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R E S O L U T I O N
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WHEREAS, Members of the Texas State Conference of NAACP Units |
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are visiting the State Capitol on February 26, 2019, in celebration |
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of Texas NAACP Day; and |
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WHEREAS, For more than a century, the NAACP has played a |
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crucial role in the struggle for equal rights and justice; the |
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organization was founded in 1909 and grew rapidly as it set agendas |
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and developed tactics that would propel the civil rights movement |
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through the 20th century; and |
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WHEREAS, The NAACP has drawn its strength as a grassroots |
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organization from a membership based in hundreds of communities |
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across the nation, and its local branches have been key to its |
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effectiveness; in Texas, the first chapter was established in El |
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Paso in 1915, and nine more cities in the state gained branches |
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three years later; and |
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WHEREAS, In 1937, the Texas State Conference of NAACP Units |
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was established under the leadership of A. Maceo Smith, and the |
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organization gained traction as a sustained, statewide movement; |
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the conference expanded rapidly during and after World War II, |
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reaching a membership of almost 30,000 people in more than 100 |
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branches; early victories included Supreme Court cases that ended |
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Democratic white primary elections and secured the admission of |
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Heman M. Sweatt to The University of Texas School of Law; public |
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school desegregation cases dragged on longer, tied up in the courts |
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for years while the NAACP confronted government retaliation; and |
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WHEREAS, Texas branches of the NAACP have continued to build |
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on the accomplishments of the Civil Rights Era; initiatives include |
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litigating redistricting cases and targeting discriminatory |
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practices in employment, housing, and the criminal justice system; |
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since 1991, that work has been guided by Gary Bledsoe, president of |
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the Texas NAACP; and |
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WHEREAS, For more than eight decades, the Texas State |
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Conference of NAACP Units has advanced the cause of social justice, |
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and through their dedication as champions of equal rights, members |
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across the state are furthering the vital goals of this |
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trailblazing organization; now, therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 86th Texas |
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Legislature hereby recognize February 26, 2019, as Texas NAACP Day |
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at the State Capitol and extend to the members of the Texas State |
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Conference of NAACP Units sincere best wishes for a memorable and |
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productive visit to Austin. |