[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 80 (Tuesday, June 20, 2006)]
[Senate]
[Page S6152]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                           DR. JAMES CAMERON

 Mr. KOHL. Mr. President, Dr. James Cameron was man of great 
strength, spirituality, and conviction.
  Dr. Cameron was born in LaCrosse, WI, in 1914 and moved to Indiana as 
a teenager. In Indiana, he accompanied two friends involved in an armed 
robbery that turned to rape and murder. Though Dr. Cameron ran away 
well before the crime was committed, all three young men were taken to 
jail. The Ku Klux Klan stormed that jail on August 7, 1930, hung his 
two friends, and beat him severely. Dr. Cameron survived but spent 
another 6 years in jail for crimes he did not commit.
  Dr. Cameron never let us forget the injustice done to the many 
victims of lynching and racial violence. After moving back to his home 
State of Wisconsin, he founded the Black Holocaust Museum in Milwaukee. 
This unique museum lays bare our Nation's violent past of racism and 
slavery. His work opened the eyes of thousands to the suffering of 
African Americans, not only in the age of slavery but also in the 
decades that followed.
  Dr. Cameron joined us last year to witness the passage of Resolution 
No. 39, a resolution apologizing to the victims of lynching and the 
descendants of those victims for the failure of the Senate to enact 
antilynching legislation. His mere presence assured us that we were 
doing the right thing, albeit many years too late.
  Dr. Cameron is survived by his dear wife Virginia and their wonderful 
family. His legacy will remain a source of hope and pride for 
many.

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