IV 

109TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. RES. 179 

Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that A. Philip Randolph 

should be recognized for his lifelong leadership and work to end discrimination and secure equal employment and labor opportunities for all 

Americans. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

MARCH 17, 2005 

Mr. RANGEL submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the 

Committee on the Judiciary, and in addition to the Committee on Education and the Workforce, for a period to be subsequently determined by 

the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 

RESOLUTION 

Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that 

A. Philip Randolph should be recognized for his lifelong 

leadership and work to end discrimination and secure 

equal employment and labor opportunities for all Americans. 

Whereas A. Philip Randolph was born April 15, 1889; 

Whereas A. Philip Randolph was in New York during the 

height of the Harlem Renaissance and was a student in 

politics and economics at City College, which served as 

the intellectual center of the movement; 
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•HRES 179 IH 

Whereas A. Philip Randolph was the cofounder of The Messenger in 1917, a widely read and respected magazine 

known for its radical persuasion; 

Whereas A. Philip Randolph was the leader of the successful 

movement to organize the Pullman Company (one of the 

most powerful businesses in the Nation) which led to the 

formation of the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters 

(BSCP), an organization that advanced the claims of African-Americans to dignity, respect, and a decent livelihood; 

Whereas A. Philip Randolph was selected by the porters at 

the Pullman Company as a representative because he was 

a good orator and a tireless fighter for the rights of African-Americans and was dedicated to the porters’ cause 

for over a decade; 

Whereas A. Philip Randolph was able to gain an international charter from the American Federation of Labor 

(now AFL–CIO) after Franklin Roosevelt’s New Deal 

legislation forced the Pullman Company to negotiate with 

the Brotherhood, and was able to successfully negotiate 

the first-ever contract between a company and a black 

union, in 1937; 

Whereas A. Philip Randolph was one of the central figures 

speaking out for African-American rights during the 

1930s and 1940s and focused on labor and employment 

issues; 

Whereas A. Philip Randolph was a leader in the movement 

challenging discrimination in defense industry jobs and 

used the threat of a march on Washington as part of an 

effort to lobby President Roosevelt to sign an executive 
3 

•HRES 179 IH 

order banning discrimination within the Government and 

the defense industries; 

Whereas A. Philip Randolph was, in 1947, a leader in the 

movement to end segregation in the military and called 

for African-Americans to refuse to register for the draft 

until these practices were ended and was successful in 

this effort, which saw President Truman issue an executive order barring discrimination in the military on July 

26, 1948; 

Whereas A. Philip Randolph was the leading force behind the 

March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom and worked 

with many old friends and foes of his earlier labor struggles to ensure the success of the event, which took place 

on August 28, 1963, drew a crowd of over 250,000 people, and was the occasion of a meeting with President 

Kennedy and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.; and 

Whereas A. Philip Randolph died in 1979 as an elder statesman of the civil rights movement, a much admired figure 

and role model for the young people of this Nation: Now, 

therefore, be it: 

1 Resolved, That it is the sense of the House of Rep2 resentatives that A. Phillip Randolph should be recognized 

3 for his lifelong leadership and work to end discrimination 

4 and secure equal employment and labor opportunities for 

5 all Americans. 

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