[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 163 (2017), Part 11]
[Senate]
[Pages 16002-16003]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                         ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS

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             60TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE GREATER DANBURY NAACP

 Mr. BLUMENTHAL. Mr. President, today I wish to recognize the 
Greater Danbury NAACP as they celebrate 60 years of outstanding 
advocacy and support for equal rights and an end to race-based 
discrimination in Connecticut and the Nation.
  Founded in 1957, the Danbury NAACP serves as a branch of the National 
Association for the Advancement of Colored People, NAACP. By focusing 
on the Danbury, CT, area, this branch helps connect people in the 
region with the national NAACP mission. As part of the oldest civil 
rights organization in America, the Greater Danbury NAACP has had a 
valuable role in the progress we have made toward a society free from 
discrimination and respectful of individual civil rights. This year's 
theme, ``Steadfast & Immovable,'' exemplifies the branch's continuous 
dedication to leading the fight to ensure every person in our great 
Nation will truly enjoy equal rights under the law.
  The organization continues its rich history of collaboration with 
other civil rights groups. Recently, alongside other organizations and 
individuals, the Greater Danbury NAACP participated in an International 
Workers' Day event to emphasize the need for better treatment of 
immigrants. The branch's president, Glenda Armstrong, spoke at the 
event, emphasizing how, even with its founding centered on the 
inequality facing African Americans, the NAACP's goal of racial 
equality encompasses everyone in America.
  One of the national organization's key objectives, mirrored in the 
work of the Greater Danbury branch, is to use democratic processes to 
put an end to racial discrimination. In March, the Danbury NAACP 
expressed its support--along with its parent association--for the NO 
HATE Act. I introduced this act with Congressman Beyer to counter the 
rising number of hate crimes in America. The NO HATE Act will encourage 
more thorough reports on hate crimes by law enforcement, grant victims 
of these crimes the

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right to sue in civil court, and establish hotlines run by the State to 
make sure hate crimes were reported. These key measures align with the 
NAACP's vision of equality.
  Since its formation, the Greater Danbury NAACP continuously strives 
to eliminate racial discrimination and achieve social, political, 
economic, and educational equality for the people of Danbury, CT, and 
the Nation. I applaud their tireless work and hope my colleagues will 
join me in congratulating the Greater Danbury NAACP on 60 years of 
dedication and advocacy on behalf of Connecticut residents.

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