[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 70 (Tuesday, May 11, 2010)]
[House]
[Pages H3290-H3292]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
COMMEMORATING THE LIFE OF CYNTHIA DeLORES TUCKER
Mr. DEUTCH. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the
resolution (H. Res. 1094) commemorating the life of the late Cynthia
DeLores Tucker.
The Clerk read the title of the resolution.
The text of the resolution is as follows:
H. Res. 1094
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 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
[[Page H3291]]
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 House of Representatives--
(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.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
Florida (Mr. Deutch) and the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Poe) each will
control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Florida.
General Leave
Mr. DEUTCH. 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 resolution under consideration.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from Florida?
There was no objection.
Mr. DEUTCH. I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, House Resolution 1094 commemorates the life of the late
Cynthia DeLores Tucker. Cynthia DeLores Tucker dedicated her life to
eliminating racial barriers by championing civil rights and the rights
of women. In particular, Ms. Tucker realized that voting was the most
important civil right denied to African Americans and the key to
changing this country. She spent her career in service to the principle
that there could be no equality without equal access to the ballot box.
Born October 4, 1927, the 10th of 11 children, she grew up in
Philadelphia during the Great Depression, overcoming a childhood marked
by economic hardship and segregation, to attend Temple University and
later the University of Pennsylvania.
In what would become the first step in her long career as a civil
rights activist, Ms. Tucker worked to register African-American voters
during the 1950 Philadelphia mayoral campaign. Shortly thereafter, she
became active in local politics, serving as the first African American
and first woman on the Philadelphia Zoning Board.
Driven by her belief that no one should be denied the right to
participate in our democracy, Ms. Tucker went on to participate in the
White House Conference on Civil Rights and to march from Selma to
Montgomery with Dr. King in support of the 1965 Voting Rights Bill.
In 1971, Ms. Tucker was named Secretary of the Commonwealth of
Pennsylvania by then-Governor Milton Shapp, making her the first female
African American to hold this position in any State in the Nation.
Under her leadership as Secretary of the Commonwealth, Pennsylvania
became one the first States to pass the Equal Rights Amendment, to
lower the voting age from 21 to 18, and to institute voter registration
through the mail.
After leaving her position in Pennsylvania State Government, Ms.
Tucker continued to dedicate her time to public service and the
promotion of civil rights through private organizations. She served as
a member of the Board of Trustees of the NAACP, and on numerous other
boards, including the Points of Light Foundation and Delaware Valley
College.
In 1984, Ms. Tucker co-founded the National Political Congress of
Black Women, now known as the National Congress of Black Women, a
nonprofit organization dedicated to the educational, political,
economic and cultural development of African-American women and their
families.
Mr. Speaker, Cynthia DeLores Tucker was a crusader for civil rights
and the rights of women. Through her dedication to voting rights and
the civil rights movement, she helped transform the perception of race
and gender in the United States.
I'd like to commend my colleague, Diane Watson, for introducing this
resolution. It is important that this Nation remember and honor the
outstanding work of civil rights activists like Ms. Tucker.
I urge my colleagues to support this resolution, and I reserve the
balance of my time.
Mr. POE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself as much time as I may
consume.
Mr. Speaker, in the last House resolution that we just discussed,
Peace Officers Memorial Day, H. Res. 1299, I also want to mention the
fact that Deputy Sheriff Shane Thomas Detwiler of the Chambers County
Sheriff's Department in Texas was killed in the line of duty on July
13, 2009, and his cause of death was gunfire.
In this resolution, H. Res. 1094, of course I support this
resolution. And this resolution commemorates the life of the late
Cynthia DeLores Tucker. Ms. Tucker dedicated her life to eliminating
racial barriers and fighting for civil rights and the rights of women.
In 1927 she was born in Philadelphia. Her dad was a minister. After
overcoming financial hardship and segregation during the Great
Depression, she attended Temple University and the University of
Pennsylvania at the Wharton School.
As part of the postwar civil rights movement, she worked to register
African American voters in the 1950 Philadelphia mayor's race. She
later became the first African American and the first woman to serve on
the Philadelphia Zoning Board.
Then in 1965 she marched from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama with Dr.
Martin Luther King, Jr., in support of the 1956 Voting Rights Act.
In 1971 she became Secretary of the State of Pennsylvania, making her
the first female African American Secretary of State in the whole
United States.
In 1984, Ms. Tucker founded the National Political Congress of Black
Women, today known as the National Congress of Black Women; and with
the help of this organization, she criticized the promotion of drugs
and violence in gangsta rap music, and also how women were treated in
the music industry.
She was also the founding member of the National Women's Political
Caucus, and she was head of the minority caucus of the Democratic
National Committee. Her life's work on behalf of racial and gender
equality truly reaped fruitful change in our country.
I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this resolution. I
commend the sponsor of this resolution, Diane Watson from California.
Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in
support of H. Res. 1094 to commemorate the life of the late Cynthia
DeLores Tucker, a civil rights activist and the first female, African-
American Secretary of State of any of our fifty states.
C. DeLores Tucker was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1927 as
the tenth of thirteen children. She grew up during the Great
Depression, and during this period she faced large amounts of racism
and economic hardship. She would later attend Temple University and the
University of Pennsylvania, and in 1951 she married her husband, Bill
Tucker.
In 1950, Ms. Tucker became active in the civil rights movement and
local politics when she registered African-American voters for the
Philadelphia mayoral campaign. She would later go on to run for public
office herself and was elected to the Philadelphia Zoning Board where
she became the first African-American and the first woman to serve in
this position.
