III 

110TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. RES. 166 

Commemorating the lifetime achievement of the Reverend Leon H. Sullivan. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

APRIL 23, 2007 

Mr. CASEY (for himself and Mr. SPECTER) submitted the following resolution; 

which was considered and agreed to 

RESOLUTION 

Commemorating the lifetime achievement of the Reverend 

Leon H. Sullivan. 

Whereas the late Reverend Leon H. Sullivan dedicated his 

life to alleviating the plight of the poor and the disadvantaged in America and worldwide; 

Whereas Reverend Sullivan received numerous honors and 

awards during his lifetime, including recognition by 

LIFE magazine in 1963 as one of the 100 outstanding 

young adults in America, the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1992, and the Eleanor Roosevelt Award for 

Human Rights in 1999; 

Whereas, having dedicated 37 years of his ministerial vocation to the historic Zion Baptist Church of Philadelphia, 

Reverend Sullivan’s leadership and innovation led to the 

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creation of one of the largest congregations in the Nation 

during his time; 

Whereas, in 1966, as part of his 10–36 Plan to encourage 

individuals to invest in the economic future of their communities, Reverend Sullivan founded the Leon H. Sullivan Charitable Trusts and the Progress Investment Associates, through which numerous economic development 

and social services programs have been developed and 

funded; 

Whereas, in 1963, in response to a lack of job opportunities 

in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Reverend Sullivan led 

more than 400 ministers in a successful boycott that 

opened up more than 4,000 jobs for African-Americans; 

Whereas Reverend Sullivan met the need for job training by 

establishing the Opportunities Industrialization Center, 

which has grown to more than 75 training centers 

throughout the Nation; 

Whereas, recognizing the need to take his struggle to alleviate the plight of the poor abroad, in 1969 Reverend Sullivan established Opportunities Industrialization Centers 

International, which has grown to more than 40 centers 

in 16 African nations, Poland, and the Philippines; 

Whereas, when Reverend Sullivan saw the need to create a 

broader array of programs in Africa, he established the 

International Foundation for Education and Self-Help, 

which has conducted numerous initiatives, including 

Schools for Africa, fellowship programs, and innovative 

teacher and banker training programs since 1988; 

Whereas, in 2001, the Leon H. Sullivan Foundation was established posthumously to support Reverend Sullivan’s 

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life’s mission through the work of his many established 

organizations; 

Whereas the Leon H. Sullivan Foundation presents the biennial Leon H. Sullivan Summits in Africa, which have provided a forum for leaders of African nations together 

with more than 18,000 African-Americans and Friends of 

Africa to interact with their counterparts and produce 

programs to meet the needs of the poor and disadvantaged in African nations; 

Whereas, in 1977, Reverend Sullivan helped to promulgate 

the Sullivan Principles, a code of conduct for human 

rights and equal opportunity for companies operating in 

South Africa, and the Sullivan Principles helped end 

apartheid in South Africa; 

Whereas Reverend Sullivan expanded on the Sullivan Principles in 1999, by creating the Global Sullivan Principles, 

which encourage corporate social responsibility and promote global human rights and political, economic, and social justice; 

Whereas more than 250 governments, corporations, and universities on 5 continents have endorsed the Global Sullivan Principles since their initiation; 

Whereas 10 African heads of state endorsed the Global Sullivan Principles at the Leon H. Sullivan Summit in 

Abuja, Nigeria, in July 2006; and 

Whereas plans for the 8th Leon H. Sullivan Summit in Tanzania in 2008 include broader regional endorsement of 

the Global Sullivan Principles among African nations: 

Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the Senate— 

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•SRES 166 ATS 

1 (1) commemorates the life of the Reverend 

2 Leon H. Sullivan; 

3 (2) salutes the positive impact of the Reverend 

4 Sullivan’s achievements domestically and inter5 nationally; and 

6 (3) encourages the continued pursuit of Rev7 erend Sullivan’s mission to help the poor and 

8 disenfranchised around the world. 

Æ