[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 91 (Thursday, June 17, 2010)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1147]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




              HONORING THE NAACP ON ITS 101ST ANNIVERSARY

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                  HON. HENRY C. ``HANK'' JOHNSON, JR.

                               of georgia

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, June 16, 2010

  Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, today I rise in support of H. 
Con. Res. 242, Honoring and Praising the National Association for the 
Advancement of Colored People on the occasion of its 101st anniversary. 
I would also like to commend Representative Green, the sponsor of this 
resolution, for his commitment to recognizing the accomplishments of 
this historic organization. I urge my colleagues to support this 
resolution praising this venerable institution.
  In 1905, a group of Jewish and African-American leaders came together 
to discuss the injustices faced by African-Americans and possible 
solutions. The group led by renowned scholar and sociologist W.E.B Du 
Bois was known as the Niagara Movement. Du Bois said at that time that, 
``[t]he problem of the twentieth century is the problem of the color 
line''. The goal of the Niagara Movement and its successor the NAACP 
was to erase that color line.
  In its earliest years the NAACP fought against the racist Jim Crow 
laws of the south and campaigned for equal access to voting, housing, 
and education. The organization's dedication to overturn the ``separate 
but equal'' doctrine culminated in the unanimous 1954 Supreme Court 
decision in Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, which declared 
state-sponsored segregation of elementary schools to be 
unconstitutional. During the Civil Rights era the NAACP's unrelenting 
appeals for voting reform culminated in the signing of the 1964 Civil 
Rights Act and the 1965 Civil Rights Act into law.
  Some critics of the NAACP now see the organization as unnecessary and 
ineffective in today's post-racial world. I respond to that criticism 
with these words: the color line that W.E.B. DuBois fought against 101 
years ago, still exits today. Yes, we are living in a time when our 
country has its first African-American president; but we are also 
living in a time when African-Americans are on the whole 
underrepresented in governmental leadership positions. We also live in 
a time in which African-Americas account for nearly 51 percent of all 
new HIV/AIDS cases. Progress has clearly been made, but we have a lot 
of work to do and the NAACP continues to champion better life for all 
citizens.
  Mr. Speaker it is imperative that we recognize this landmark 
organization for its contributions to this country. Many of us would 
not be here without their efforts. For 101 years the National 
Association for the Advancement of Colored People has consistently and 
effectively pressed for total racial equality and inclusion and I urge 
my colleagues to support this resolution, and recognize the 101st 
anniversary of the NAACP.

                          ____________________