Date: 2015-02-12
Speaker: AL GREEN (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Madam Speaker. I would like to thank the gentleman for the recitation. It was very touching. very moving. and I just want to commend him for keeping the memory alive. Thank you so much. Madam Speaker. I am honored tonight to thank the leadership and to thank the Members of Congress who have been supportive of this resolution that we bring to the floor for a discussion. This is a resolution that honors the NAACP. This resolution is not new to the Congress of the United States of America because. in 2006. it actually passed the House of Representatives by a voice vote and then. in 2007. it passed the House of Representatives by a vote of 4100. in 2008. 4030. 2009. 4240. and 2010. 4210. I thank the leadership and the Members of this body for the support it has shown to the NAACP with the passage of this resolution through the years. I am honored to be a member of the NAACP. I take great pride in my membership. I have a life membership in the NAACP. I have been fortunate enough to serve on the board of the Houston branch of the NAACP. I served for nearly a decade as president of the Houston branch of the NAACP. and I have been the beneficiary of the NAACPs works. The NAACP has made America the beautiful a more beautiful America. Tonight. Madam Speaker. I would like to continue this discussion of the NAACP. I would like to say just a few words first about the founding of the NAACP. It was founded on this day 106 years ago106 years agowhen approximately 60 people answered what was called the call. It was a clarion call for persons to come together to talk about and discuss a means by which lynching could be dealt with. Of the 60 people. about seven were African Americans. The NAACP is not now and never has been an organization that has been supported by only African Americans or what some might call a Black organization. It has always been an integrated organization. After having been founded in 1909. February 12. 106 years ago. the NAACP did embark upon a campaign to end lynching in the United States of America. a sad chapter in our history. but one that we must never forget because we never want to see these things happen again. As things are doing well now in this area of lynchingwe dont have lynchings in the United States of America. generally speaking. we understand the adagethe premisethat if you dont remember your history. there is a possibility that it can be repeated. For this reason. we talk about these things. They are a sad chapter in our history. but it is a chapter that we dare not forget. The NAACP. in embarking on this campaign to end lynching. published a publication in 1919 that was styled "30 Years of Lynching in the United States." It is interesting to note that lynching was so prevalent in the United States that the great Billie Holidaythe great Billie Holidaysang a song. she was known for this song. styled "Strange Fruit." This was a song that she could only sing in certain places because this was one of the first songs that dealt with the protest movement around this notion of civil rights and human rights for African Americans. This song was first presented in New York at a nightclub. the Cafe Society. When she first presented the song. she had much fear and much consternation because she wasnt sure how it would be received. After she finished singing the song. there was a silence. For a moment. she thought that it would not be well received. Then one person. as is the case with many movements. one person started to applaud and. after that. one person. then another and another. Then she received a very loud ovation for this song. I am going to share the words to the song with us tonight because this song is probably one of her signature songs. but it is also a song that predated "We Shall Overcome." which was a part of the civil rights movement. the contemporary civil rights movement. These are the words to the song. and you will have some appreciation for why I am mentioning it to you. The words are: Southern trees bear a strange fruit. Blood on the leaves and blood at the root. Black bodies swinging in the Southern breeze. Strange fruit hanging from the poplar trees. Of course. we know that this song is referring to the lynchings that were taking place. In fact. between 1882 and 1968. according to Tuskegee Institute. there were 3.446 African Americans lynched in the United States of Americaa sad chapter in our history. This is why the NAACP came into being. In part. it was established to ensure political. educational. social. and economic equality for all personsfor all personsnot just African Americans. not just Blacks. not just as we were known at that time. Negroes. but for all persons. and it was established as well to eliminate racial hatred and racial discriminationall noble challenges and challenges that we would easily embrace today. At that time. when the NAACP was founded. because of lynchings that were taking place and because of a desire to make sure that all persons were treated fairly and equally. it was a difficult thing to do.