[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 22 (Monday, February 22, 2010)]
[Senate]
[Pages S624-S626]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         SUBMITTED RESOLUTIONS

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   SENATE RESOLUTION 418--COMMEMORATING THE LIFE OF THE LATE CYNTHIA 
                             DELORES TUCKER

  Mr. CASEY submitted the following resolution; which was referred to 
the Committee on the Judiciary:

                              S. Res. 418

       Whereas the late Cynthia DeLores Tucker dedicated her life 
     to eliminating racial barriers by championing civil rights 
     and rights of women in the United States;
       Whereas, having grown up in Philadelphia during the Great 
     Depression, C. DeLores

[[Page S625]]

     Tucker overcame a childhood marked by economic hardship and 
     segregation;
       Whereas, having personally experienced the effects of 
     racism, C. DeLores Tucker first became active in the postwar 
     civil rights movement when she worked to register African 
     American voters during the 1950 Philadelphia mayoral 
     campaign;
       Whereas C. DeLores Tucker became active in local politics, 
     developed her skills as an accomplished fund raiser and 
     public speaker, and quickly became the first African American 
     and first woman to serve on the Philadelphia Zoning Board;
       Whereas in 1965, in the midst of the Civil Rights Movement, 
     C. DeLores Tucker participated in the White House Conference 
     on Civil Rights and marched from Selma to Montgomery with 
     Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., in support of the 1965 
     Voting Rights Bill, which was later signed into law by 
     President Lyndon Johnson;
       Whereas in January 1971, while still primarily focused on 
     efforts to gain equality for all, C. DeLores Tucker was named 
     Secretary of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania by then-
     Governor Milton Shapp, making her the first female African 
     American Secretary of a State in the Nation;
       Whereas, under the leadership of C. DeLores Tucker as 
     Secretary of the Commonwealth, Pennsylvania became one of the 
     first states to pass the Equal Rights Amendment, lower the 
     voting age from 21 to 18, and institute voter registration 
     through mail;
       Whereas, after leaving her position in Pennsylvania State 
     government, C. DeLores Tucker became the first African 
     American to serve as president of the National Federation of 
     Democratic Women;
       Whereas in 1984, C. DeLores Tucker founded the National 
     Political Congress of Black Women, now known as the National 
     Congress of Black Women, a non-profit organization dedicated 
     to the educational, political, economic, and cultural 
     development of African American Women and their families;
       Whereas in 1983, C. DeLores Tucker founded the Philadelphia 
     Martin Luther King Jr. Association for Non-Violence and, in 
     1986, the Bethune-DuBois Institute, both of which are 
     dedicated to promoting the cultural and educational 
     development of African American youth and young 
     professionals;
       Whereas C. DeLores Tucker served as a member of the Board 
     of Trustees of the NAACP and numerous other boards, including 
     the Points of Light Foundation and Delaware Valley College;
       Whereas, in the later phase of her life, C. DeLores Tucker 
     publicly criticized gangster rap music, arguing that such 
     music denigrated women and promoted violence and drug use;
       Whereas, as a student of history, C. DeLores Tucker led the 
     successful campaign to have a bust of the pioneering activist 
     and suffragist Sojourner Truth installed in the United States 
     Capitol, along with other suffragette leaders;
       Whereas C. DeLores Tucker received more than 400 honors and 
     awards during her lifetime, including the NAACP Thurgood 
     Marshall Award, the Martin Luther King, Jr. Distinguished 
     Service Award, and the Philadelphia Urban League Whitney 
     Young Award, and honorary Doctor of Law degrees from Morris 
     College and Villa Maria College; and
       Whereas the work of C. DeLores Tucker as crusader for civil 
     rights and rights of women, through grace, dignity, and 
     purpose has helped transform the perception of race and 
     gender in the United States: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) commemorates the life of the late Cynthia DeLores 
     Tucker;
       (2) salutes the lasting legacy of the achievements of C. 
     DeLores Tucker; and
       (3) encourages the continued pursuit of the vision of C. 
     DeLores Tucker to eliminate racial and gender prejudice from 
     all corners of our society.

