[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 31 (Tuesday, February 24, 2015)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E232-E233]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     NAACP ON ITS 106TH ANNIVERSARY

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. BARBARA LEE

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, February 24, 2015

  Ms. LEE. Mr. Speaker, first, let me thank Congressman Al Green, who 
served as president of the Houston Branch of the NAACP for more than 10 
years, for hosting this important Special Order. We appreciate your 
leadership in coordinating this special order to honor the 106th 
Anniversary of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored 
People (NAACP).
  More than a century ago, the National Association for the Advancement 
of Colored People was founded in New York City. The month was February 
and would later come to mark Black History Month.
  As a child of the Civil Rights Movement, I witnessed firsthand the 
leadership of the NAACP in fight for human rights. I vividly remember 
the role the NAACP played in shattering segregation in my birthplace of 
El Paso, Texas and in my personal life.

[[Page E233]]

  When I was in high school, it was nearly impossible for young women 
of color to become cheerleaders. At the time, I was participating in a 
work-study program at Pacoima Memorial Lutheran Credit Union and my 
boss, John Mance, was a member of the local NAACP Board. Together, he 
and Carl McCraven, the CEO of the credit union, worked to change the 
rules so anyone should try out to be a cheerleader. Thanks to them, I 
was able to cheer for the Tigers!
  We all know their great contributions that the NAACP has made to our 
nation:
  From their largest legal victory in Brown vs. the Board of Education, 
under the leadership of Special Counsel Thurgood Marshall--to their 
central role in the successful battles to overturn Jim Crow.
  Today, the nation's oldest and largest civil rights organization 
continues to engage in groundbreaking and critical work to combat 
disparity and inequality in our society.
  Today, they boldly stand against repressive voter ID laws, economic 
inequality and mass incarceration.
  We know that inequality persists--the unemployment rate among African 
Americans is nearly twice the rate of their white counterparts and the 
African American poverty rate is nearly three times the poverty rate of 
white Americans.
  These statistics paint a clear picture of inequality in America.
  The American dream of equality, freedom, liberty, justice and 
opportunity should be open to all and the NAACP is working day-in and 
day-out to ensure that all Americans have an opportunity to achieve the 
American dream.
  I am proud that the NAACP has been a dedicated and constant partner 
and advocate.
  I am proud to join my colleagues in honoring the NAACP's 106th 
anniversary.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this resolution.

                          ____________________