Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that a postage stamp should be issued in commemoration of Diwali, a festival celebrated by people of Indian origin.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to support H. Con. Res 35 ``Honoring and praising the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People on the occasion of its 100th anniversary.''

Mr. Speaker, H. Con. Res 35 recognizes the 100th anniversary of the historic founding of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and honors and praises the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People on the occasion of its anniversary for its work to ensure the political, educational, social, and economic equality of all persons. I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting H. Con. Res 35 because of the impact that the NAACP has had on me and other minorities across this great nation.

First organized in 1905, the group came to be known as the Niagara Movement when it began meeting at hotel situated on the Canadian side of the Niagara Falls. The group first met in Canada because the U.S. hotels were segregated. Under the leadership of Harvard scholar W.E.B. DuBois, the group later went on to become known as the National Negro Committee. It was not the date of the organization's second conference in 1910 that it formally adopted the name the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.

The mission of the association was clearly delineated in its charter:

To promote equality of rights and to eradicate caste or race prejudice among the citizens of the United States; to advance the interest of colored citizens; to secure for them impartial suffrage; and to increase their opportunities for securing justice in the courts, education for the children, employment according to their ability and complete equality before law.

Since its inception, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) has upheld its mission to fight social injustice and give a voice to the voiceless. The NAACP is among the largest and most prominent mass-membership, civil rights organizations in America.

Founded with a mandate to secure equal political, economic and social rights for African Americans, the NAACP has been in the forefront of every major civil rights struggle of the twentieth century. Using a combination of tactics including legal challenges, demonstrations and economic boycotts, the NAACP played an important role in helping end segregation in the United States.

The NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc., (NAACP LDF) a leading civil rights organization based in New York City, began as the legal wing of the NAACP under the leadership of Charles Hamilton Houston, a former professor at Howard University Law School. In 1938, Thurgood Marshall, Houston's student and future Supreme Court justice, succeeded him as NAACP LDF counsel.

Marshall further developed the strategies and goals of the legal department, establishing the Legal Defense Fund as an organization totally independent of the NAACP.

Among its most significant achievements was the NAACP LDF's challenge to end segregation in public schools. In the landmark Supreme Court case Brown v. Board of Education (1954), the Justices unanimously ruled that separate educational facilities for black

and white students were ``inherently unequal.'' That ruling and the Court's subsequent order that public schools be desegregated with ``all deliberate speed'' touched off a firestorm of protest in the South and contributed substantially to the growth of the modern-day civil rights movement. Today, the NAACP has over 500,000 members standing in unity with all who support protecting our constitutionally guaranteed civil rights against all who would oppose protecting these freedoms.

Even in my district in Houston, the NAACP seeks to be a voice against injustice for all minorities. The NAACP Houston Branch has a long and rich history championing civil rights in Houston on vital issues such as the desegregation of Houston schools, combating the spread of HIV/ AIDS, and improved access to education and information technology.

The NAACP Houston Branch has played an instrumental role in breaking new ground on the path to freedom and equality for Houston's minority community. The branch has been experiencing tremendous growth in recent years while serving the Harris County area through its programs and myriad committees made up of its dedicated staff and volunteer members. Led by an Executive Committee of approximately 25 volunteers, there are approximately 800 members in the Houston Branch.

Some of the Houston Branch's programs include collaborations with the City of Houston Health Department in STD prevention and awareness programs, legal assistance in the form of legal consultation and educational seminars, a year-long enrichment program designed to recruit, stimulate, improve and encourage high academic and cultural achievement among African American high school students, and other programs beneficial to minorities across the city of Houston.

As a member of the Judiciary Committee, I truly appreciate the support from the NAACP in fighting for the reauthorization of the Voting Rights Act. We all know that without the reauthorization of the Voting Rights Act, the voting rights of many U.S. citizens would be in jeopardy. When I authored H.R. 745 in the 110th Congress, I am proud to say that with the NAACP's support, my colleagues and I were able to rename the Fannie Lou Hamer, Rosa Parks, Cesar E. Chavez, Barbara C. Jordan, William C. Velasquez, and Dr. Hector P. Garcia Voting Rights Act Reauthorization and Amendments Act of 2006. This bill renamed the Voting Rights Act to demonstrate the many faces of the Civil Rights Movement. The bill was renamed to recognize the Hispanics and other persons of color who labored in the vineyards to insure that all receive equal treatment in the United States.

