[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 25 (Thursday, February 14, 2008)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E202]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




        HONORING AND PRAISING THE NAACP ON ITS 99TH ANNIVERSARY

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                            HON. BARBARA LEE

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, February 13, 2008

  Ms. LEE. Mr. Speaker, as an original co-sponsor, I rise in strong 
support of H. Con. Res. 289, which honors the NAACP on its 99th 
anniversary.
   I want to thank Congressman Al Green, who served as president of the 
Houston Branch of the NAACP for over 10 years, for once again 
introducing this important resolution.
  I also want to recognize the outstanding job that NAACP Chairman 
Julian Bond has done in leading the organization.
  Almost a century ago, the National Association for the Advancement of 
Colored People was founded in New York City during this month of 
February that we now recognize as Black History Month.
  As a child of the civil rights movement, I witnessed first hand the 
leadership of the NAACP in fighting for human rights.
  I remember vividly, the role the NAACP played in shattering 
segregation in my birthplace of El Paso, Texas.
  We all know their great contributions:
  From the victory in Brown vs. Board of Education, to the non-violent 
sit ins at segregated lunch counters, to passage of the Voting Rights 
Act, the NAACP has played a central role in every great civil rights 
battle of the last century.
  Today, the Nation's oldest and largest civil rights organization 
continues to be a powerful voice in the ongoing struggle against 
injustice, oppression, and war.
  The NAACP has been a dedicated and constant partner as I have worked 
with my colleagues to end the war in Iraq, stop the genocide in Darfur, 
and eradicate the global HIV/AIDS pandemic.
  They opposed the Iraq war from the beginning and support our efforts 
to end the occupation and bring the troops home.
  They led the charge in support of my bill authorizing divestment from 
Sudan and they worked with faith, activist and student groups to ensure 
that it got signed into law at the end of last year.
  And on HIV/AIDS, they have consistently been on the frontlines 
advocating for increased funding to help end the devastation this 
disease has caused in the African American community.
  In short, the NAACP continues to demonstrate their commitment to 
stand on the battlefield and lead the charge for what is right. They 
deserve this honor and our praise and they deserve our thanks.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this resolution.

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