III 

111TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. RES. 418 

Commemorating the life of the late Cynthia DeLores Tucker. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

FEBRUARY 22, 2010 

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

Committee on the Judiciary 

RESOLUTION 

Commemorating the life of the late Cynthia DeLores Tucker. 

Whereas the late Cynthia DeLores Tucker dedicated her life 

to eliminating racial barriers by championing civil rights 

and rights of women in the United States; 

Whereas, having grown up in Philadelphia during the Great 

Depression, C. DeLores Tucker overcame a childhood 

marked by economic hardship and segregation; 

Whereas, having personally experienced the effects of racism, 

C. DeLores Tucker first became active in the postwar 

civil rights movement when she worked to register African-American voters during the 1950 Philadelphia mayoral campaign; 

Whereas C. DeLores Tucker became active in local politics, 

developed her skills as an accomplished fund raiser and 

public speaker, and quickly became the first AfricanVerDate Nov 24 2008 23:08 Feb 22, 2010 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\SR418.IS SR418

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•SRES 418 IS 

American and first woman to serve on the Philadelphia 

Zoning Board; 

Whereas in 1965, in the midst of the Civil Rights Movement, 

C. DeLores Tucker participated in the White House Conference on Civil Rights and marched from Selma to 

Montgomery with Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., in 

support of the 1965 Voting Rights Bill, which was later 

signed into law by President Lyndon Johnson; 

Whereas in January 1971, while still primarily focused on efforts to gain equality for all, C. DeLores Tucker was 

named Secretary of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania 

by then-Governor Milton Shapp, making her the first female African-American Secretary of a State in the Nation; 

Whereas, under the leadership of C. DeLores Tucker as Secretary of the Commonwealth, Pennsylvania became one of 

the first states to pass the Equal Rights Amendment, 

lower the voting age from 21 to 18, and institute voter 

registration through mail; 

Whereas, after leaving her position in Pennsylvania State 

government, C. DeLores Tucker became the first AfricanAmerican to serve as president of the National Federation of Democratic Women; 

Whereas in 1984, C. DeLores Tucker founded the National 

Political Congress of Black Women, now known as the 

National Congress of Black Women, a non-profit organization dedicated to the educational, political, economic, 

and cultural development of African-American Women 

and their families; 

Whereas in 1983, C. DeLores Tucker founded the Philadelphia Martin Luther King Jr. Association for Non-VioVerDate Nov 24 2008 23:08 Feb 22, 2010 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\SR418.IS SR418

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•SRES 418 IS 

lence and, in 1986, the Bethune-DuBois Institute, both 

of which are dedicated to promoting the cultural and educational development of African-American youth and 

young professionals; 

Whereas C. DeLores Tucker served as a member of the 

Board of Trustees of the NAACP and numerous other 

boards, including the Points of Light Foundation and 

Delaware Valley College; 

Whereas, in the later phase of her life, C. DeLores Tucker 

publicly criticized gangster rap music, arguing that such 

music denigrated women and promoted violence and drug 

use; 

Whereas, as a student of history, C. DeLores Tucker led the 

successful campaign to have a bust of the pioneering activist and suffragist Sojourner Truth installed in the 

United States Capitol, along with other suffragette leaders; 

Whereas C. DeLores Tucker received more than 400 honors 

and awards during her lifetime, including the NAACP 

Thurgood Marshall Award, the Martin Luther King, Jr. 

Distinguished Service Award, and the Philadelphia Urban 

League Whitney Young Award, and honorary Doctor of 

Law degrees from Morris College and Villa Maria College; and 

Whereas the work of C. DeLores Tucker as crusader for civil 

rights and rights of women, through grace, dignity, and 

purpose has helped transform the perception of race and 

gender in the United States: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the Senate— 

2 (1) commemorates the life of the late Cynthia 

3 DeLores Tucker; 


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•SRES 418 IS 

1 (2) salutes the lasting legacy of the achieve2 ments of C. DeLores Tucker; and 

3 (3) encourages the continued pursuit of the vi4 sion of C. DeLores Tucker to eliminate racial and 

5 gender prejudice from all corners of our society. 

Æ 


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