[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 26 (Monday, February 12, 2007)]
[House]
[Pages H1433-H1436]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
HONORING AND PRAISING THE NAACP ON THE OCCASION OF ITS 98TH ANNIVERSARY
Mr. BERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the
concurrent resolution (H. Con. Res. 44) honoring and praising the
National Association for the Advancement of Colored People on the
occasion of its 98th anniversary.
The Clerk read as follows:
H. Con. Res. 44
Whereas the National Association for the Advancement of
Colored People (NAACP), originally known as the National
Negro Committee, was founded in New York City on February 12,
1909, the centennial of Abraham Lincoln's birth, by a
multiracial group of activists who answered ``The Call'' for
a national conference to discuss the civil and political
rights of African Americans;
Whereas the National Association for the Advancement of
Colored People was founded by a distinguished group of
leaders in the struggle for civil and political liberty,
including Ida Wells-Barnett, W.E.B. DuBois, Henry Moscowitz,
Mary White Ovington, Oswald Garrison Villiard, and William
English Walling;
Whereas the NAACP is the oldest and largest civil rights
organization in the United States;
Whereas the mission of the NAACP is to ensure the
political, educational, social, and economic equality of
rights of all persons and to eliminate racial hatred and
racial discrimination;
Whereas the NAACP is committed to achieving its goals
through nonviolence;
Whereas the NAACP advances its mission through reliance
upon the press, the petition, the ballot, and the courts, and
has been persistent in the use of legal and moral persuasion,
even in the face of overt and violent racial hostility;
Whereas the NAACP has used political pressure, marches,
demonstrations, and effective lobbying to serve as the voice,
as well as the shield, for minority Americans;
Whereas after years of fighting segregation in public
schools, the NAACP, under the leadership of Special Counsel
Thurgood Marshall, won one of its greatest legal victories in
the Supreme Court's 1954 decision in Brown v. Board of
Education;
Whereas in 1955, NAACP member Rosa Parks was arrested and
fined for refusing to give up her seat on a segregated bus in
Montgomery, Alabama--an act of courage that would serve as
the catalyst for the largest grassroots civil rights movement
in the history of the United States;
Whereas the NAACP was prominent in lobbying for the passage
of the Civil Rights Acts of 1957, 1960, and 1964, the Voting
Rights Act of 1965, the Fannie Lou Hamer, Rosa Parks, and
Coretta Scott King Voting Rights Act Reauthorization and
Amendments Act of 2006, and the Fair Housing Act, laws which
ensured Government protection for legal victories achieved;
and
Whereas in 2005, the National Association for the
Advancement of Colored People launched the Disaster Relief
Fund to help survivors in Louisiana, Mississippi, Texas,
Florida, and Alabama to rebuild their lives: Now, therefore,
be it
Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate
concurring), That the Congress--
(1) recognizes the 98th anniversary of the historic
founding of the National Association for the Advancement of
Colored People; and
(2) honors and praises the National Association for the
Advancement of Colored People on the occasion of its
anniversary for its work to ensure the political,
educational, social, and economic equality of all persons.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
California (Mr. Berman) and the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Smith) each
will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from California.
General Leave
Mr. BERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may
have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks on H. Con.
Res. 44.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from California?
There was no objection.
Mr. BERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Today I rise to join my colleague Al Green of Texas in honoring the
National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, the NAACP,
on its 98th anniversary. As we observe Black History Month this
February, it is only appropriate that we recognize the Nation's oldest
and largest civil rights organization. Ninety-eight years after its
inception, we salute the NAACP for its continued commitment to
promoting equality and justice for all Americans.
The NAACP has been at the forefront of every brave and courageous
moment in this Nation's civil rights history. This was particularly
evident during the height of the Civil Rights Movement. In 1954 the
NAACP secured one of the greatest legal victories with the Brown v.
