[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.

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