| |
| |
|
|
R E S O L U T I O N
|
|
|
WHEREAS, For 94 years, the El Paso Branch of the NAACP has |
|
|
been a pioneering organization in the struggle for civil rights in |
|
|
the State of Texas and throughout the United States; and |
|
|
WHEREAS, Founded just six years after the national |
|
|
organization began and the first branch to be established in the |
|
|
Lone Star State, the El Paso NAACP was started by a group of |
|
|
dedicated charter members, with Dr. Lawrence Aaron Nixon playing an |
|
|
especially prominent role; an African American physician, Dr. Nixon |
|
|
had moved to El Paso in 1909 after previously practicing in Cameron; |
|
|
inspired to resist racial discrimination, he joined with other area |
|
|
residents to form the city's NAACP branch in January 1915; William |
|
|
Henderson became the first president; and |
|
|
WHEREAS, In the 1920s, Dr. Nixon and the NAACP directed their |
|
|
attention to the Terrell Election Law, which prohibited blacks from |
|
|
voting in Democratic primary elections in Texas; after being denied |
|
|
the right to cast a ballot in a 1924 primary, Dr. Nixon began legal |
|
|
proceedings that resulted in two Supreme Court cases, Nixon v. |
|
|
Herndon and Nixon v. Condon; he prevailed in both, and these court |
|
|
rulings proved to be important steps in the expansion of voting |
|
|
rights in the United States; and |
|
|
WHEREAS, The El Paso Branch of the NAACP has benefited from |
|
|
the contributions of many other dedicated members and the |
|
|
leadership of a series of outstanding presidents; today, that |
|
|
tradition continues under the direction of Harold E. Howell, who |
|
|
has served as president since January 2008; and |
|
|
WHEREAS, Throughout the 20th century and into the 21st, the |
|
|
El Paso Branch of the NAACP has been a tireless champion of social |
|
|
justice, and the work of this esteemed organization will continue |
|
|
to be a guiding force for social progress in the years ahead; now, |
|
|
therefore, be it |
|
|
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 81st Texas |
|
|
Legislature hereby honor the history and achievements of the El |
|
|
Paso Branch of the NAACP and extend sincere best wishes to its |
|
|
members for continued success; and, be it further |
|
|
RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be |
|
|
prepared for the organization as an expression of high regard by the |
|
|
Texas House of Representatives. |
| |
|
|
Chavez |
|
|
|
|
|
______________________________ |
|
|
Speaker of the House |
| |
|
|
I certify that H.R. No. 2996 was adopted by the House on June |
|
|
1, 2009, by a non-record vote. |
|
|
|
|
|
______________________________ |
|
|
Chief Clerk of the House |
| |