February 14, 2008
	HOUSE VOTES TO PASS RESOLUTION INTRODUCED BY CONGRESSMAN AL GREEN HONORING THE NAACP
	Washington, DC - Today, the U.S. House of Representatives passed H. Con. Res. 289, a resolution honoring the 99th anniversary of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). H. Con. Res. 289 was introduced by Congressman Al Green (TX-09) during Black History Month with 45 bi-partisan co-sponsors and passed without opposition by a vote of 403 to 0.  In February 2007, the House passed a similar resolution introduced by Congressman Al Green seeking to recognize the accomplishments of the NAACP in the civil rights movement. “From the ballot box to the classroom, the dedicated workers, organizers, and leaders who make up the NAACP have been continuously fighting on the frontlines for social and economic justice.  The NAACP filed and won the lawsuits Brown v. Board of Education, Barrows v. Jackson, and Shelley v. Kraemer, which served to help end segregation and discrimination in education and housing.  We owe many of the freedoms we enjoy today to the dedication and persistence of the NAACP,” Congressman Green stated.  Since the NAACP was founded on February 12, 1909, it has been committed to achieving equality through non-violence.  Originally known as the National Negro Committee, the NAACP was founded on the centennial of Abraham Lincoln's birth by a multiracial group of activists who answered `The Call' for a national conference to discuss the civil and political rights of African Americans. “The mission of the NAACP is to ensure the political, educational, social, and economic equality of all persons as well as to eliminate racial hatred and invidious discrimination.  Even in the face of overt and violent racial hostility, members and leaders of the NAACP bravely continued their efforts to advance the ideals of justice and racial equality,” added Congressman Green. As the oldest and largest civil rights organization, the NAACP has used political pressure, peaceful protest, effective lobbying, and litigation to serve as the voice, as well as the shield, for minority Americans.  Its accomplishments include its prominence in lobbying for the passage of the Civil Rights Acts of 1957, 1960, and 1964, the Voting Rights Act of 1965, and the Fair Housing Act of 1968. “The work of the NAACP continues today.  In 2007, the NAACP boldly stood side-by-side with me, my colleagues in Congress, and others of good will around the country to condemn acts of noose intimidation.  In its 100th year, it continues to fight for social and economic justice as well as to ensure that racial hatred and discrimination are eradicated from our society.”
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