[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 133 (Wednesday, September 29, 2010)]
[Senate]
[Pages S7840-S7841]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 73--HONORING THE LIFE OF DR. RONALD W.
WALTERS AND COMMENDING HIS LIFE AS AN EXAMPLE TO FUTURE GENERATIONS OF
THE PEOPLE OF THE UNITED STATES
Mr. BROWNBACK (for himself, Mr. Burris, and Mr. Roberts) submitted
the following concurrent resolution; which was referred to the
Committee on the Judiciary:
S. Con. Res. 73
Whereas Dr. Walters was born on July 20, 1938, in Wichita,
Kansas, the eldest of 7 children born to Gilmar and Maxine
Fray Walters;
Whereas Dr. Walters received a Bachelor of Arts in History
and Government from Fisk University in 1963, a Master of Arts
in African Studies from American University in 1966, and a
Doctor of Philosophy in International Studies from American
University in 1971;
Whereas Dr. Walters was a lifelong scholar and activist on
civil rights issues;
Whereas in July 1958, while a student at Fisk University,
Dr. Walters organized with his cousin, Carol Parks, a 3-week,
silent sit-in at the Dockum Drug Store in Wichita, Kansas to
protest the segregated lunch counters at the Dockum Drug
Store;
Whereas during the sit-in at the Dockum Drug Store, Dr.
Walters, Carol Parks, and the other sit-in participants were
taunted for their activism, which inspired others to join the
protest and contributed to the eventual success of the sit-
in;
Whereas as a result of the sit-in, the owner of the Dockum
Drug Store eliminated the segregated lunch counters;
Whereas the success of the sit-in at the Dockum Drug Store
led Dr. Walters and his fellow protestors to organize sit-ins
at other segregated restaurants in Wichita, Kansas, which
inspired others to organize sit-ins throughout the United
States as acts of civil disobedience during the civil rights
movement;
Whereas Dr. Walters was an Assistant Professor of Political
Science at Syracuse University from 1968 through 1969;
Whereas Dr. Walters served as chair of the Afro-American
Studies department at Brandeis University from 1969 through
1971;
Whereas Dr. Walters left Brandeis University for Howard
University in 1971, where Dr. Walters taught for 25 years,
serving as chair of the Political Science department from
1990 to 1996;
Whereas throughout his time at Howard University, Dr.
Walters continued to work as an activist for civil rights
policies;
Whereas Dr. Walters served as a top advisor for Congressman
Charles Diggs, the first Chairman of the Congressional Black
Caucus, and helped Congressman Diggs conceptualize the
strategic vision of the Congressional Black Caucus;
Whereas Dr. Walters served on the staff of Congressman
William Gray, III in 1979;
Whereas Dr. Walters served as the Deputy Campaign Manager
for the 1984 Presidential campaign of the Reverend Jesse
Jackson and as the Conventions Operations Consultant for the
1988 Presidential campaign of the Reverend Jesse Jackson;
Whereas Dr. Walters authored many political articles and
books, and over the course of his academic career, received
the Ralph Bunche Award for Black Presidential Politics in
America from the American Political Science Association and
the Best Book Award for Black Presidential Politics in
America from the National Conference of Black Political
Scientists;
Whereas Dr. Walters was a Professor of Government and
Politics at the University of Maryland College Park from 1996
through 2009;
Whereas throughout his life, Dr. Walters was an active
member of many national organizations, including the Kappa
Alpha Psi fraternity, the Omicron Delta Kappa fraternity, and
the Pi Sigma Alpha fraternity;
Whereas Dr. Walters founded 2 national organizations, the
National Congress of Black Faculty and the National Black
Independent Political Party;
Whereas Dr. Walters was an active member of many
professional associations, including the African Heritage
Studies Association, the American Political Science
Association, the Association of Black Sociologists, the
National Black Leadership Roundtable, the National Conference
of Black Political Scientists, the Ralph Bunche Institute,
the Social Science Research Council, and the Southern
Christian Leadership Conference;
Whereas Dr. Walters participated in several important
research studies including the National Black Election Study
carried out from 1984 through 1985 with the Institute for
Social and Political Research at the University of Michigan,
the 1971 through 1973 Advisory Board Research Program, and
the 1974 through 1979 Public Policy Fellows Program carried
out at the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies in
Washington, D.C.;
Whereas Dr. Walters received many university faculty
honors, including the 1982 Distinguished Faculty Award from
Howard University, the 1992 Distinguished Alumnus Award from
Fisk University, the 2000 School of International Service
Alumnus of the Year award from American University, and the
Distinguished Faculty Award from the University of Maryland
College Park;
Whereas Dr. Walters received many academic awards,
including the 1963 Reader's Digest Writing Award, the 1984
Distinguished Scholar/Activist Award from The Black Scholar
Magazine, the 1985 Ida Wells Barnett Award from the
Association of Black School Educators, and an Honorary
Doctorate of Humane Letters from Fisk University in 2010;
Whereas Dr. Walters received several national service
awards, including the 1st annual Distinguished Service Award
from the Wichita Black Historical Society in 1987 and the
2002 Award for Distinguished Service to the Devolution
Initiative from the W. K. Kellogg Foundation;
Whereas the sit-in at the Dockum Drug Store occurred almost
2 years before the more well-publicized lunchroom sit-ins in
Greensboro, North Carolina, but the sit-in had received
little national attention until Dr. Walters was honored in
2006 with a medal from the NAACP for organizing the
historical Wichita, Kansas sit-in;
Whereas Dr. Walters died on September 10, 2010, at the age
of 72 in Silver Spring, Maryland;
Whereas Dr. Walters was honored with a memorial service on
September 16, 2010, at Howard University, as Dr. Walters had
intended to return to Howard University as a senior
researcher and lecturer;
Whereas Dr. Walters was also honored with a memorial
service on September 20, 2010, at the historic Shiloh Baptist
church; and
Whereas the eulogy for Dr. Walters was delivered by the
Reverend Jesse Jackson at both memorial services: Now,
therefore, be it
Resolved by the Senate (the House of Representatives
concurring), That Congress--
(1) expresses the condolences of Congress to family of Dr.