Mr. Speaker, H. Con. Res 35 provides for a tribute to celebrate the impact and achievements of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People in their efforts to better the lives of minorities and the community. There is still a need for justice and equal treatment for minorities in our country. I am grateful for the many fights for equality that he organization has won, and thankful that the NAACP will be there in the future to champion the cause of justice wherever and whenever it needs a spokesman.

The struggles of the NACCP have helped pave the way for the election this country's first African-American President Barack Obama. During a speech celebrating the NAACP, President Obama declared that ``serving as . . . [P]resident, 100 years after the founding of the NAACP, I will stand up for you the same way that earlier generations of Americans stood up for me--by fighting to ensure that every single one of us has the chance to make it if we try.''

I thank my colleague, Representative Al Green, of Texas, for introducing this important legislation, to ensure that we celebrate, treasure and recognize the African American spiritual as a national treasure and I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this resolution.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the concurrent resolution (H. Con. Res. 242) honoring and praising the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People on the occasion of its 101st anniversary.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material.

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

Mr. Speaker, House Concurrent Resolution 242 honors one of our Nation's oldest and most esteemed civil rights organizations, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, known as the NAACP, also known as the conscience of the United States Congress.

This year, the NAACP celebrates its 101st anniversary, and its ongoing efforts to promote justice and equality for all Americans; not just Americans of color, but all Americans.

I salute the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Al Green) the sponsor of this resolution, and the former president of the Houston branch of the NAACP, for his continued commitment to recognizing the NAACP for its historical and contemporary civil rights contributions.

As we celebrate the Nation's preeminent civil rights organization on its 101st anniversary, I would like to reflect on a few bits of history concerning the NAACP.

First, I would like to acknowledge its history which began February 12, 1909, when the organization was formed by Ida Wells-Barnett, W.E.B. DuBois, Henry Moscowitz, Mary White Ovington, Oswald Garrison Villiard, and William English Walling, a biracial group that consisted of Christians and Jews.

It is a history that includes some of the most significant moments in our Nation's great story where we come to a more perfect union, like the 1954 case of Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, the landmark Supreme Court case that ended the separate but equal fallacies that our government and laws labored under, and chief counsel was Thurgood Marshall, later one of the great justices of our Supreme Court.

The NAACP's contributions also have included support for and rallying and lobbying for the 1957, 1960, and 1964 Civil Rights Act, the 1965 Voting Rights Act and the 1968 Fair Housing Act where Clarence Mitchell led the way with the NAACP. And of course the court case that the NAACP was involved in, Loving v. Virginia, which turned over the miscegenation laws in this country in 1967, an aberrant set of laws that are precursors to other laws that still are in debate in this Nation today.

But the fight didn't end there; which brings me to my second point. Today, we are reminded of the NAACP's mission, to ensure equality of rights of all persons, and to eliminate racial hatred and racial discrimination. It is as important and relevant as it was decades ago. Just this year, a hate crimes law was passed that ensured that there was not discrimination based on race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, or other distinguishing characteristics, and the NAACP was there in great support.

The NAACP is engaged in battles on multiple fronts on its 101st anniversary. Its dedicated team is leading the charge in addressing issues that disproportionately impact communities of color. The NAACP advocates for equality in education, influences the debate on environmental justice, works to end disparities in the criminal justice system, racial profiling and other types of injustices.

In addition, the NAACP is working to prevent families from losing their piece of the American dream during this housing crisis, by working with financial institutions to change the mortgage lending practices that helped bring on this crisis. They are party to a lawsuit against Wells Fargo in Baltimore County, Maryland, and also in Memphis, Tennessee. Improving fair credit access, supporting sustainable home ownership, and promoting financial literacy for disadvantaged communities are among their other great priorities.

