[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 161 (2015), Part 3]
[Senate]
[Page 4408]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




    NAACP LEGAL DEFENSE AND EDUCATIONAL FUND, INC., 75TH ANNIVERSARY

  Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, this year marks the 75th anniversary of the 
NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc., one of the great civil 
rights organizations in the Nation's history. Seventy-five years ago, 
Thurgood Marshall established LDF or the ``Inc. Fund''--as it was 
commonly known then--as a separate legal entity. The efforts of the men 
and women of this organization throughout the years have transformed 
our Nation for the better. I am grateful for the leaders who have 
dedicated their lives to the perennial effort to move this country 
toward a more perfect union. I would extend a special thanks to 
Sherrilyn Ifill, the current president and director-counsel of LDF; 
Leslie Proll, the director of the Washington, DC, office; and Debo 
Adegbile, the former acting director-counsel of LDF. Their dedication 
is emblematic of the hard-working staff of the Legal Defense Fund.
  Most of us know about LDF's work to dismantle segregation in the 
historic Brown v. Board of Education case, but the organization's 
advocacy for civil rights extends far beyond litigating groundbreaking 
cases. The grass roots leaders of LDF have also helped achieve greater 
racial justice through its legislative efforts, including working with 
members from both sides of the aisle in Congress. The Legal Defense 
Fund has contributed its knowledge and expertise on issues such as 
voting rights, equal employment access, fair housing, education and 
criminal justice, and their efforts have resulted in legislation and 
policies that have improved the lives of millions of Americans.
  This year, as we celebrate the 50th anniversary of the march from 
Selma as well as the 75th anniversary of LDF, I once again urge my 
fellow Senators to join our effort to restore the protections of the 
Voting Rights Act that were gutted by the Supreme Court's narrow 
majority in Shelby County v. Holder. The best way to honor civil rights 
heroes such as Thurgood Marshall, and all the men and women of LDF, is 
to enact real and meaningful legislative reforms that advance the 
principles of equality for which those individuals dedicated their 
lives.

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