[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 65 (Monday, April 23, 2007)]
[Senate]
[Page S4854]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 SENATE RESOLUTION 166--COMMEMORATING THE LIFE TIME ACHIEVEMENT OF THE 
                       REVEREND LEON H. SULLIVAN

  Mr. CASEY (for himself and Mr. Specter) submitted the following 
resolution; which was considered and agreed to:

                              S. Res. 166

       Whereas, the late Reverend Leon H. Sullivan dedicated his 
     life to alleviating the plight of the poor and the 
     disadvantaged in America and worldwide;
       Whereas, Reverend Sullivan received numerous honors and 
     awards during his lifetime, including recognition by LIFE 
     magazine in 1963 as one of the 100 outstanding young adults 
     in America, the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1992, and 
     the Eleanor Roosevelt Award for Human Rights in 1999;
       Whereas, having dedicated 37 years of his ministerial 
     vocation to the historic Zion Baptist Church of Philadelphia, 
     Reverend Sullivan's leadership and innovation led to the 
     creation of one of the largest congregations in the Nation 
     during his time;
       Whereas, in 1966, as part of his 10-36 Plan to encourage 
     individuals to invest in the economic future of their 
     communities, Reverend Sullivan founded the Leon H. Sullivan 
     Charitable Trusts and the Progress Investment Associates, 
     through which numerous economic development and social 
     services programs have been developed and funded;
       Whereas, in 1963, in response to a lack of job 
     opportunities in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Reverend 
     Sullivan led more than 400 ministers in a successful boycott 
     that opened up more than 4,000 jobs for African-Americans;
       Whereas, Reverend Sullivan met the need for job training by 
     establishing the Opportunities Industrialization Center, 
     which has grown to more than 75 training centers throughout 
     the Nation;
       Whereas, recognizing the need to take his struggle to 
     alleviate the plight of the poor abroad, in 1969 Reverend 
     Sullivan established Opportunities Industrialization Centers 
     International, which has grown to more than 40 centers in 16 
     African nations, Poland, and the Philippines;
       Whereas, when Reverend Sullivan saw the need to create a 
     broader array of programs in Africa, he established the 
     International Foundation for Education and Self-Help, which 
     has conducted numerous initiatives, including Schools for 
     Africa, fellowship programs, and innovative teacher and 
     banker training programs since 1988;
       Whereas, in 2001, the Leon H. Sullivan Foundation was 
     established posthumously to support Reverend Sullivan's 
     life's mission through the work of his many established 
     organizations;
       Whereas, the Leon H. Sullivan Foundation presents the 
     biennial Leon H. Sullivan Summits in Africa, which have 
     provided a forum for leaders of African nations together with 
     more than 18,000 African-Americans and Friends of Africa to 
     interact with their counterparts and produce programs to meet 
     the needs of the poor and disadvantaged in African nations;
       Whereas, in 1977, Reverend Sullivan helped to promulgate 
     the Sullivan Principles, a code of conduct for human rights 
     and equal opportunity for companies operating in South 
     Africa, and the Sullivan Principles helped end apartheid in 
     South Africa;
       Whereas, Reverend Sullivan expanded on the Sullivan 
     Principles in 1999, by creating the Global Sullivan 
     Principles, which encourage corporate social responsibility 
     and promote global human rights and political, economic, and 
     social justice;
       Whereas, more than 250 governments, corporations, and 
     universities on 5 continents have endorsed the Global 
     Sullivan Principles since their initiation;
       Whereas, 10 African heads of state endorsed the Global 
     Sullivan Principles at the Leon H. Sullivan Summit in Abuja, 
     Nigeria, in July 2006;
       Whereas, plans for the 8th Leon H. Sullivan Summit in 
     Tanzania in 2008 include broader regional endorsement of the 
     Global Sullivan Principles among African nations: Now, 
     therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) commemorates the life of the Reverend Leon H. Sullivan;
       (2) salutes the positive impact of the Reverend Sullivan's 
     achievements domestically and internationally; and
       (3) encourages the continued pursuit of Reverend Sullivan's 
     mission to help the poor and disenfranchised around the 
     world.

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