Board of Education decision. In 1960 the NAACP Youth Council organized
a series of sit-ins at lunch counters throughout the country, an
activity which I think for many of us, I know for myself, helped to
pique and motivate our interest in the ability of politics and movement
to make change on behalf of people. And in 1965 the NAACP successfully
sought enactment of the Voting Rights Act.
Today the NAACP priorities continue to ``ensure the political,
educational, social, and economic equality of rights of all persons,''
as its mission statement reads. Last year the NAACP addressed such
issues as voter disenfranchisement, HIV/AIDS, and the conflict in
Sudan. In 2007 the organization continues to confront these and other
domestic and international concerns. Most recently, the NAACP supported
Congress' efforts to increase the minimum wage.
We in this body congratulate the NAACP for this work and their
continued efforts to protect the civil and human rights of our
citizens. On its 98th anniversary, the NAACP remains an integral and
essential part of this society. We salute the NAACP on this significant
occasion.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. SMITH of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
[[Page H1434]]
Mr. Speaker, I support House Concurrent Resolution 44, which
recognizes the 98th anniversary of the NAACP.
For almost a century, the NAACP has fought to bring justice and
racial equality to all parts of America. In 1917 the NAACP won a legal
victory in the Supreme Court which held that States could not restrict
and officially segregate African Americans into residential areas. The
same year the NAACP fought for the right for African Americans to be
commissioned as officers in World War I. In 1920 the NAACP held its
annual conference in Atlanta, which at the time was one of the most
active areas for the Ku Klux Klan. As a result, the NAACP showed the
world it would not be intimidated by racial violence.
{time} 1500
In 1935, NAACP lawyers Charles Houston and Thurgood Marshall won a
legal battle to admit a black student to the University of Maryland.
During World War II, the NAACP led the effort that resulted in
President Franklin Roosevelt's ordering a non-discrimination policy in
war-related industries and Federal employment.
And in 1948, the NAACP convinced President Harry Truman to sign an
executive order banning discrimination by the Federal Government.
In 1954, under the leadership of Special Counsel Thurgood Marshall,
the NAACP won one of the greatest legal victories in Brown v. Board of
Education.
In 1960, in Greensboro, North Carolina, members of the NAACP Youth
Council launched a series of nonviolent sit-ins at segregated lunch
counters. The segregation ended, and all Americans could finally break
bread together.
The history of America's modern struggle to live up to our
constitutional principles was often written by the NAACP, and it
continues to champion the cause of social justice today. The NAACP has
served as the voice of those who were mute with fear. It has served as
a key for those who were handcuffed and jailed under segregationist
policies. And it carried the weight for those whose backs were broken
by brutal beatings. It did so peacefully, and with dignity; and, as a
result, America can hold its head higher.
It is with great pleasure that I support this concurrent resolution,
which I hope raises even higher the awareness of this organization's
historic contributions to the cause of civil rights.
Mr. Speaker, I yield the balance of my time to the gentleman from
Texas (Mr. Issa), and would ask unanimous consent that he be allowed to
control said time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from Texas?
There was no objection.
Mr. BERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 6 minutes to the
sponsor of the resolution, the distinguished gentleman from Texas (Mr.
Al Green).
Mr. AL GREEN of Texas. Mr. Speaker, thanks to the subcommittee
chairman, Congressman Howard Berman. I thank you much for the many
things that you have done.
Mr. Speaker, I also think it appropriate to thank today chairman John
Conyers of the Judiciary Committee for assisting in this and causing
this piece of legislation to move forward quickly. I thank Senator
Hillary Clinton and the more than 20 cosponsors in the United States
Senate.
My understanding is that companion legislation will be filed there
today. We would like to thank the 117 cosponsors in the U.S. House of
Representatives, all of whom believe that this legislation is
exceedingly important. And, of course, I would like to thank last
year's cosponsor with me, the ranking member of the Judiciary
Committee, Congressman James Sensenbrenner.
