Honoring the life and accomplishments of James Cameron.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to join in consideration of H. Res. 867, a bill honoring the life and accomplishments of James Cameron. I also want to commend the gentlewoman from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, for her introduction of this legislation and for the tremendous amount of work that she has done on it.

Mr. Speaker, on August 7, 1930, a famous photograph was taken in Marion, Indiana, depicting two young black men, recently lynched, hanging in a tree above the delighted faces of the mob that had just beaten and murdered them. Many of us have seen this picture and are horrified by the actions and era it represents. What is missing from this picture, however, is James Cameron, the sole survivor of this gruesome incident.

James Cameron had also been assaulted by the lynch mob that night. He was falsely accused of participating in the murder of a young white man. He survived his severe beating and attempted lynching, but was sentenced to 4 years in the State prison for accessory before the fact to manslaughter. Because of his personal experience, Cameron dedicated his life to promoting civil rights, racial peace, unity, and equality.

Cameron was instrumental in the establishment of several NAACP chapters in both Milwaukee and Indiana and served as the Indiana State Director of Civil Liberties. During his 8-year tenure, Cameron investigated over 25 incidents of civil rights infractions and faced many acts of violence and death threats for his work.

Although a great contributor to the civil rights movement, Cameron wanted to do even more, especially to give a voice to the thousands of people who lost their lives in the era of lynching.

In 1988, Cameron founded America's Black Holocaust Museum to document racial injustices suffered by people of African heritage. Cameron believed that never should we be allowed to forget or deny the horrors of the lynch mobs. In total, nearly 4,700 men and women were killed by lynch mobs in the 148 years when lynching was common practice in the United States. The museum is located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, the city where Cameron relocated to after death threats forced him to leave his home in Indiana.

Last week, Mr. Cameron, the last surviving victim of lynch mob violence, died in Milwaukee. His commitment to civil rights and to those who died at the hands of lynch mobs is a testament to the human spirit and overcoming tragedies.

James Cameron most cherished a letter he received from the State of Indiana on February 3, 1993. The letter granted Mr. Cameron a pardon and public apology.

I urge my colleagues to recognize the life and work of James Cameron by passing this resolution.

Mr. Speaker, it is my pleasure to yield such time as she may consume to the gentlewoman from Wisconsin (Ms. Moore), who not only introduced this legislation, but who also represents the area where the holocaust museum is located. It has been my pleasure to visit that museum.

It is now my pleasure to yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from Texas who has spent much of her life working on behalf of civil rights and racial reconciliation, Representative Sheila Jackson-Lee.

Mr. Speaker, we have no further requests for time. But I, too, would simply like to commend again the gentlewoman from Wisconsin for her insight, for her passionate display of the relevance of the holocaust museum, but also the relevance of the life of a real pioneer and one who could teach in spite of his own personal tragedy.

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of House Resolution 867, a resolution honoring the great late Dr. James Cameron, the only known survivor of a

lynching and founder of America's only black holocaust museum located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today with my 92 cosponsors, including the entire delegation from Wisconsin, in remembrance and to honor one of our Nation's true civil rights pioneers, a man who experienced the most horrific acts of violence in this country's history and who used that experience to promote social justice and racial healing. This resolution honors a man who at the tender age of 16 witnessed the lynching of his two friends. And although the lynch mob had looped a rope around his neck, his life was miraculously spared.

This resolution honors a man who spent most of his life after that point dedicated to the eradication of racism, the preservation of African American history, and the advancement of civil rights for all of us. Dr. James Cameron embraced the call of civil rights and social justice work despite several death threats, Mr. Speaker. He went on to found three NAACP chapters in Indiana and played a role in protests to end segregated housing in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

In 1988, Mr. Cameron founded the Black Holocaust Museum after an inspirational journey to Israel in order to preserve the history of lynching in the United States and to use this knowledge to promote understanding and combat racism, fear, and violence.

