth, the House plans to 
consider the reauthorization of the Voting Rights Act this week. Dr. 
Cameron's life exemplifies the imperative of the civil rights struggle, 
the call to listen to our humanity over and above our fear. Dr. Cameron 
taught us to be better, not bitter.
  Years ago, Dr. Cameron placed me on his board of directors of 
America's Black Holocaust Museum, a relationship that I sought for 
personal resurrection, restoration, reconciliation, renewal, and 
regeneration as an heir of the shameful experience of slavery. However, 
Mr. Speaker, all, all of whom encountered Dr. Cameron throughout the 
world, including the family of the young victim on that August night, 
all who experienced Dr. Cameron experienced reconciliation, the 
reconciling and redemptive power of forgiveness.
  I strongly urge my colleagues to continue to add to the historic 
significance of this week by supporting this resolution honoring the 
life and accomplishments of a man who had a life worth living, Dr. 
James Cameron.
  Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. It is now my pleasure to yield 1 minute to the 
gentlewoman from Texas who has spent much of her life working on behalf 
of civil rights and racial reconciliation, Representative Sheila 
Jackson-Lee.
  Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. I thank the distinguished gentleman. It is 
an honor to follow his leadership on these issues of empowerment and 
particularly of African American men. I rise today to acknowledge the 
very special moment of history we have today to pass this resolution in 
honor of Mr. Cameron, and particularly I rise to pay tribute and honor 
my colleague from Wisconsin, the honorable Gwen Moore, for her 
insightful leadership to bring to the attention of this House a man who 
survived lynching, a man who is symbolic of almost 5,000 who were 
lynched as others watched and stood by, a man who dedicated his life to 
civil rights even though he was threatened every day such that he had 
to leave his place of birth, a place that he loved, the State of 
Indiana, and move to Wisconsin.
  A person who used the tragedy of his life, the tragedy of his two 
young friends to be a man who perpetrated reconciliation and the ending 
of racism. Thank you to the Honorable Gwen Moore for enlightening this 
body and allowing us to pay tribute as we debate this week the Voter 
Rights Act reauthorization. Yes, this is a moment in history for this 
House to take, and I hope it will take it enthusiastically and 
unanimously support the resolution offered today honoring Mr. Cameron 
for his enormous leadership. Thank you, Congresswoman Gwen Moore.
  Mr. DENT. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, we have no further requests for 
time. But I, too, would simply like to commend again the gentlewoman 
from Wisconsin for her insight, for her passionate display of the 
relevance of the holocaust museum, but also the relevance of the life 
of a real pioneer and one who could teach in spite of his own personal 
tragedy.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. DENT. Mr. Speaker, I urge all Members to support the adoption of 
House Resolution 867, as amended, to commemorate the extraordinary life 
of Dr. Cameron.
  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. Dent) that the House suspend the rules 
and agree to the resolution, H. Res. 867, as amended.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds having voted in favor 
thereof) the rules were suspended and the resolution, as amended, was 
agreed to.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

                          ____________________