The NAACP was supportive of the resolution that the 110th Congress passed, for the first time in our Nation's history apologizing for slavery and Jim Crow laws, and to make clear that the vestiges of Jim Crow and slavery would be affected by the future Congresses.

Today's commemoration of the NAACP's 101st anniversary occurs as the organization prepares for its convention, ``One Nation, One Dream,'' in Kansas City, Missouri, on July 10-15. At that time, hundreds of NAACP members and leaders will consider bold and innovative approaches to tackling the challenges we face in the 21st century.

Among those leaders will be President Benjamin Todd Jealous, present Chairwoman Roslyn Brock, former Chairman Julian Bond, Washington Bureau Director Hilary Shelton, and Detroit Branch President Wendell Anthony, who have exhibited fearless dedication to build on the NAACP's great legacy. This legacy includes many great heroes, such as Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., of whom a bust is in our Capitol Rotunda; Coretta Scott King, his widow; Rosa Parks; Medgar Evers; Benjamin Hooks; and many others. I must mention some great leaders from my hometown of Memphis: Vasoc and Maxine Smith; Jesse Turner, Sr.; Jesse Turner; Jr.; Russell Sugarman; A.W. Willis; Johnny Turner; and others.

Their unwavering commitment to protect and promote civil rights for all Americans is a proud tradition that the NAACP continues today. I am a life member of the NAACP, and proud of it. I encourage others to support the NAACP in their efforts to make the American dream true for all. I congratulate the NAACP on its 101st milestone, and I urge my colleagues to support this important resolution.

I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Al Green), the sponsor of this resolution and the former president of the Houston branch of the NAACP.

Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the work of Congressman Green from Houston. And when I look at him and I look at Mr. Smith, I think about my weekend trip this past weekend. I went to Austin, Texas. And when I was in Austin, I was at the Barbara Jordan Airport, and in the baggage area on the ground floor, there is a statue of Barbara Jordan in her regal splendor. And what a great member of the NAACP she was, and what a great American.

Ms. Watson requests some time. I would be pleased if she would contribute. I yield such time as she may consume to the gentlewoman.

Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the concurrent resolution (H. Con. Res. 35) honoring and praising the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, NAACP, on the occasion of its 100th anniversary.

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.

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

Mr. Speaker, today we honor the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, the Nation's oldest and largest civil rights organization, on the occasion of its 100th anniversary, for a century of unwavering commitment to justice and equality for all.

The NAACP, founded on February 12, 1909, by Ida Wells-Barnett, W.E.B. DuBois, Henry Moscowitz, Mary White Ovington, Oswald Garrison Villiard and William English Walling was indeed a labor of diversity.

Since its inception, the NAACP has united students, laborers, professionals, scholars, officials and others of all races to advance its vision of a society in which all individuals have equal rights and there is no racial hatred or racial discrimination.

Historically, the NAACP may be best known for Thurgood Marshall's successful advocacy leading to the watershed 1954 Brown v. Board of Education decision, in which the Supreme Court held that separate educational facilities are inherently unequal.

The NAACP is also known for the work of its chief advocate for more than 30 years, Clarence Mitchell, who worked to secure the 1957, 1960 and 1964 Civil Rights Acts, as well as the 1965 Voting Rights Act and the 1968 Fair Housing Act.

But we salute the NAACP not only for these better-known accomplishments, but for all of its efforts to promote justice and equality for every American, throughout the past 100 years.

And the NAACP spoke out against lynching, challenged racially biased Supreme Court justice nominees as early as 1930, and pursued nondiscrimination policies in the military, in war-related industries, and the rest of the Federal Government during the world wars. At the height of the Civil Rights era, NAACP fought battles everywhere, on the ground, in the courtroom, and in the United States Congress.