Mr. Speaker, there are many organizations that have endorsed this
legislation: the American Jewish Committee; the ADL, the Anti-
Defamation League; LULAC, the League of United Latin American Citizens;
and NCLR, the National Council of La Raza.
Today, H. Con. Res. 44 honors the NAACP for 98 years of service to
America. Mr. Speaker, that is 98 years of upholding the constitutional
notion of government of the people, by the people, and for the people.
That is 98 years of standing on the Declaration of Independence and the
premise that all persons are created equal; 98 years, Mr. Speaker, of
saluting the proposition in the Pledge of Allegiance that we are indeed
one Nation, with liberty and justice for all.
I thank God, Mr. Speaker, for the NAACP and those brave souls who
assembled 98 years ago today on February 12, 1909, a group of people
who met to fight for the rights of black people. They were an
integrated group, both black and white, who believed in the
Constitution of the United States of America.
And while we must remember that the NAACP was founded to make
democracy work for black people, we shouldn't forget that it was Mary
White Ovington, a white woman, who is said to have hosted the founders
meeting. And we shouldn't forget that she did this in response to
William English Walling, a white man who wrote an article asking
citizens to rally in support of African Americans.
We don't forget in the NAACP, and we should never forget, the fact
that this organization has never been a black-only organization. So,
today, I salute the NAACP-ers, current and those who have gone on for
their great work in this great country. I want to salute them by
remembering those who are black, but I also pledge that we will never
forget those who are white.
So as we remember Dr. Louis T. Wright, who in 1935 became the first
black NAACP board Chair, we should not forget Oswald Garrison Villard,
the white man who in 1911 became the very first Chair of the board of
the NAACP. You see, there were two white NAACP board Chairs, Oswald
Villard and Joel Spingarn, before we had a black NAACP board Chair.
And I believe we should remember James Weldon Johnson. He was the
first black executive secretary and director of the NAACP. However, we
should never forget Francis Blascon and Mary White Ovington, along with
Mary Nurney and Royall Nash, all of whom were white and served before
James Weldon Johnson.
Let us remember the brilliant lawyer and Supreme Court Justice,
Thurgood Marshall. However, we should not forget Arthur Spingarn, the
white NAACP-er who donated large sums of money and raised even more
money for the NAACP Legal Redress Committee. While Thurgood Marshall
was a great litigator, and he was, we should never forget that the
Spingarns were great donators and made it possible for a lot of the
litigation to take place.
I will remember and I beg that we all remember Medgar Evers, the
black NAACP field representative who was assassinated in his front yard
in 1963. However, we shouldn't forget John R. Shillady, the white NAACP
executive secretary, because he was beaten by a mob in Austin, Texas,
and he never recovered.
Through the efforts of a multiracial, religiously diverse and
ethnically inclusive group, the NAACP has made great contributions to
our society: the passage of the Voting Rights Act; the passage of the
Civil Rights Act; the Fair Housing Act of 1968; filed and won many
lawsuits, including Brown v. Board of Education; Shelley v. Kraemer;
and recently contributed millions of dollars to assist the Hurricane
Katrina victims.
So today we can literally say we eat where we eat, we live where we
live and we sleep where we sleep in part due to the NAACP, and we are
grateful that they have been there for us.
Mr. Speaker, I beg that all of my colleagues will support this
resolution.
Mr. ISSA. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, H. Con. Res. 44 is and should be about the NAACP, but it
is also about a history of a struggle, not just the 98 years that the
NAACP has been pushing and prodding this body, the courts and the
executive branch for fairness for all people, all people in the United
States, but for the history of this struggle. Whether it is the Marbury
v. Madison decision, or the dreaded Dred Scott decision, the Court has
had to be prodded by the public, the Congress has had to be prodded by
the public, and, yes, just as with Harry S. Truman, the President has
had to be prodded by the public. No organization in American history
has sustained the consistent legacy of being an effective prod to the
government greater than the NAACP.