Ronald W. Walters, especially his wife, Mrs. Patricia
Walters, his 3 brothers, Duane, Terrance, and Kevin, and his
2 sisters, Marcia and Sharon; and
(2) honors the life of Dr. Ronald W. Walters, an ambassador
for freedom and democracy, whose lifelong dedication and
service stand as an outstanding example of leadership for all
mankind.
Mr. BROWNBACK. Mr. President, it gives me great pleasure to join with
my colleagues today and honor a native Kansan who, 52 years ago,
committed an act of courage that was the basis for inspiring many civil
rights movements throughout our country, the late Dr. Ronald Walters,
humanitarian, civil rights activist and educator. In 1958, a young
Ronald Walters returned to his hometown of Wichita, KS to work during
his summer break from Fisk University in Nashville, TN. Like most
college students, Ronald would often eat at one of the local Wichita
hangouts for his lunch break, which, at the time, were segregated.
Seeing the injustice of the segregation, Ronald and his cousin, Carol
Parks, decided to organize a sit-in at one of the most popular lunch
spots in Wichita, Dockum Drugstore. Ronald and his group of protestors
silently sat at the Dockum's lunch counter in protest of their
segregated policy. They were taunted for their action, but the taunting
inspired more people to join the sit-in protest, both black and white.
After more than three weeks of the silent sit-in, the owner decided
to discard the policy of segregated counters due to the fact the sit-in
had caused him to lose too much money. Their success at Dockum's led
Ronald and the group of protestors to continue their sit-ins at other
segregated restaurants in Wichita. Though Ronald's sit-in was held in
the middle of America--Wichita, KS--the effect reverberated around the
Nation and is widely considered by scholars to be the Nation's first
lunch-counter sit-in protests, which paved the way to ending
segregation in our country.
Ronald Walters completed his education at Fisk University, receiving
a Bachelor of Arts degree in History and Government, a Master of Arts
in African Studies degree from American University in 1966, and a
Doctor of Philosophy in International Studies degree from American
University in 1971.
Dr. Walters went on to be an associate professor at both Syracuse and
Brandeis Universities before moving to Howard University, where he
stayed for 25 years and became the chair of the Political Science
department from 1990-1996.
During his time at Howard, Dr. Walters continued his activism in
civil rights policies. He worked as a Senior
[[Page S7841]]
Foreign Affairs Consultant for Congressman Charles Diggs, D-MI, and for
Congressman William Gray, III, D-PA, in 1979. Dr. Walters was also
chosen to be the Deputy Campaign Manager for Reverend Jesse Jackson's
Presidential Campaign in 1984 and as the Conventions Operations
Consultant in Reverend Jesse Jackson's 1988 Presidential run.
Dr. Walters was also a proud and active member of many national
organizations, including the African Heritage Studies Association,
American Political Science Association, the Kappa Alpha Psi, Omicron
Delta Kappa, and Pi Sigma Alpha fraternities, and the National
Conference of Black Political Scientists.
Dr. Walters not only was a civil rights activist, but a political
scholar as well. He authored many articles and books throughout his
life, and received awards for them, including the Ralph Bunche Award
for the best book on race and politics from the American Political
Science Association and the Best Book Award from the National
Conference of Black Political Scientists.
Dr. Walters also received many academic awards, including the 1963
Reader's Digest Writing Award and the 1984 Distinguished Scholar/
Activist Award from The Black Scholar Magazine.
Dr. Walters left Howard to become a Professor of Government and
Politics at the University of Maryland College Park from 1996-2009.
Dr. Walters' sit-in occurred almost two years before the better
publicized lunch-room sit-ins in Greensboro, NC, but it had received
little attention until 2006, when he was honored with a medal from the
NAACP for organizing the historical Wichita, KS, sit-in.
Today, I am proud to join with my colleagues in the United States
Senate to honor this Kansans' courageous actions in our Nation's
history and his legacy of ensuring that America lives up to the ideals
upon which it was founded. Dr. Walters was a true and great ambassador
of freedom and democracy, whose lifelong dedication and service stand
as an outstanding example of leadership for all mankind.
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