  Mr. CASEY. Mr. President, I rise today in support of a resolution 
honoring the lifetime achievements of C. DeLores Tucker. Along with her 
family and many friends with us today in Washington, we pay tribute to 
her life of service and courageous commitment to justice for women and 
for the African-American community.
  Cynthia DeLores Nottage Tucker was born in Philadelphia, PA, on 
October 4, 1927 and was the tenth of eleven children in her family. Her 
Bahamian-born Baptist minister father and her hard-working mother 
approached life from a Christian perspective and encouraged their 
children to do so as well. She grew up in a nurturing and achievement-
oriented household. ``My mother and father gave us wonderful values,'' 
Tucker once told Good Housekeeping magazine. ``They taught us to be 
good and loving, and to use our lives to help others.''
  Young DeLores originally intended to become a doctor and, as a girl, 
spent summers working in local hospitals. When she graduated from 
Girls' High of Philadelphia, her father took her to the Bahamas as a 
reward. During the trip, she became seriously ill and was restricted to 
a sickbed that kept her out of college for a year. This setback changed 
the course of her life. She subsequently finished her education at 
Temple University and the Wharton School of the University of 
Pennsylvania. She also received two honorary degrees, from Morris 
College in Alabama and Villa Maria College in Pennsylvania.
  C. DeLores Tucker first became active in the postwar civil rights 
movement when she worked to register Black voters during a 1950 mayoral 
campaign. In July 1951, she married a friend of her brother, Bill 
Tucker, a construction company owner who also owned real estate in and 
around Philadelphia. For several years, DeLores sold real estate and 
insurance and was active in local politics. She also became an 
accomplished fundraiser and public speaker. The experience she gained 
in civic causes and work with her husband, helped to make her a well 
known figure in the city. She became the first African-American and 
first woman to serve on the Philadelphia Zoning Board.
  As the civil rights movement gained momentum in the late 1950s and 
early 1960s, DeLores found the perfect channel for her activism. She 
joined the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, 
NAACP, and helped the NAACP raise funds. She never shied away from 
sensitive political issues. As part of her civil rights activism, she 
walked with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in the Selma to Montgomery 
march. In 1965, she participated in the White House Conference on Civil 
Rights and was a strong advocate of the 1965 Voting Rights Bill signed 
by President Lyndon Johnson.
  DeLores Tucker's life was guided by her deep convictions. Throughout 
the 1960s, she campaigned for African-American candidates and served on 
her party's state committee. Her strong will and organizing skills 
brought her to the attention of those in power. In January 1971, she 
was named Secretary of the Commonwealth by Governor Milton J. Shapp. 
This appointment made DeLores the first African-American woman in the 
United States to serve in such a role.
  The responsibilities of her job were serious. As Secretary of the 
Commonwealth, she was the keeper of the Great Seal of the Commonwealth 
and had the duty of authenticating government documents through the 
seal's use. By statute, she was a member of a number of important state 
boards and commissions. She also helped implement an affirmative action 
program to bring more equality to Pennsylvania's hiring practices. 
During her tenure, she advocated for the appointment of women and 
African-Americans as judges and as members of state boards and 
commissions. She led the effort to make Pennsylvania one of the first 
states to develop voter registration by mail and reduce the voting age 
from 21 to 18. Further, she helped pass statutes that would permit 
students to register and vote from their college districts. Ebony 
magazine named her among the ``100 most influential'' African-Americans 
every year of her tenure.
  After leaving state government, Dr. Tucker was a candidate for 
several political offices, including lieutenant governor and United 
States Senator. Although her efforts were unsuccessful, she never 
wavered in her commitment to public service. She continued her 
commitment to community service, working with underprivileged young 
people both in Philadelphia and across the country.
  DeLores Tucker always continued to participate in politics. As a 
fundraiser and organizer, she was involved in Jesse Jackson's 
presidential campaign in 1984. She chaired the Black Caucus of her 
party's national committee for several years, where she worked to 
increase the involvement of African-American women in politics.
  One of Dr. Tucker's greatest legacies was her work as a founder of 
the National Political Congress of Black Women in 1984 which was 
created to advance the interests of the African-American community, 
especially women. The group devised a comprehensive ten-point plan to 
reclaim and improve the African-American community by focusing on voter 
registration, educational quality and equity, welfare reform that would 
not victimize poor people, and fair and adequate legal services for 
everyone. The National Political Congress of Black Women addressed both 
broad national

