[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 155 (2009), Part 5]
[Senate]
[Page 6082]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




COMMEMORATING THE 100TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION FOR THE 
                     ADVANCEMENT OF COLORED PEOPLE

  Mr. LAUTENBERG. Mr. Presdient, I rise to commemorate the 100th 
Anniversary of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored 
People, NAACP. I strongly support the NAACP and I am proud to be a 
lifelong member. Today, I wish to recognize this organization and the 
tremendous work it has done fighting for political, educational, social 
and economic equality for all. America would be a less equal and less 
just nation without the work and lasting influence of the NAACP.
  One hundred years ago on the centennial of Abraham Lincoln's birth, a 
distinguished group of Americans came together to fight racial hatred 
and racial discrimination through nonviolence. In the intervening 
years, the NAACP has become one of the most respected civil rights 
organizations in the United States, having fought some of country's 
greatest civil rights battles.
  Since its inception, the NAACP has been on the frontlines fighting 
for racial equality in all areas of life. A team of NAACP lawyers, led 
by Thurgood Marshall, fought successfully for the desegregation of 
public schools in the landmark case Brown v. Board of Education in 
1954. The NAACP also played a key role in ensuring the passage of the 
1964 Civil Rights Act and the 1965 Voting Rights Act, laws that are 
essential to guaranteeing all Americans' full participation in our 
democracy.
  Whether it is combating racial profiling, reauthorizing the Voting 
Rights Act, or fighting hate crimes and pay discrimination, I have been 
proud to stand side by side with the NAACP throughout my Senate career.
  There is no better way to honor the NAACP's work than to continue its 
fight for justice and equal opportunity. This fight starts with getting 
the Nation's economy moving again, and giving every child access to 
quality education and every family access to affordable health care. I 
look forward to working with the NAACP and with all my Senate 
colleagues to make these goals a reality.

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