Dr. James Cameron left us and passed away on Sunday, June 11 at the age of 92. This was almost one year to the day that the United States Senate honored Cameron as the only lynching survivor and passed its historic resolution formally apologizing for not passing anti-lynching legislation throughout much of the 20th century. Just yesterday we laid Dr. Cameron to rest on the symbolic day, Juneteenth Day, in commemoration for the ending of slavery in this country; also Juneteenth Day commemorating the 18th anniversary of the founding of America's Black Holocaust Museum.

Mr. Speaker, this is a significant week in civil rights and in black history. In addition to yesterday being Juneteenth, the House plans to consider the reauthorization of the Voting Rights Act this week. Dr. Cameron's life exemplifies the imperative of the civil rights struggle, the call to listen to our humanity over and above our fear. Dr. Cameron taught us to be better, not bitter.

Years ago, Dr. Cameron placed me on his board of directors of America's Black Holocaust Museum, a relationship that I sought for personal resurrection, restoration, reconciliation, renewal, and regeneration as an heir of the shameful experience of slavery. However, Mr. Speaker, all, all of whom encountered Dr. Cameron throughout the world, including the family of the young victim on that August night, all who experienced Dr. Cameron experienced reconciliation, the reconciling and redemptive power of forgiveness.

I strongly urge my colleagues to continue to add to the historic significance of this week by supporting this resolution honoring the life and accomplishments of a man who had a life worth living, Dr. James Cameron.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 867) honoring the life and accomplishments of James Cameron, as amended.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous materials on the resolution under consideration.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

James Cameron, thought to be the United States' last known survivor of a lynching in the early 1930s, fostered a lifelong commitment to civil rights that included creating America's Black Holocaust Museum. After an emotional 1979 visit to an Israeli museum that honors the memories of millions of people killed in the Holocaust, Cameron decided to create a similar memorial to pay tribute to the African American lives lost to lynching, slavery and other injustices.

June 19, 1988, also known as Juneteenth, the holiday commemorating the end of slavery in the U.S., marked the grand opening of America's Black Holocaust Museum. The museum is housed in a 12,000 square-foot building in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and features a permanent exhibit on slavery that includes a 15-foot reproduction of the cargo hold of a slave ship and a 45-foot enclosed mural depicting the journey from Africa across the Atlantic.

Cameron was also responsible for the founding of three NAACP chapters in Indiana in the 1940s, and he became the first president of the NAACP branch in Anderson, Indiana.

During the 1960s, Cameron participated in both marches on Washington, the first with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and the second with Dr. King's widow, Coretta Scott King, and the Reverend Jesse Jackson.

I urge all Members to come together to honor the life of a man who was a true survivor and who persevered above all to promote civil rights and equality.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, at this time I have no other speakers, and I will reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I urge all Members to support the adoption of House Resolution 867, as amended, to commemorate the extraordinary life of Dr. Cameron.

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

I thank the distinguished gentleman. It is an honor to follow his leadership on these issues of empowerment and particularly of African American men. I rise today to acknowledge the very special moment of history we have today to pass this resolution in honor of Mr. Cameron, and particularly I rise to pay tribute and honor my colleague from Wisconsin, the honorable Gwen Moore, for her insightful leadership to bring to the attention of this House a man who survived lynching, a man who is symbolic of almost 5,000 who were lynched as others watched and stood by, a man who dedicated his life to civil rights even though he was threatened every day such that he had to leave his place of birth, a place that he loved, the State of Indiana, and move to Wisconsin.

A person who used the tragedy of his life, the tragedy of his two young friends to be a man who perpetrated reconciliation and the ending of racism. Thank you to the Honorable Gwen Moore for enlightening this body and allowing us to pay tribute as we debate this week the Voter Rights Act reauthorization. Yes, this is a moment in history for this House to take, and I hope it will take it enthusiastically and unanimously support the resolution offered today honoring Mr. Cameron for his enormous leadership. Thank you, Congresswoman Gwen Moore.