[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 48 (Wednesday, March 26, 2014)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E445]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       HONORING MISSISSIPPI NAACP

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. BENNIE G. THOMPSON

                             of mississippi

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, March 26, 2014

  Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor a 
remarkable Mississippi NAACP. The first branch in Mississippi was 
chartered in Vicksburg, Mississippi in 1918 and re-charted on April 8, 
1940.
  In 1945, members of branches from across the state came together to 
charter the Mississippi State Conference of Branches to coordinate the 
efforts of local branches and to carry out the mission and vision of 
the national organization statewide.
  The Mississippi State Conference was on the forefront of all the 
major battles of the civil rights movement in Mississippi during the 
50's, 60's and 70's through and collaborating with other civil rights 
organizations to organize demonstrations, protests, selective buying 
campaigns, sit-ins, marches and legal action, all aimed at securing 
equal rights under the law for ALL citizens of the state.
  Since its founding, the State Conference has been led by some notable 
leaders including:
  Aaron E. Henry, State Conference President for 33 years and perhaps 
the chief architect of integration in Mississippi;
  Medgar Evers, the civil rights martyr, who served as executive 
director and led voter registration campaigns;
  Winston Hudson, who served as a state vice president and advocated 
for Head Start programs and rural health clinics;
  C.C. Bryant who served as a state vice president for many years and 
assisted students in the McComb area with establishing the first 
freedom school; and
  Dr. Gilbert Mason of Biloxi who forced the integration of the Biloxi 
Breach.
  Retired Supreme Court Justice Fred Banks is currently the longest 
serving member of the National NAACP Board of Directors and serves as a 
distinguished member of the executive committee.
  Today, the Mississippi State Conference consists of 112 units, which 
include branches, college chapters, and youth councils. NAACP has a 
revolving membership of over 11,000 members across the state and at 
least one member in 74 of the 82 counties in Mississippi.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in recognizing 
Mississippi NAACP for their dedication to serving.

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