[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 28 (Wednesday, February 11, 2009)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E241]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




              HONORING THE NAACP ON ITS 100TH ANNIVERSARY

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                      HON. SANFORD D. BISHOP, JR.

                               of georgia

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, February 10, 2009

  Mr. BISHOP of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, this historic year marks both the 
inauguration of this country's first African-American president, Barack 
Obama, and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored 
People's (N.A.A.C.P.) 100th anniversary. February 12, 1909 was chosen 
as the founding date of the N.A.A.C.P. to commemorate President Abraham 
Lincoln's 100th birthday, with the hopes of realizing his vision of a 
unified nation overcoming racial and ethnic hatred and discrimination.
  The following decades have seen the emergence of new challenges along 
America's journey towards equality. Yet the N.A.A.C.P. has persisted 
and has overcome these obstacles. It currently bears witness to 
numerous advancements that may have never taken place had it not been 
for the collective will of the many N.A.A.C.P. members who were willing 
to fight for what they believed was right.
  Without the N.A.A.C.P., it is hard to say where this country would be 
if it never fought for African-Americans to have increased access to 
the ballot box.
  Without the N.A.A.C.P., it is hard to say where this country would be 
if it never fought against discrimination--from schooling to housing, 
and from marriage to employment. After all, the NAACP's Legal 
department, headed by Charles Hamilton Houston and Thurgood Marshall, 
undertook a campaign spanning several decades to bring about the 
reversal of the ``separate but equal'' doctrine enshrined in the 
Supreme Court's decision in Plessy v. Ferguson.
  Without the N.A.A.C.P. and the courageous men and women who risked 
their lives and livelihoods in order to promote the rights of everyone, 
regardless of the color of their skin, it is hard to say where this 
great country would be.
  In fact, it is hard to imagine an America without the N.A.A.C.P. My 
life and the life of this nation would be much different if it were not 
for the organization's efforts to tear down the barriers of racial 
discrimination and hatred.
  The N.A.A.C.P.'s work, however, is not yet finished. If the last 
century is any indication though, as long as there is an N.A.A.C.P., 
all Americans will continue to have a powerful advocate for fairness, 
equality, and justice.

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