Finally, in commemorating the 100th anniversary of the NAACP, we draw inspiration as we look to the continued work that lies ahead. From Dr. King and Coretta Scott King, from Rosa Parks, from Medgar Evers and Merlie Evers-Williams, from Julian Bond, from Kweisi Mfume and from so many others who have gone before, and from the current leadership of President Benjamin Todd Jealous, Washington Bureau Directory, Hilary Shelton, and Legal Defense Fund President John Payton, through whom the NAACP has been promoting African American graduation and college readiness, protecting and advancing voting rights and identifying solutions to our current fiscal crisis.

As we celebrate the NAACP's centennial anniversary, I am confident that the organization will remain an integral part of our Nation's efforts to protect and promote civil rights for all Americans.

I urge my colleagues to support H. Con. Res. 35.

I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield as much time as he may consume to the gentleman from Texas, Congressman Al Green.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Tennessee--the Chair of the Commercial and Administrative Law Subcommittee of the Judiciary Committee, my good friend, Mr. Steve Cohen.

Mr. Speaker, I would yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from California (Mr. Farr).

Mr. Speaker, I would yield 4 minutes to the honorable gentleman from the great State of Virginia, Mr. Bobby Scott, who is also the Chair of the Crime Subcommittee of the Judiciary Committee.

Mr. Speaker, I will yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Illinois, the honorable Danny Davis.

Mr. Speaker, I would yield 1 minute at this time to the honorable gentleman from the State of Virginia, Mr. Tom Perriello.

Mr. Speaker, we have no additional speakers at this time, and if the gentleman yields back the balance of his time, I will do the same.

Mr. Speaker, I, too, would like to commend Congressman Green for his efforts in introducing this legislation, and I look forward to its passage.

I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I object to the vote on the ground that a quorum is not present and make the point of order that a quorum is not present.

Mr. Speaker, today I stand here to honor the NAACP. We all honor the NAACP in this House. It has been at the forefront of the civil rights struggle in this country for 100 years, and though 100 years have passed since the founding of the NAACP, there still remains great work to be done.

Mr. Speaker, last summer dozens of black pastors and black mothers attended the 99th annual NAACP conference in Cincinnati to call on the NAACP to help expose one of the least known and yet one of the most pervasive forms of racism at work still in this country, the targeting of the black community by abortion providers. Many of these advocates who gathered at the NAACP I have the privilege to call precious friends. Dr. Alveda King, who leads King for America, is the niece of Dr. Martin Luther King.

Bishop Harry Jackson; Reverend Johnny Hunter, the founder of LEARN, America's largest African American pro-life organization; the Reverend Clenard Childress of LEARN Northeast; Catherine Davis with the Georgia Right to Life; Lawson Lipford-Cruz, the president of Black Students for Life; and David Owens, among many, many others. Their goal was simply to fulfill the mission of the NAACP, and that is to ensure equality and, most importantly, equal protection of the law for all.

Mr. Speaker, I want to quote Dr. Alveda King, the niece of Dr. Martin Luther King, who helped lead the rally outside the NAACP conference.

``Racism lives at Planned Parenthood. I say to my fellow NAACP members: It's time to tell the government to stop funding racism. Planned Parenthood will gladly accept donations for the specific purpose of aborting only black babies,'' King said. ``It locates its clinics in or near minority neighborhoods. It has led the way in eliminating African Americans to the point where one quarter of the black population is now missing because of abortion.''

King called on the Nation's oldest civil rights organization to remember its mission statement: ``To ensure the political, educational, social, and economic equality of rights of all persons and to eliminate racial hatred and racial discrimination.''

Day Gardner, the president of the National Black Pro-Life Union, said, ``As a child, I thought the NAACP to be a superhero organization, an organization that would fight racism right down to its very core.'' She stressed that the NAACP leaders need to have their eyes opened to the agenda of government-supported abortion providers and to what she believes is their strategic marketing to the black community.

According to reported statistics, Mr. Speaker, a black child is nearly five times more likely to be aborted than a white child.

