IV 
108TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. RES. 116
Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that A. Philip Randolph 
should be recognized for his lifelong leadership and work to end discrimi-
nation and secure equal employment and labor opportunities for all 
Americans. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
FEBRUARY 27, 2003
Mr. RANGEL submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the 
Committee on the Judiciary, and in addition to the Committee on Edu-
cation and the Workforce, for a period to be subsequently determined by 
the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall with-
in 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 Ameri-
cans.
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;
•HRES 116 IH 
Whereas A. Philip Randolph was the cofounder of The Mes-
senger 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 Af-
rican-Americans to dignity, respect, and a decent liveli-
hood; 
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 Afri-
can-Americans and was dedicated to the porters’ cause 
for over a decade; 
Whereas A. Philip Randolph was able to gain an inter-
national charter from the American Federation of Labor 
(now AFL-CIO) after Franklin Roosevelt’s New Deal leg-
islation 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
•HRES 116 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 execu-
tive 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 strug-
gles to ensure the success of the event, which took place 
on August 28, 1963, drew a crowd of over 250,000 peo-
ple, 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 states-
man of the civil rights movement, a much admired figure 
and role model for the young people of this Nation: Now, 
therefore, be it:
Resolved, That it is the sense of the House of Rep-
resentatives that A. Phillip Randolph should be recognized 
for his lifelong leadership and work to end discrimination 
and secure equal employment and labor opportunities for 
all Americans.
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