[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 29 (Thursday, February 12, 2009)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E250]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




              HONORING THE NAACP ON ITS 100TH ANNIVERSARY

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                         HON. LINDA T. SANCHEZ

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, February 10, 2009

  Ms. LINDA T. SANCHEZ of California. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to 
celebrate and honor the 100th anniversary of the National Association 
for the Advancement of Colored People, NAACP. Today, February 12, 2009, 
marks the 100th anniversary of the founding of the NAACP and the 200th 
anniversary of the birth of Abraham Lincoln. For a Nation that is less 
than 250 years old, the centennial of the NAACP is a major milestone.
  I shudder to imagine what this country would look like if our history 
did not include the stories and struggles of people like Frederick 
Douglass, Rosa Parks, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., our own 
Representative John Lewis, and many countless others who have fought 
and continue to fight for equal rights and equal opportunity.
  The NAACP's roots date back to the ``Niagra Movement'' of 1905 when 
thirty-two prominent African Americans met to organize and call for the 
end of racial inequality. A forceful agent for change, the NAACP was 
the leading party behind many accomplishments of the Civil Rights 
Movement, including the landmark case Brown v. the Board of Education 
which ended racial segregation in our schools.
  The Niagra and Civil Rights Movements were not the first calls for 
freedom and equality in our nation's history and will not be the last. 
But their success provided a blueprint for future generations to 
follow, an example of hope to all those who seek to secure the basic 
freedoms guaranteed by our Constitution.
  Today, the NAACP continues to cement its reputation as a trailblazer 
for basic civil and human rights. Led by its young new president, 
Benjamin Jealous, the NAACP has refocused its objectives on resolving 
wide disparities in access to jobs and healthcare among Americans. 
During the next 100 years, I have no doubt that the NAACP will lead 
many more breakthroughs in civil and human rights.
  This anniversary gives all Americans an opportunity to recognize and 
learn about African-American history, which is also the history of the 
United States. I am proud to do my part to promote and honor the 
contributions made by the NAACP and the African American community to 
our great Nation.

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