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issues as well as local issues by, for example, supporting African-
American congresswomen, as well as honoring civil rights pioneers, 
including Myrlie Evers-Williams, Dr. Betty Shabazz, and Coretta Scott 
King. The organization encouraged Black women to participate in the 
political process as voters, candidates, policymakers, fundraisers and 
role models. Today, the organization is known as the National Congress 
for Black Women. In 1992, Dr. Tucker succeeded Shirley Chisholm as the 
national chair of the National Congress of Black Women and served in 
that role until her death in 2005.

  In 1991, Dr. Tucker founded the Bethune-DuBois Institute to promote 
the cultural and educational development of African-American youth. 
During this time, Dr. Tucker began her public criticism of some kinds 
of rap music. She argued that record companies should halt the 
distribution of popular music that she believed contained derogatory 
lyrics about women and minorities and had a negative impact on young 
people. Objecting to the sale of such lyrics to minors, she asked the 
Federal Bureau of Investigation to launch an inquiry. Both the NAACP 
and the Congressional Black Caucus supported Dr. Tucker's initiative.
  Dr. Tucker rose to national prominence in African-American civil 
rights circles through her tireless activism and political fundraising. 
She worked to end racism and make the United States a more equal, 
multicultural society. Her career in civil rights spanned more than 50 
years. Her husband, Bill Tucker, told the Washington Post that DeLores 
``was one of the most fearless individuals I have ever known . . . She 
will take on anyone, anything, if that's what she thinks is right.''
  Dr. Tucker chaired the Black Caucus of her party's national committee 
for 11 years and spoke at five national conventions. As a member of the 
national committee, she was one of the original organizers of the Black 
Caucus and the Women's Caucus. She worked tirelessly to ensure that 
women, African-Americans and other minorities had fair representation 
within her party. She was the first African-American to serve as 
President of the National Federation of Democratic Women. Dr. Tucker 
also served as a member of the NAACP Board of Trustees and on the board 
of the Points of Light Foundation. She was also a member of Alpha Kappa 
Alpha Sorority.
  During her career, Dr. Tucker received more than 400 awards and 
honors, including the NAACP Thurgood Marshall Award, the Martin Luther 
King, Jr. Distinguished Service Award and the Philadelphia Urban League 
Whitney Young Award.
  C. DeLores Tucker passed away on October 12, 2005. Her legacy lives 
on through the work of her husband, Bill Tucker, her many nieces and 
nephews, and the hundreds of people she helped and mentored during her 
life.
  DeLores Tucker was a daughter of Philadelphia, a city that has 
produced many notable leaders, in fields as diverse as the fine arts, 
politics, science, athletics, business, literature and entertainment. 
In December of 1939, Marcia Davenport wrote an article in Collier's 
magazine about the great internationally known contralto, Philadelphian 
Marian Anderson. Davenport's article described Anderson as a young girl 
in south Philadelphia--whose father, John Anderson, died when she was 
ten--playing on an imaginary piano and singing despite the poverty her 
family lived in.

       But in the heart of Anna Anderson, as she watched her child 
     throbbing with music, there was a steadfast belief that for 
     any worthy end, a way will come.

  For DeLores Tucker, through hard work, a passion for advocacy, a 
strong faith and a loving family, a way did come. A way to stand up for 
the powerless; a way to overcome racism, prejudice, and hatred; a way 
to shine the bright warm light of justice and compassion in the dark 
corners of America. Yes, a way did come for DeLores Tucker to use her 
voice to sing her own hymn of equal rights and opportunity for all, 
especially women and African-Americans.

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