ENROLLED
2015 Regular Session
HOUSE RESOLUTION NO. 153
BY REPRESENTATIVE GAINES
A RESOLUTION
To commend the Southern Christian Leadership Conference for its commitment to social,
economic, and political justice and to welcome its national convention to Baton
Rouge in July of 2015.
WHEREAS, headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, the Southern Christian Leadership
Conference (SCLC) is a nonsectarian advocacy organization established by the late
Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr., and other notable civil rights leaders in 1957 to coordinate
and assist local organizations working for the equality of African Americans in all aspects
of American life; and
WHEREAS, the SCLC was organized in New Orleans, Louisiana, and its inaugural
meeting was held on February 14, 1957, at New Zion Baptist Church in New Orleans; and
WHEREAS, the SCLC had a significant role in organizing the civil rights march in
Washington, D.C., and in notable antidiscrimination and voter registration efforts in Albany,
Georgia, and Birmingham and Selma, Alabama; and
WHEREAS, the visibility of the SCLC during the civil rights movement, particularly
the courageous efforts displayed during the Selma movement, laid the groundwork for the
passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965; and
WHEREAS, SCLC's nonviolent protests, advocacy, and direct action ensured that
civil rights would be placed at the top of the national agenda, securing equal rights for
African Americans and helping to fulfill the hopes and aspirations of the civil rights
movement; and
WHEREAS, the SCLC aims to promote spiritual principles within its membership
and local communities, educate youth and adults in the areas of personal responsibility,
leadership potential, and community service, ensure economic justice and civil rights in the
areas of discrimination and affirmative action, and eradicate racism; and
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WHEREAS, SCLC influence and interest has become international in scope because
the human rights movement transcends national boundaries; and
WHEREAS, in July of 2015, the SCLC will hold its fifty-seventh National
Convention in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the House of Representatives of the
Legislature of Louisiana does hereby commend the Southern Christian Leadership
Conference for its commitment to achieve social, economic, and political justice and does
hereby welcome its fifty-seventh National Convention to Baton Rouge in July of 2015.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a suitable copy of this Resolution be transmitted
to Dr. Charles Steele, Jr., president and chief executive officer of the Southern Christian
Leadership Conference.
SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
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