Gardner continued. ``We are here to rally the NAACP, to make our voices heard as we shout in unison `all across this great Nation the struggle is not yet over. The evil hand of racism is still at work.' ''

Gardner also spoke about the Federal tax dollars that go to Planned Parenthood. She said it was time for Congress to end that funding. She asked, ``Why are we forced to pay well over $300 million to an organization that is overtly racist? We are calling on the NAACP to stand boldly with us to defund Planned Parenthood and even lead the way in this, the greatest struggle for civil rights.''

Mr. Speaker, I just want to echo and agree with the words of Dr. King and of Day Gardner, that for the NAACP to fully advance the cause of the black community, it must take a stand and fight on behalf of the most helpless, voiceless, politically unempowered members of the black community--those being the unborn.

Today, one out of every two black babies conceived in this country is lost to abortion. That is an astonishing reality that I cannot find the words to describe. I just want to thank those courageous members of the NAACP for their fight against this unspeakable tragedy. We must all open our eyes to the racist history of abortion-on-demand movements in this country and its devastating impact on black America. It is past time to defund such a movement in this country.

To that end, I will also be reintroducing the PreNDA bill, the Prenatal Nondiscrimination Act, to end sex-selection abortion and race- selection abortion in this country. It is the duty of all of us to come together and to eliminate this deadly form of discrimination in this generation.

Mr. Speaker, I am a proud lifelong member of the NAACP, and today, I join my colleagues in celebrating this 100th anniversary. I am especially proud of my local moderate county branch of the NAACP where our chapter was created in 1932, and I believe this chapter ranks as one of the largest per capita branches in the United States, and has been active in education and law for all of these many years. I can tell you we are all better off for it.

Our chapter's proudest member is Ben Jealous, now the youngest and, in my opinion, the most dynamic president of the NAACP. As we recognize the great achievements of one of America's best organizations, let us not forget that the struggle continues. We still face discrimination in our communities, in our schools and in the workplace. It is a struggle that requires continuing education and legal action.

The NAACP offers us many examples as we continue on our path towards solving our racial troubles. Even the founders of the NAACP offer an important lesson on how such a diverse group can accomplish so much. The men and women--black and white, from different backgrounds and from different careers and from different religions--these people came together to create a force for good.

I want to thank the NAACP for 100 years of hard work. God bless your president and his family as he leads us into the next century of fighting for human and civil rights. We congratulate you on this historic day.

I'm a proud lifelong member of the NAACP, and today I join my colleagues in celebrating its 100th anniversary.

I am especially proud of my local Monterey County Branch of the NAACP, where our chapter was created in 1932. My chapter ranks as one of the largest per capita branches in the United States and has been active in education and law--and we're all better for it.

The Fort Ord Army training base in Seaside, Calif., was the first military base in the United States to be integrated in 1947. It was one of the largest bases in the United States to conduct training for Korea, Vietnam and many other conflicts. Now that base is closed, it's site is home to the newest campus of the California State University system--due in part to the fine work of the NAACP.

And our chapter's proudest member is Ben Jealous, now the youngest-- and in my opinion the most dynamic--national president of the NAACP.

As we recognize the great achievements of one of America's best organizations, let us not forget that the struggle continues. We still have discrimination in our communities, in our schools and in the workplace. It's a struggle that requires continuing education and legal action.

Luckily, we have the rich history of the NAACP that offers us so many examples of how to proceed. One of the best is the group of individuals who founded the group. It shows us how such a diverse group can accomplish so much.

Along with a life of activism, W. E. B. Du Bois was a noted professor and writer. Archibald Grimke, the son of a slave owner and slave, was a journalist and lawyer. Henry Moskowitz was a Jewish physician. Mary White Ovington and Oswald Garrison Villard spent their lives writing. William English Walling, born into a former slaveholding family, once served as a factory inspector. And Ida B. Wells was also a noted women's rights activist.

America is the country where dreams come true. Certainly the world has seen such with the election of Barack Obama. But the work will never end until peace and justice are available to everyone.

I want to thank the NAACP for 100 years of hard work. You've made America a stronger and better nation.

And your work continues. God bless your president, Ben Jealous, as he leads us into the next century of fighting for human and civil rights. We congratulate you on this historic day.