So I join with my colleagues on a bipartisan and undoubtedly
bicameral
[[Page H1435]]
basis to celebrate this 98 years and the struggle that it represents.
Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I am honored to rise to
congratulate the NAACP on its 98th Anniversary. As the Nation's oldest
civil rights organization, the NAACP has for 98 years fought to ensure
the political, educational, social and economic equality of all
persons, so that all may share and participate in this country's great
Democracy.
The NAACP was founded by a multiracial group of activists who
answered ``The Call'' for a national conference to discuss the civil
and political rights of African Americans. This conference was in
response to the race riots that took place in Springfield, Illinois in
the summer of 1908. Since that time, the NAACP has sought to ensure
equal rights for all citizens and to eliminate race prejudice in the
United States by working to improve the democratic process and by
seeking the enactment and enforcement of laws that secure civil rights.
The NAACP also acts as a watchdog and informs the public of the adverse
effects of discrimination. The NAACP also educates the public about
their constitutional rights, and when necessary, undertakes court cases
to enforce and secure those rights.
The NAACP has a long and impressive history of activism and has
contributed greatly to shaping America as we know it today. One of its
first legislative initiatives was an anti-lynching campaign in the
early 1900s. In the 1940s, the NAACP was influential in President
Roosevelt's decision to issue an Executive Order prohibiting
discrimination in contracts with the Department of Defense and in
President Truman's decision to issue an Executive Order ending
discrimination in the military. In the 1950s, the NAACP worked to bring
an end to segregation in public schools; that work culminated in the
case of Brown v. Board of Education. In the 1960s, the NAACP worked to
raise support for the passage of the Civil Rights Act. In the 1970s, it
helped expand voter participation through voter registration efforts.
And the list goes on.
Today, the NAACP continues to eliminate race prejudice whenever it
rears its ugly head. It continues to act as a watchdog to protect the
civil rights of all people. And it educates the public about civil
rights so that future generations will know tolerance and equality as
the norm, rather than the exception.
I am proud to be a Diamond Life Member of the NAACP and to have
served as a Branch President of the Newport News Chapter.
Mr. Speaker, I congratulate the NAACP on 98 years of service to our
great country and its people, and I wish them another successful 98
years.
Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to
honor the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People on
its 98th Anniversary. In 1909 the founder of the NAACP came together
with the purpose of promoting the rights guaranteed under the 13th,
14th, and 15th Amendments to the Constitution. Today, the NAACP works
to ensure that all individuals have equal rights and to eradicate
racial hatred and discrimination.
The NAACP has influenced some of the greatest civil rights victories
of the last century, including: integration of schools and the Brown v.
Board decision; the Voting Rights Act; striking down segregation; and
the Equal Employment Opportunity Act.
Despite the advancements of the past 98 years under the leadership of
the NAACP, there is still much work to be done. The NAACP continues to
promote new ideas and leadership in the fields of educational and
employment opportunities, ending health care disparities, and economic
empowerment.
The NAACP instilled in America a sense of consciousness, and
continues to do that today through the thousands of individuals who
continue to fight for equality and justice.
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 we celebrate the 98th anniversary of their
inception.
Since 1909, the NAACP has been a leader in advancing civil rights and
has sought to remove all barriers of racial discrimination through
their use of legal and moral persuasion.
This organization has provided communities around the United States
with strong and passionate leaders who have fought for social change.
Among these organizations, it is an honor to note that California is
home to 72 branches and youth units, each providing inspiration to
their respective communities.
As we celebrate the accomplishments of the NAACP, we must also honor
the values upon which it was founded, for there is much work left to be
done, and the same tireless dedication and clarity of purpose will be
required to continue onward.
I commend the National Association for the Advancement of Colored
People for being champions of social justice and for their tireless
efforts for almost a century. I look forward to celebrating their
centennial in two years.
Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H. Con.
Res. 44, which gives fitting honor and praise to the National
Association for the Advancement of Colored People on the occasion of
the 98th anniversary of its founding.
The NAACP is the oldest, largest, most historic and most influential
civil rights organization in the United States. First organized in
1905, the group was known as the Niagara Movement when they began
meeting at a hotel situated on the Canadian side of the Niagara Falls.
They had to meet in Canada because American hotels in Niagara Falls
were segregated. Under the leadership of the Harvard-educated scholar,
the great W.E.B. DuBois, the group would later be known as the National
Negro Committee before finally adopting the name by which it has been
known for the last 98 years--the National Association for the
Advancement of Colored People, or NAACP--at its second conference in
1910.
The first official meeting was held in 1909 exactly 98 years ago
today: February 12, the centennial of the birth of President Abraham
Lincoln. The mission of the association was clearly delineated in its
charter:
To promote equality of rights and to eradicate caste or race
prejudice among the citizens of the United States; to advance the
interest of colored citizens; to secure for them impartial suffrage;
and to increase their opportunities for securing justice in the courts,
education for the children, employment according to their ability and
complete equality before law.
For nearly a century, the NAACP has stayed true to its charter and
championed the cause of justice and equality in America. It has fought
valiantly and tirelessly on behalf of African Americans and others to
secure their civil rights and liberties and the full measure of justice
and equality for all.
At a time when African Americans were treated as second-class
citizens and the scourge of slavery was still rampant, the NAACP
emerged to ensure that the rights, interests and voices of African
Americans did not go unheard.
As Chair for the Congressional Children's Caucus, I am especially
concerned with fair access to quality education for today's youth. I am
personally grateful to the NAACP for its leadership in winning the
greatest legal victory for civil rights in American history: the 1954
landmark decision in Brown v. Board of Education, 347 U.S. 483 (1954),
in which the Supreme Court struck down de jure segregation in
elementary schools. NAACP General Counsel Thurgood Marshall, who would
later become the first African American associate justice of the
Supreme Court, forcefully argued and persuaded the Court to rule
unanimously that in the field of public education, ``separate but
equal'' was inherently unequal. That decision gave hope to millions of
Americans that their children might enjoy the full promise of America
that had been denied their forebears for more than three centuries.
The NAACP used the Supreme Court's decision in Brown to press for
desegregation of schools and public facilities throughout the country.
In 1955, Rosa Parks was arrested and fined for refusing to give up her
seat to a white man in Montgomery, Alabama. Her act of civil
disobedience triggered the Montgomery Bus Boycott, one of the largest
and most successful mass movements against racial segregation in
history and ignited the Civil Rights Movement. Daisy Bates spearheaded
the campaign by the Little Rock Nine to integrate Central High School
in Little Rock, Arkansas.
The NAACP remains committed to achieving its goals through
nonviolence, the legal process, and moral and political suasion, and
through direct actions such as marches, demonstrations, and boycotts to
give voice to the hopes and aspirations of African Americans and others
who lack the power to make their voices heard.
There is still a need for justice and equal treatment for African
Americans and other vulnerable populations in our country. Thankfully,
the NAACP is alive, well, vital, and effective. I am grateful for the
many fights for equality that the organization has won, and thankful
that the NAACP will be there in the future to champion the cause of
justice wherever and whenever it needs a spokesman.
Happy birthday, NAACP and thank you for all you have done to make our
country better. I urge all Members to join me in supporting H. Con.
Res. 44.
Mr. ISSA. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. BERMAN. 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 California (Mr. Berman) that the House suspend the rules
and agree to the resolution, H. Con. Res. 44.
The question was taken.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds
being in the affirmative, the ayes have it.
[[Page H1436]]
Mr. BERMAN. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
The yeas and nays were ordered.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX and the
Chair's prior announcement, further proceedings on this question will
be postponed.
____________________