[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 126 (Thursday, August 2, 2007)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1688]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




    50TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE SOUTHERN CHRISTIAN LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE

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                               speech of

                            HON. STEVE COHEN

                              of tennessee

                    in the house of representatives

                         Monday, July 30, 2007

  Mr. COHEN. Madam Speaker, I rise today to commemorate the 50th 
anniversary of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference.
  The Southern Christian Leadership Conference, SCLC, originated 
through the Montgomery Bus Boycott when a courageous young woman by the 
name of Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat and move to the back of 
the bus on December 5, 1955. The Montgomery Bus Boycott brought two 
dynamic ministers together: Martin Luther King, Jr., and Ralph 
Abernathy. Through the guidance of Dr. King, Dr. Abernathy and Dr. 
Joseph Lowery, this boycott led to a new phase of a long struggle to be 
known as the modem day ``Civil Rights Movement.''
  The Southern Christian Leadership Conference, SCLC, is best known for 
its commitment to nonviolent civil disobedience as a means for securing 
equal rights for African Americans and other oppressed people 
worldwide. The Southern Christian Leadership Conference, SCLC, adopted 
the motto: ``Not one hair of one head should be harmed.'' This motto 
not only proved effective for the civil rights movement but should be 
applied in today's challenges in the world.
  After the success of the Montgomery Bus Boycott, the Southern 
Christian Leadership Conference founded the Student Non-violent 
Coordinating Committee and cooperated with SNCC and other civil rights 
organizations seeking social justice for over 45 years.
  I myself have witnessed the power and effectiveness of the Southern 
Christian Leadership Conference in the city of Memphis, when Dr. King 
and the Memphis Chapter of the Southern Christian Leadership 
Conference, SCLC, and the labor movement organized 1,300 city 
sanitation workers to go on strike for fair and honest wages and 
benefits.
  I rise today and urge everyone to remember and respect 50 years of 
good works by the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, SCLC. It 
has been living, fulfilling and perpetuating the dream of Dr. King. Its 
legacy, vision, and commitment to nonviolent action is highly regarded 
by this younger generation. The Southern Christian Leadership 
Conference has not just served the purpose of assuring rights for 
African Americans but all Americans.

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