[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 24 (Wednesday, February 13, 2008)]
[House]
[Pages H910-H912]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




        HONORING AND PRAISING THE NAACP ON ITS 99TH ANNIVERSARY

  Mr. COHEN. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the 
concurrent resolution (H. Con. Res. 289) honoring and praising the 
National Association for the Advancement of Colored People on the 
occasion of its 99th anniversary.
  The Clerk read the title of the concurrent resolution.
  The text of the concurrent resolution is as follows:

                            H. Con. Res. 289

       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;
       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; and
       Whereas in 2007, the NAACP was prominent in lobbying for 
     the passage of H. Res. 826, ``The Noose Intimidation Bill'', 
     which expresses ``that the hanging of nooses is a horrible 
     act when used for the purpose of intimidation and which under 
     certain circumstances can be a criminal act that should be 
     thoroughly investigated by Federal law enforcement 
     authorities and that any criminal violations should be 
     vigorously prosecuted'': Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate 
     concurring), That the Congress--
       (1) recognizes the 99th 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 (Mr. Hodes). Pursuant to the rule, the 
gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. Cohen) and the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. 
Chabot) each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Tennessee.


                             General Leave

  Mr. COHEN. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 
5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include 
extraneous material on the concurrent resolution.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Tennessee?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. COHEN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Today I rise and join my colleague, the Honorable Al Green of Texas, 
in honoring the National Association for the Advancement of Colored 
People on the occasion of its 99th anniversary. As we celebrate Black 
History Month, it is only appropriate that we do so by recognizing our 
Nation's oldest and largest civil rights organization.
  The NAACP was founded on February 12, 1909, by Ida Wells-Barnett, 
W.E.B. DuBois, Henry Moscowitz, Mary White Ovington, Oswald Garrison 
Villard, and William English Walling.
  Since its inception, the NAACP has united students, laborers, 
professionals, scholars, officials, and others of all races to advance 
its vision of ``a society in which all individuals have equal rights 
and there is no racial hatred or racial discrimination.''
  Historically, the NAACP is probably best known for its role and that 
of Thurgood Marshall in the seminal case of Brown v. Board of 
Education, in which the Supreme Court held in 1954 that ``separate 
educational facilities are inherently unequal.'' Yet we must not forget 
that the NAACP has been at the forefront of all efforts to secure 
equality and justice for every American throughout the 20th century and 
now into the 21st century.
  The NAACP spoke out against lynching, challenged racially biased 
Supreme Court Justice nominees as early as 1930, and pursued 
nondiscrimination policies in the military, war-related industries, and 
the Federal Government during the world wars.
  At the height of the civil rights era, the NAACP fought battles on 
the ground, in the courtroom, and in Congress, where it lobbied for 
passage of civil rights legislation like the Civil Rights Act of 1964 
and the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

                              {time}  1700

  Since then and during our current session, NAACP has lobbied for hate 
crimes legislation and other legislation that protects minorities, not 
necessarily based on race, but based on discrimination.
  Today, on the shoulders of distinguished members and leaders such as 
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Coretta Scott King, Rosa Parks, Medgar 
Evers, Merlie Evers-Williams, Benjamin Hooks, Julian Bond, Jesse 
Turner, Jr., Maxine Vasco Smith, and Kweisi Mfume, the NAACP continues 
to fight the good fight.
  Most recently the NAACP is promoting African American graduation and 
college readiness, protecting and advancing voting rights, and 
identifying solutions to the subprime mortgage foreclosure crisis. I 
have the privilege of working with the association to further those 
important efforts.
  So in recognizing the NAACP's past and present, I again salute the 
organization on its near centennial anniversary. I am confident the 
NAACP will remain an integral part of our Nation's efforts to protect 
and promote civil rights in the future and move society forward in a 
progressive manner on a wide array of issues.
  I urge my colleagues to support H. Con. Res. 289.
  I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. CHABOT. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I support and strongly urge my colleagues to support 
House Concurrent Resolution 289 which recognizes the 99th anniversary 
of the NAACP. For almost a century, the NAACP has fought to bring 
justice and racial equality to this Nation. It is appropriate that we 
review that history.
  In 1917, the NAACP won a major legal victory in the Supreme Court 
which held that States could no longer restrict and officially 
segregate African Americans into particular residential districts. The 
same year, the NAACP fought for the right of black Americans to be 
commissioned as military officers during World War I.
  In 1920, the NAACP held its annual conference in Atlanta, Georgia, 
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.
  In 1935, NAACP lawyers Charles Houston and Thurgood Marshall won a 
major legal battle to admit students to the University of Maryland.
  During World War II, the NAACP led the effort that resulted in 
President Franklin Delano Roosevelt's ordering a

