[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 91 (Thursday, June 17, 2010)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1137-E1138]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




              HONORING THE NAACP ON ITS 101ST ANNIVERSARY

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                        HON. SHEILA JACKSON LEE

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, June 16, 2010

  Ms. JACKSON LEE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H. Con. 
Res. 242, to honor and praise the National Association for the 
Advancement of Colored People on its 101st Anniversary. The NAACP was 
founded in New York City on February 12, 1909, because of America's 
pressing need for a large, coordinated civil rights organization. 
Today, the NAACP holds true to its initial values.
  The objectives of the NAACP are:
  To ensure the political, educational, social, and economic equality 
of all citizens;
  To achieve equality of rights and eliminate race prejudice among the 
citizens of the United States;
  To remove all barriers of racial discrimination through democratic 
processes;
  To seek enactment and enforcement of federal, state, and local laws 
securing civil rights;
  To inform the public of the adverse effects of racial discrimination 
and to seek its elimination; and
  To educate persons as to their constitutional rights and to take all 
lawful action to secure the exercise thereof, and to take any other 
lawful action in furtherance of these objectives, consistent with the 
NAACP's Articles of Incorporation and this Constitution.
  For 101 years the NAACP has remained committed to ensuring the 
political, educational, social and economic equality of all persons and 
to eliminate racial hatred and racial discrimination. The organization 
was originally founded out of the dire need for civil rights among 
African Americans in the United States. Today however, the NAACP is 
determined to advance the cause of civil rights not only for African 
Americans, but for all American people, regardless of color.
  The NAACP has aided in achieving the passage of several important 
pieces of legislation throughout their 101-year existence. These 
include the Civil Rights Act, the Voting Rights Act of 1965, and the 
Fair Housing Act. The NAACP has also influenced several groundbreaking 
legal cases that have advanced the causes of civil rights in our 
nation, such as the 1954 Brown v. Board of Education case. The NCAAP 
has and continues to serve as a beacon to those who want to make a 
difference. They have proven that progress can be made in the face of 
oppression through non-violence and political action.
  The NAACP claims over 360,000 members and it continues to grow. 
Heading into its second century of service, the NAACP is focused on 
disparities in economics, health care, education, voter empowerment and 
the criminal justice system as is also continues its role as a legal 
advocate for civil rights issues.
  The organization remains just as committed today to continuing the 
fight for political, social, educational and racial equality as it was 
over a century ago when it was first conceived. For this reason that I 
rise in support of H. Con. Res. 242.

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