[[Page H3292]]
Later, in 1971, she was named Secretary of the Commonwealth of
Pennsylvania making her the first female, African-American secretary of
a state in the nation.
The rights of African Americans and the rights of women were never
far from Mrs. Tucker's thoughts. In 1965, she participated in the White
House Conference on Civil Rights, and she marched with Rev. Dr. Martin
Luther King, Jr., from Selma, Alabama to Montgomery, Alabama in support
of the 1965 Voting Rights Bill. She also founded the National Congress
of Black Women in order to aid in the educational, political, economic,
and cultural development of African-American women and their families.
Mr. Speaker, America lost a great soul and noble spirit with the
passing of Cynthia DeLores Tucker. I ask my fellow colleagues to join
me today in honoring her legacy by supporting this resolution. Truly,
she will be missed.
Ms. JACKSON LEE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H. Res.
1094: ``Commemorating the life of the late Cynthia DeLores Tucker.''
Although it has been almost five years since the world lost a true
pioneer and leader, but the legacy of C. DeLores Tucker endures.
October 13, 2005 did not mark a tragedy; rather, it marked a day of
celebration as to the achievements and legacy of a paragon of the woman
leader. It is an honor for me to stand here today to celebrate the
passing on of Dr. C. DeLores Tucker to her rightful place among other
angels and saints.
Dr. Tucker represented a major segment of African American and
political history in the U.S. She was among the many women stalwarts of
our lifetime that led on so many different issues. The key aspect about
Dr. Tucker's efforts was that they were not for personal gain. I would
compare her to an eagle that spread its wings to help other women--not
only African Americans, but all women. She provided the wind and
momentum for other women to ascend to equality and a better quality of
life.
Given the long fight that our dear DeLores and I endeavored together
in the Halls of Congress, I ask your short indulgence as I cite an
excerpt from the words spoken by a similar pioneer, Madame Sojourner
Truth, in her ``Ain't I a Woman?'' speech delivered at a women's rights
convention in Akron, Ohio in 1851:
That man over there says that women need to be helped into
carriages, and lifted over ditches, and to have the best
place everywhere. Nobody ever helps me into carriages, or
over mud-puddles, or gives me any best place! And ain't I a
woman? Look at me! Look at my arm! I have ploughed and
planted, and gathered into barns, and no man could head me!
And ain't I a woman? I could work as much and eat as much as
a man--when I could get it--and bear the lash as well! And
ain't I a woman? I have borne thirteen children, and seen
most all sold off to slavery, and when I cried out with my
mother's grief, none but Jesus heard me! And ain't I a woman?
. . .
If my cup won't hold but a pint, and yours holds a quart,
wouldn't you be mean not to let me have my little half
measure full?
Then that little man in black there, he says women can't
have as much rights as men, `cause Christ wasn't a woman!
Where did your Christ come from? Where did your Christ come
from? From God and a woman! Man had nothing to do with Him.
If the first woman God ever made was strong enough to turn
the world upside down all alone, these women together ought
to be able to turn it back, and get it right side up again!
And now they is asking to do it, the men better let them.
Obliged to you for hearing me, and now old Sojourner ain't
got nothing more to say.
Dr. Tucker did just this--she fought until the fight was made, she
spoke until ``she ain't [had] nothing more to say.'' For women's
rights, civil rights, the disenfranchised, or the underrepresented, she
stood up like a warrior and a leader, and the progress she made will be
enjoyed by many for as long as man exists. As author Ron Daniels said
in his opinion piece in the Madison Times, DeLores was not afraid to
denounce gang violence, fratricide, or the denigration of women in rap
lyrics; not afraid to implore our children to devote less time to
athletics and more to academics; and staunchly advocated excellence in
education, improved parenting skills, and the harnessing of our
economic resources as a distinct market. It did not have to be sexy,
popular, or self-promoting to be right for Dr. C. DeLores Tucker, and I
had the privilege of standing next to her in the trenches of the fight
for equality.
Mr. Speaker, Dr. C. DeLores Tucker was a close and valued friend for
many years. Her crusade for women's and civil rights served not only as
an inspiration to women, minorities, and other traditionally
disadvantaged groups, but to all of society, and her lifelong service
indeed worked for its betterment. From her devout involvement in the
Democratic Party to her founding of the Philadelphia Martin Luther
King, Jr., Association for Non-Violent Change, she embodied the
tenacity and courage necessary to eradicate the disparities and bigotry
that continues to constrain the attainment of equality.
Of her many endearing qualities were the fact that her service was
never for personal gain and that it was boundless--she never hesitated
to travel the extra mile to help others. This was evident in her
singular work as the lead advocate to urge the recognition and honor of
abolitionist Sojourner Truth with the addition of her likeness to the
statue commemorating women's suffrage in the rotunda of the United
States Capitol. Bill, as you know, her determined, passionate, and
powerful efforts have ultimately resulted in the honoring of Sojourner
Truth. Our own DeLores was in her own right a guiding light of truth.
The love and devotion that she displayed in this endeavor continue to
inspire legislators and supporters.
{time} 1515
Mr. POE of Texas. I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. DEUTCH. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to commemorate the life
and to honor the legacy of Cynthia DeLores Tucker by supporting this
resolution, and I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the
gentleman from Florida (Mr. Deutch) that the House suspend the rules
and agree to the resolution, H. Res. 1094.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the
rules were suspended and the resolution was agreed to.
A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.
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