[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 153 (Thursday, September 13, 2018)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1244]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                HONORING THE VALLEJO BRANCH OF THE NAACP

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                           HON. MIKE THOMPSON

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, September 13, 2018

  Mr. THOMPSON of California. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the 
Vallejo Branch of the National Association for the Advancement of 
Colored People (NAACP) on its 100th anniversary.
  The Vallejo Branch of the NAACP received its Charter on July 8, 1918. 
It was the second Branch established in California, after the 
Sacramento Branch. Since its founding, the Vallejo Branch has worked 
tirelessly with community and religious leaders to fulfill the promise 
of equality to all Americans. Early in its existence, the Vallejo 
Branch collaborated with prominent African-American professionals, 
members of the clergy and business leaders on anti-lynching 
legislation, desegregation and political rights. The Vallejo Branch 
later expanded its focus to include advocacy for better jobs and pay 
for people of color on Mare Island and desegregation of the federal 
housing projects in Vallejo.
  Most recently, the Vallejo Branch of the NAACP has worked to address 
the high rate of sexually transmitted diseases and infections (STDs and 
STIs) among African Americans aged fourteen to twenty-five in Solano 
County, and Vallejo specifically. The Vallejo Branch has also been 
focused on educating, testing, and treating STDs and STIs and secured 
$250,000 to work towards this goal. The Branch's Legal Redress team has 
been active in the litigation of numerous discrimination issues 
involving housing, school, and employment injustices in Vallejo. Its 
Education Committee is actively involved in Vallejo's school system to 
guarantee that all students have equal access to quality education. In 
addition, the Vallejo Branch encourages its members to exercise their 
hard won right to vote.
  Mr. Speaker, the Vallejo Branch of the NAACP has been an important 
institution in our community for 100 years. The Vallejo Branch has 
worked continuously to improve the lives of African Americans in our 
community. It is therefore fitting and proper that we honor it here 
today.

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