[[Page H911]]

nondiscrimination 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 its 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 history of America's modern struggle to live up to our 
constitutional principles was written in large part by the NAACP. And 
it continues to champion the cause of social justice today for all 
Americans.
  The NAACP has served as the voice of those who were muzzled by fear. 
It served as the voice of those who were handcuffed and jailed under 
segregationist policies. And it carried the weight for those whose 
backs were nearly broken in brutal beatings fueled by racial hatred. It 
did so peacefully and with dignity. And as a result, America is a 
better place.
  I am pleased to join my colleagues on this concurrent resolution 
honoring the historic contributions made by the NAACP to the cause of 
civil rights in this Nation. And I would like to conclude by 
acknowledging and recognizing and honoring the leadership of a 
gentleman in my district, Rev. Fred Shuttlesworth, who marched with Dr. 
Martin Luther King but who has been ill recently. He has been a leader 
in our community and really across the entire country in the civil 
rights movement, and we all keep him in our prayers and hope that he 
recovers quickly.
  I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. COHEN. Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from Texas 
(Mr. Al Green).
  Mr. AL GREEN of Texas. I thank the gentleman for the time.
  I would like to thank Chairman Conyers for being there and making 
this resolution possible and bringing it to the floor. I also would 
like to remember Mr. Sensenbrenner, who at the time we first introduced 
this piece of legislation was the chairperson of the Judiciary 
Committee. And I recall how he made a great effort to get this 
legislation to the floor and to get it passed. I am grateful to the 
Honorable Steve Cohen who is our floor leader today, a lawyer par 
excellence who does an outstanding job on the Judiciary Committee. 
Thank you so much. I am grateful to Mr. Steve Chabot. Thank you for 
your very kind words. What you said about the NAACP is entirely 
correct, but it is also something that means a lot to a lot of people. 
And I think the people across the length and breadth of this country 
appreciate what you have said and how you have made it clear that the 
NAACP is important to us in the United States Congress.
  I also want to thank the many persons, about 45 of whom signed on to 
this piece of legislation so that we could bring it to the floor this 
year. This is the 99th anniversary of the NAACP, having been founded 
February 12, 1909. The NAACP has always been an integrated 
organization. It has fought for integration. But it has from its 
genesis been an organization that has been integrated. And while we 
remember many of the names of the great NAACPers, James Weldon Johnson, 
of course, who was one of the great executive secretaries of the 
organization, we will remember always the name Roy Wilkins, who was a 
labor leader and executive secretary of the NAACP, W.E.B. DuBois, who 
was one of the great intellectuals of his time and of all time. We 
remember Julian Bond who today is the chairperson of the organization, 
and Dr. Benjamin Hooks who was an FCC board member but also a lawyer 
and executive director of the NAACP.
  But some of the names we don't always remember are names of persons 
who are not African Americans who were there at the genesis of this 
organization. Mary White Ovington, this lady held one of the very first 
organizational meetings of the NAACP in her living room at a time when 
it was not popular to host a meeting for an organization like the 
NAACP. I also would remember, if we would, William English Walling and 
Oswald Garrison Villiard. These persons were not African Americans, but 
they literally put their lives on the line so that African Americans 
could have the types of rights and privileges that we enjoy today.
  The NAACP, the Nation's oldest civil rights organization, has been 
there at times of need when it came to issues like the Civil Rights 
Acts of 1957, 1960 and 1964. It was there for us when we were lobbying 
for the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Brown v. Board of Education is 
always mentioned when we think of the NAACP, for it was Thurgood 
Marshall who took this case to the Supreme Court and won it, 
integrating the schools across this country.
  But the NAACP was also there in the case of Shelley v. Kramer, and 
the case of Borrows v. Jackson. These cases outlawed restrictive 
covenants, racially restrictive covenants that barred African Americans 
from living in certain communities. The NAACP took these cases to the 
Supreme Court and won them as well.
  If the truth be told, we live where we live, we sleep where we sleep 
and we eat where we eat because of the NAACP. It has made a difference 
in the lives of all Americans. And I am so grateful that this Congress 
has seen fit to honor it today for its 99 years of service.
  As of late, the NAACP was a party to the legislation that we put 
before Congress to deal with noose intimidation. Noose intimidation, 
one of the latest means by which persons are having civil rights 
violated, and the NAACP was there to help us push this legislation 
through Congress, so as to make it very clear, transpicuously so, that 
this country will not tolerate noose intimidation. In fact, the 
President of the United States, as late as yesterday, made it clear 
that noose intimidation is unacceptable in this country.
  The NAACP has been a part of the fiber and fabric of the human 
rights, civil rights movement in this country. If we did not have the 
NAACP, we would have to create the NAACP. It has been there for us. 
Today we are there for the NAACP.
  Mr. CHABOT. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. COHEN. Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the words Mr. Chabot expressed 
and Mr. Green. The NAACP is an outstanding organization, and I would 
submit that during my time here in Congress, I don't know of another 
group that has had a more effective lobbying force on issues concerning 
human rights and civil rights and rights of people who are 
underrepresented and need the help of government and need it in a fair 
and just way.
  In my community of Memphis, the president of NAACP is Mrs. Johnnie 
Turner. We have had a great NAACP chapter. Ben Hooks, who is a former 
head of the agency, is a resident of my community, an outstanding 
individual who recently was honored by President Bush with a Medal of 
Freedom. And Maxine Vasco Smith and Jesse Turner who have been national 
officers of the NAACP are residents of my community as well.
  The NAACP has been very important to Memphis but very important to 
this country. I thank Mr. Green for bringing the resolution to the 
floor, and I appreciate the remarks made here on the floor. I urge 
final passage.
  Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to 
honor the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People on 
its 99th Anniversary.
  In 1909 the founders 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 end racial hatred and discrimination.
  The NAACP has influenced some of the greatest civil rights victories 
of the last century, including: the integration of our nation's 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 99 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 it 
continues to do so today.
  I commend the NAACP on this anniversary and the thousands of 
individuals who continue to fight for equality and justice.

