Commemorating the life of the late Cynthia DeLores Tucker.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H. Res. 1094: ``Commemorating the life of the late Cynthia DeLores Tucker.''

Although it has been almost five years since the world lost a true pioneer and leader, but the legacy of C. DeLores Tucker endures. October 13, 2005 did not mark a tragedy; rather, it marked a day of celebration as to the achievements and legacy of a paragon of the woman leader. It is an honor for me to stand here today to celebrate the passing on of Dr. C. DeLores Tucker to her rightful place among other angels and saints.

Dr. Tucker represented a major segment of African American and political history in the U.S. She was among the many women stalwarts of our lifetime that led on so many different issues. The key aspect about Dr. Tucker's efforts was that they were not for personal gain. I would compare her to an eagle that spread its wings to help other women--not only African Americans, but all women. She provided the wind and momentum for other women to ascend to equality and a better quality of life.

Given the long fight that our dear DeLores and I endeavored together in the Halls of Congress, I ask your short indulgence as I cite an excerpt from the words spoken by a similar pioneer, Madame Sojourner Truth, in her ``Ain't I a Woman?'' speech delivered at a women's rights convention in Akron, Ohio in 1851:

That man over there says that women need to be helped into

carriages, and lifted over ditches, and to have the best

place everywhere. Nobody ever helps me into carriages, or

over mud-puddles, or gives me any best place! And ain't I a

woman? Look at me! Look at my arm! I have ploughed and

planted, and gathered into barns, and no man could head me!

And ain't I a woman? I could work as much and eat as much as

a man--when I could get it--and bear the lash as well! And

ain't I a woman? I have borne thirteen children, and seen

most all sold off to slavery, and when I cried out with my

mother's grief, none but Jesus heard me! And ain't I a woman?

. . .

If my cup won't hold but a pint, and yours holds a quart,

wouldn't you be mean not to let me have my little half

measure full?

Then that little man in black there, he says women can't

have as much rights as men, `cause Christ wasn't a woman!

Where did your Christ come from? Where did your Christ come

from? From God and a woman! Man had nothing to do with Him.

If the first woman God ever made was strong enough to turn

the world upside down all alone, these women together ought

to be able to turn it back, and get it right side up again!

And now they is asking to do it, the men better let them.

Obliged to you for hearing me, and now old Sojourner ain't

got nothing more to say.

Dr. Tucker did just this--she fought until the fight was made, she spoke until ``she ain't [had] nothing more to say.'' For women's rights, civil rights, the disenfranchised, or the underrepresented, she stood up like a warrior and a leader, and the progress she made will be enjoyed by many for as long as man exists. As author Ron Daniels said in his opinion piece in the Madison Times, DeLores was not afraid to denounce gang violence, fratricide, or the denigration of women in rap lyrics; not afraid to implore our children to devote less time to athletics and more to academics; and staunchly advocated excellence in education, improved parenting skills, and the harnessing of our economic resources as a distinct market. It did not have to be sexy, popular, or self-promoting to be right for Dr. C. DeLores Tucker, and I had the privilege of standing next to her in the trenches of the fight for equality.

Mr. Speaker, Dr. C. DeLores Tucker was a close and valued friend for many years. Her crusade for women's and civil rights served not only as an inspiration to women, minorities, and other traditionally disadvantaged groups, but to all of society, and her lifelong service indeed worked for its betterment. From her devout involvement in the Democratic Party to her founding of the Philadelphia Martin Luther King, Jr., Association for Non-Violent Change, she embodied the tenacity and courage necessary to eradicate the disparities and bigotry that continues to constrain the attainment of equality.

Of her many endearing qualities were the fact that her service was never for personal gain and that it was boundless--she never hesitated to travel the extra mile to help others. This was evident in her singular work as the lead advocate to urge the recognition and honor of abolitionist Sojourner Truth with the addition of her likeness to the statue commemorating women's suffrage in the rotunda of the United States Capitol. Bill, as you know, her determined, passionate, and powerful efforts have ultimately resulted in the honoring of Sojourner Truth. Our own DeLores was in her own right a guiding light of truth. The love and devotion that she displayed in this endeavor continue to inspire legislators and supporters.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 1094) commemorating the life of the late Cynthia DeLores Tucker.

