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  H.R. No. 905
 
 
 
R E S O L U T I O N
         WHEREAS, The people of San Antonio lost a dedicated champion
  of civil rights and an inspiring religious and community leader
  with the death of the Reverend Claude William Black, Jr., on March
  13, 2009, at the age of 92; and
         WHEREAS, Born in San Antonio on November 28, 1916, Claude
  Black, Jr., was the oldest child of Cora and Claude Black, Sr.; he
  graduated from Morehouse College and subsequently earned a master
  of divinity degree from Andover Newton Theological School; exposed
  to political organizing through his father, who served as vice
  president of the local Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters, he
  became active in the community in the early 1940s; he founded the
  San Antonio Mother's Service Organization to encourage positive
  youth development, and it became the first African American group
  of Christian women to get a state charter for a local club; and
         WHEREAS, Reverend Black continued his activism as the civil
  rights movement got under way, leading and organizing marches
  around the state; in March 1960, he urged city officials to
  integrate local lunch counters, and San Antonio became the first
  major city in the South to break this barrier without
  demonstrations; he was an associate of Martin Luther King, Jr.,
  Thurgood Marshall, A. Philip Randolph, and Adam Clayton Powell,
  Jr., and he was invited by President Lyndon B. Johnson to attend the
  White House Conference on Civil Rights in 1966; and
         WHEREAS, Even as many of the movement's goals were realized,
  this esteemed Texan remained a vital advocate for San Antonio's
  African American population; he was elected to the city council in
  the early 1970s and went on to become the city's first African
  American mayor pro tem; a decade later, he founded a corporation to
  help east side residents obtain suitable housing, and in 1995, he
  was appointed a delegate to the White House Council on Aging by
  President Bill Clinton; and
         WHEREAS, Reverend Black further distinguished himself as the
  pastor of San Antonio's historic Mount Zion First Baptist Church
  and, under his guidance, the church became known for its numerous
  public outreach efforts; his legacy includes the development of two
  neighborhood day-care centers, an apartment complex for seniors,
  and the city's only financial institution owned by an African
  American church; moreover, when the Mount Zion sanctuary was
  destroyed by arson in 1974, Reverend Black led members through the
  rebuilding process, and a new sanctuary was completed the next
  year; by the time of his retirement in 1998, he had served the
  church for nearly half a century; and
         WHEREAS, In all of his endeavors, Reverend Black enjoyed the
  love and support of his beloved wife, ZerNona, with whom he shared
  59 years before her death in 2005; the couple raised two children,
  Stewart and Joyce, and welcomed six grandchildren and four
  great-grandchildren into their family; and
         WHEREAS, Reverend Black was recognized for his commitment to
  civil rights with the 1991 MLK Distinguished Achievement Award from
  the City of San Antonio, and the city also named an east side
  community center in his honor; before his death, he was notified of
  his selection for the prestigious Testament of Hope Award, given in
  tribute to an outstanding community leader; his grandson, Taj
  Matthews, and other family members, accepted the award on his
  behalf at the second annual Realizing the Dream Award Celebration,
  hosted by Martin Luther King III; and
         WHEREAS, With his lifelong devotion to justice and equality,
  Claude Black made a profound difference in the city of San Antonio
  and beyond, and he leaves behind a record of achievement that will
  continue to resonate for many years to come; now, therefore, be it
         RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 81st Texas
  Legislature hereby honor the memory of the Reverend Claude William
  Black, Jr., and extend sincere sympathy to his family: to his
  grandchildren, Taj Matthews, Chantey Matthews, and Claude
  Williams, and their families; to his sister, Mary Etta Black Deas;
  and to his many admirers across the Lone Star State; and, be it
  further
         RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be
  prepared for his family and that when the Texas House of
  Representatives adjourns this day, it do so in memory of Reverend
  Black.
 
  McClendon
 
 
Straus Gattis Menendez
 
Allen Geren Merritt
 
Alonzo Giddings Miklos
 
Alvarado Gonzales Miller of Comal
 
Anchia Gonzalez Toureilles Miller of Erath
 
Anderson Guillen Moody
 
Aycock Gutierrez Morrison
 
Berman Hamilton Naishtat
 
Bohac Hancock Oliveira
 
Bolton Hardcastle Olivo
 
Bonnen Harless Orr
 
Branch Harper-Brown Ortiz, Jr.
 
Brown of Kaufman Hartnett Otto
 
Brown of Brazos Heflin Parker
 
Burnam Hernandez Patrick
 
Button Herrero Paxton
 
Callegari Hilderbran Peña
 
Castro Hochberg Phillips
 
Chavez Hodge Pickett
 
Chisum Homer Pierson
 
Christian Hopson Pitts
 
Cohen Howard of Fort Bend Quintanilla
 
Coleman Howard of Travis Raymond
 
Cook Hughes Riddle
 
Corte Hunter Rios Ybarra
 
Crabb Isett Ritter
 
Craddick Jackson Rodriguez
 
Creighton Jones Rose
 
Crownover Keffer Sheffield
 
Darby Kent Shelton
 
Davis of Harris King of Parker Smith of Tarrant
 
Davis of Dallas King of Taylor Smith of Harris
 
Deshotel King of Zavala Smithee
 
Driver Kleinschmidt Solomons
 
Dukes Kolkhorst Strama
 
Dunnam Kuempel Swinford
 
Dutton Laubenberg Taylor
 
Edwards Legler Thibaut
 
Eiland Leibowitz Thompson
 
Eissler Lewis Truitt
 
Elkins Lucio III Turner of Tarrant
 
England Madden Turner of Harris
 
Farabee Maldonado Vaught
 
Farias Mallory Caraway Veasey
 
Farrar Marquez Villarreal
 
Fletcher Martinez Vo
 
Flores Martinez Fischer Walle
 
Flynn McCall Weber
 
Frost McClendon Woolley
 
Gallego McReynolds Zerwas
 
  ______________________________
  Speaker of the House     
 
         I certify that H.R. No. 905 was unanimously adopted by a
  rising vote of the House on May 28, 2009.
 
  ______________________________
  Chief Clerk of the House