[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 94 (Tuesday, June 22, 2010)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1167]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


              HONORING THE NAACP ON ITS 101ST ANNIVERSARY

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                         HON. LAURA RICHARDSON

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, June 16, 2010

  Ms. RICHARDSON. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H. Con. Res. 
242, which honors and praises the National Association for the 
Advancement of Colored People, NAACP, for its 101st year of service. H. 
Con. Res. 242 is an important resolution that commends an organization 
that has worked tirelessly to make our Nation a better place for all 
Americans.
  I would like to thank Chairman Conyers for his leadership in bringing 
this bill to the floor. I also thank the sponsor of this legislation, 
Congressman Green, for taking the time to honor the NAACP and its 
crucial contributions to our Nation's social and moral progress.
  Mr. Speaker, the NAACP has played a vital role in empowering our 
Nation's African-American community and ensuring that all Americans are 
equal before the law. As the oldest and largest civil rights 
organization in the United States, the NAACP has always been dedicated 
to achieving their goals through non-violence. One of the most famous 
moments in the history of the NAACP occurred in 1955, when an NAACP 
secretary refused to give up her seat on a bus to a white man. This 
bold and empowering decision by Rosa Parks started the Montgomery Bus 
Boycotts and was a pivotal moment in the Civil Rights Movement.
  The NAACP was a driving force behind the passage of the Civil Rights 
Acts of 1957, 1960, and 1964, the Voting Rights Act of 1965, the Voting 
Rights Act Reauthorization and Amendments Act of 2006, and the Fair 
Housing Act of 2006. On July 16, 2009, during the NAACP's centennial 
anniversary celebration in New York, members remembered progress made 
and reaffirmed their passion in the ongoing fight for equality. The 
keynote speaker at the anniversary celebration was the first black 
President of the United States, Barack H. Obama.
  Mr. Speaker, it is entirely fitting that we honor and express our 
national gratitude for the NAACP for 101 years of service, during which 
time it assisted millions of Americans and helped fight poverty, 
inequality, and social injustice. It is equally important that we 
express our full support for and solidarity with the NAACP as it 
continues in its second century of service and continues to address 
pressing national issues like political, educational, social, economic, 
and racial inequality. As one who has long been active in the Long 
Beach chapter of the NAACP, I can attest to the critical role that this 
organization continues to play in the communities across our country.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting H. Con. 
Res. 242.

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