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

I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, House Resolution 1094 commemorates the life of the late Cynthia DeLores Tucker. Cynthia DeLores Tucker dedicated her life to eliminating racial barriers by championing civil rights and the rights of women. In particular, Ms. Tucker realized that voting was the most important civil right denied to African Americans and the key to changing this country. She spent her career in service to the principle that there could be no equality without equal access to the ballot box.

Born October 4, 1927, the 10th of 11 children, she grew up in Philadelphia during the Great Depression, overcoming a childhood marked by economic hardship and segregation, to attend Temple University and later the University of Pennsylvania.

In what would become the first step in her long career as a civil rights activist, Ms. Tucker worked to register African-American voters during the 1950 Philadelphia mayoral campaign. Shortly thereafter, she became active in local politics, serving as the first African American and first woman on the Philadelphia Zoning Board.

Driven by her belief that no one should be denied the right to participate in our democracy, Ms. Tucker went on to participate in the White House Conference on Civil Rights and to march from Selma to Montgomery with Dr. King in support of the 1965 Voting Rights Bill.

In 1971, Ms. Tucker was named Secretary of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania by then-Governor Milton Shapp, making her the first female African American to hold this position in any State in the Nation. Under her leadership as Secretary of the Commonwealth, Pennsylvania became one the first States to pass the Equal Rights Amendment, to lower the voting age from 21 to 18, and to institute voter registration through the mail.

After leaving her position in Pennsylvania State Government, Ms. Tucker continued to dedicate her time to public service and the promotion of civil rights through private organizations. She served as a member of the Board of Trustees of the NAACP, and on numerous other boards, including the Points of Light Foundation and Delaware Valley College.

In 1984, Ms. Tucker co-founded the National Political Congress of Black Women, now known as the National Congress of Black Women, a nonprofit organization dedicated to the educational, political, economic and cultural development of African-American women and their families.

Mr. Speaker, Cynthia DeLores Tucker was a crusader for civil rights and the rights of women. Through her dedication to voting rights and the civil rights movement, she helped transform the perception of race and gender in the United States.

I'd like to commend my colleague, Diane Watson, for introducing this resolution. It is important that this Nation remember and honor the outstanding work of civil rights activists like Ms. Tucker.

I urge my colleagues to support this resolution, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to commemorate the life and to honor the legacy of Cynthia DeLores Tucker by supporting this resolution, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H. Res. 1094, which honors the tremendous accomplishments of the late Cynthia Delores Tucker. Ms. Tucker dedicated her life to advancing the interests of women and minorities in the United States. Raised in Philadelphia during the Great Depression, Ms. Tucker overcame great hardships to become one of our Nation's leaders in both the Civil Rights Movement and the fight for women's rights. After a life full of achievements and milestones, Ms. Tucker passed away in 2005 at the age of 78. We owe our national gratitude to Ms. Tucker, an American hero who made the United States a more fair and tolerant country.

I thank Chairman Conyers for his leadership in bringing this bill to the floor. I also thank the sponsor of this legislation, Congresswoman Watson, for her commitment to ensuring that the legacy of Cynthia Delores Tucker always shines as a beacon of social progress.

Mr. Speaker, Ms. Tucker became politically active in 1950, when she worked to register African American voters during Philadelphia's mayoral campaign. She went on to play a central role in the Civil Rights Movement and marched with the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. from Selma to Montgomery in support of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. In January of 1971, Governor Milton Shapp appointed Ms. Tucker as Pennsylvania's secretary of state, making her the first African American female secretary of state in the country. While serving as secretary of state, Ms. Tucker was a leader in the successful effort to add an Equal Rights Amendment to Pennsylvania's State constitution, guaranteeing equal rights for women under State law. She also oversaw the lowering of the Pennsylvania voting age from 21 to 18 years old.