[[Page H912]]

  Mr. LARSON of Connecticut. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor and pay 
tribute to one of the oldest and greatest civil rights organizations in 
our country's history. The NAACP has served for nearly a century to 
provide help for those who cannot help themselves, to provide justice 
for the wronged, and to give a voice to the disenfranchised. Though the 
group formed to fight for equality for minorities and the 
disadvantaged, the NAACP has vigilantly stood guard for all Americans 
so that the basic rights of none are infringed upon.
  In 1909, six great Americans, Ida Wells-Barnett, W.E.B. DuBois, Henry 
Moscowitz, Mary White Ovington, Oswald Garrison Villiard, and William 
English Walling, banded together to produce the ``Call to National 
Action.'' This founding document of the NAACP laid out the 
organization's goals--to protect the rights guaranteed by the 13th, 
14th, and 15th Amendments to the Constitution. From their ever-present 
task to preserve these rights to the fight to put an end to lynching, 
the great victory over segregation won in 1954's Brown v. Board of 
Education, and their continuing crusade to protect civil rights, the 
NAACP has been an inimitable champion of the cause of equality and 
social justice in our Nation. Today, under the leadership of Chairman 
Julian Bond, the organization has grown to over 2,200 branches with 
over 500,000 members nationwide.
  Connecticut is very grateful for the work that the NAACP has done in 
the State. Headquartered in Hartford, Connecticut and led by chapter 
president Scot X. Esdaile, the Connecticut NAACP has been a great 
advocate for civil rights in the State.
  The Connecticut NAACP has been a valuable partner in local efforts to 
ensure civil rights. Our chapter has worked to ensure that minorities 
are represented in all levels of government as important legislative 
decisions are being made. The group worked with other local 
organizations to develop a talent bank of highly qualified minority 
candidates to fill senior-level positions in the State and combat any 
discrimination that might exist. The local NAACP has also worked 
tirelessly with the seven members of the Connecticut Congressional 
delegation to ensure that our Federal Government secures the blessings 
of liberty for all. I am proud to have a 95 percent rating from the 
NAACP. It remains a prevalent voice in the State and a standard-bearer 
of the principles of equality and justice.
  Mr. Speaker, I believe we can honor the work of the NAACP best by 
continuing to work for the noble cause for which the organization 
exists: to protect the rights of all persons and eliminate hatred and 
racial discrimination. I extend to the NAACP my best wishes for a happy 
99th anniversary and I commend and thank them for a century of service.
  Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I am honored to rise today to 
congratulate the NAACP on its 99th Anniversary. As the Nation's oldest 
civil rights organization, the NAACP has for 99 years fought to ensure 
the educational, social, economic and political equality of all 
persons, so that all may participate and share in this country's great 
Democracy.
  The NAACP was founded by a multi-racial group of activists who 
answered ``The Call'' to engage in a national conference to discuss the 
civil rights of African Americans in the summer of 1908. That year, the 
NAACP embarked on its mission to ensure equal rights for all citizens 
and to eliminate racial prejudice in the United States.
  Since then, the NAACP has worked tirelessly to accomplish its mission 
by continually looking for ways to improve the democratic process and 
by seeking the enactment and enforcement of Federal, State, and local 
laws that secure civil rights. The NAACP furthers its mission by making 
the public aware of the adverse effects of racial discrimination and by 
seeking its elimination. The NAACP also seeks to educate the public 
about their constitutional rights and goes to court to enforce those 
rights when necessary.
  Shortly after its founding in the early 1900s, the NAACP undertook an 
anti-lynching campaign and launched a public protest when segregation 
was introduced into the Federal Government. The NAACP was influential 
in President Harry Truman's decision to issue an Executive Order in 
1948 ending discrimination by the Federal Government. In 1954, the 
NAACP helped bring an end to segregation in public schools in the case 
of Brown v. Board of Education. In 1964, it worked to raise support for 
the passage of the Civil Rights Act. In 1979, it helped expand voter 
participation through voter registration in high schools. And the list 
goes on.
  Today, the NAACP continues to eliminate racial prejudice when it 
rears its ugly head, and informs the public of its intolerable presence 
when it does. It continues to act as a watchdog to protect the 
constitutional and 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 once 
served as President of the Newport News, Virginia branch.
  Mr. Speaker, I congratulate the NAACP on 99 years of service to our 
great country and its people, and I wish them another highly successful 
99 years.
  Mr. COHEN. I yield back the remainder of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. Cohen) that the House suspend the rules 
and agree to the concurrent resolution, H. Con. Res. 289.
  The question was taken.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds 
being in the affirmative, the ayes have it.
  Mr. CHABOT. 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 motion will be 
postponed.

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