[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 25 (Wednesday, February 16, 2011)]
[Senate]
[Page S789]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS

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                   REMEMBERING CLARENCE MITCHELL, JR.

 Mr. CARDIN. Mr. President, today I wish to recognize and pay 
tribute to a fellow Marylander and civil rights champion, the late 
Clarence Mitchell, Jr., as we approach the 100th anniversary of his 
birthday. Clarence Mitchell was the chief lobbyist for the National 
Association for the Advancement of Colored People, NAACP, from 1950 to 
1979. He worked alongside the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and 
NAACP attorney Thurgood Marshall to secure rights and opportunities for 
African Americans.
  Clarence Mitchell had faith. He believed in America's promise and in 
the democratic process. He believed that the will of the people could 
become the law of the land, and he believed that equality could be 
championed without bitterness. He dedicated his life to turning the 
disappointment and anger of the African-American community into 
political action. He understood that it was possible to take what was 
unjust and make it just.
  Clarence Mitchell walked the Halls of Congress, lobbying friends and 
foes to set the wheels of justice in motion. He was quietly forceful as 
he worked tirelessly to pass comprehensive civil rights laws, including 
the 1957 Civil Rights Act, the 1960 Civil Rights Act, the 1964 Civil 
Rights Act, the 1965 Civil Rights Act, and the 1968 Fair Housing Act. 
In fact, his near constant presence in the Senate earned him the 
nickname the ``101st Senator.'' Former Majority Leader Howard Baker 
remarked, ``In those days, Clarence Mitchell was called the 101st 
Senator, but those of us who served here then knew full well that this 
magnificent lion in the lobby was a great deal more influential than 
most of us with seats in the Chamber.''
  Clarence Mitchell's extraordinary achievements have shaped our lives 
and our country to this day. In 1980, President Carter appropriately 
awarded him the Presidential Medal of Freedom. On the centennial of his 
birth, I ask my colleagues to join me in honoring the late Clarence 
Mitchell, Jr., and recognize the enormous impact his life's work has 
had on our great Nation.

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