In 1984, Ms. Tucker founded the National Political Congress of Black Women, an organization dedicated to supporting the interests and well- being of African American women and their families. Ms. Tucker was also the first African American president of the National Federation of Democratic Women and founded the Philadelphia Martin Luther King, Jr. Association for Non-Violence. Additionally, she founded the Bethune- Dubois Institute in an effort to promote the cultural and educational development of African American youth.

In her later years, Ms. Tucker spearheaded a campaign against gangster rap music containing lyrics glamorizing criminal lifestyles and disrespect of women. In this effort to combat the negativity in gangster rap music, Ms. Tucker initiated a boycott of companies that produced such music and spoke out in objection to the NAACP honoring rapper Tupac Shakur with its Image Award.

William Tucker, Ms. Tucker's husband of more than forty years, once described her as ``one of the most fearless individuals I have ever known. She will take on anyone, anything, if that is what she thinks is right. . . . I tell her there are times you have to compromise, but she is not one who will readily entertain the idea of compromise about anything.'' It was this dedication to social progress and unwillingness to settle for anything short of equality for all that makes Ms. Tucker a national hero.

I salute the dedication and resilience that characterized Ms. Tucker's work throughout her life. I am truly grateful for her efforts to help women and minorities achieve equality and justice.

I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting H. Res. 1094.

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

Mr. Speaker, in the last House resolution that we just discussed, Peace Officers Memorial Day, H. Res. 1299, I also want to mention the fact that Deputy Sheriff Shane Thomas Detwiler of the Chambers County Sheriff's Department in Texas was killed in the line of duty on July 13, 2009, and his cause of death was gunfire.

In this resolution, H. Res. 1094, of course I support this resolution. And this resolution commemorates the life of the late Cynthia DeLores Tucker. Ms. Tucker dedicated her life to eliminating racial barriers and fighting for civil rights and the rights of women. In 1927 she was born in Philadelphia. Her dad was a minister. After overcoming financial hardship and segregation during the Great Depression, she attended Temple University and the University of Pennsylvania at the Wharton School.

As part of the postwar civil rights movement, she worked to register African American voters in the 1950 Philadelphia mayor's race. She later became the first African American and the first woman to serve on the Philadelphia Zoning Board.

Then in 1965 she marched from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., in support of the 1956 Voting Rights Act.

In 1971 she became Secretary of the State of Pennsylvania, making her the first female African American Secretary of State in the whole United States.

In 1984, Ms. Tucker founded the National Political Congress of Black Women, today known as the National Congress of Black Women; and with the help of this organization, she criticized the promotion of drugs and violence in gangsta rap music, and also how women were treated in the music industry.

She was also the founding member of the National Women's Political Caucus, and she was head of the minority caucus of the Democratic National Committee. Her life's work on behalf of racial and gender equality truly reaped fruitful change in our country.

I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this resolution. I commend the sponsor of this resolution, Diane Watson from California.

I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H. Res. 1094 to commemorate the life of the late Cynthia DeLores Tucker, a civil rights activist and the first female, African- American Secretary of State of any of our fifty states.

C. DeLores Tucker was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1927 as the tenth of thirteen children. She grew up during the Great Depression, and during this period she faced large amounts of racism and economic hardship. She would later attend Temple University and the University of Pennsylvania, and in 1951 she married her husband, Bill Tucker.

In 1950, Ms. Tucker became active in the civil rights movement and local politics when she registered African-American voters for the Philadelphia mayoral campaign. She would later go on to run for public office herself and was elected to the Philadelphia Zoning Board where she became the first African-American and the first woman to serve in this position.

Later, in 1971, she was named Secretary of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania making her the first female, African-American secretary of a state in the nation.

The rights of African Americans and the rights of women were never far from Mrs. Tucker's thoughts. In 1965, she participated in the White House Conference on Civil Rights, and she marched with Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., from Selma, Alabama to Montgomery, Alabama in support of the 1965 Voting Rights Bill. She also founded the National Congress of Black Women in order to aid in the educational, political, economic, and cultural development of African-American women and their families.

Mr. Speaker, America lost a great soul and noble spirit with the passing of Cynthia DeLores Tucker. I ask my fellow colleagues to join me today in honoring her legacy by supporting this resolution. Truly, she will be missed.