| 1 | 1 | | H.R. No. 576 |
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| 2 | 2 | | |
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| 3 | 3 | | |
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| 4 | 4 | | R E S O L U T I O N |
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| 5 | 5 | | WHEREAS, Members of the Texas State Conference of NAACP Units |
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| 6 | 6 | | are visiting the State Capitol on April 4, 2023, in celebration of |
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| 7 | 7 | | Texas NAACP Day; and |
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| 8 | 8 | | WHEREAS, For more than a century, the NAACP has played a |
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| 9 | 9 | | crucial role in the struggle for equal rights and justice; the |
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| 10 | 10 | | organization was founded in 1909 and grew rapidly as it set agendas |
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| 11 | 11 | | and developed tactics that would propel the civil rights movement |
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| 12 | 12 | | through the 20th century; early members of the group included |
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| 13 | 13 | | W. E. B. Du Bois, Mary White Ovington, Moorfield Storey, and |
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| 14 | 14 | | Ida B. Wells; and |
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| 15 | 15 | | WHEREAS, The NAACP has drawn its strength as a grassroots |
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| 16 | 16 | | organization from a membership based in hundreds of communities |
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| 17 | 17 | | across the nation, and its local branches have been key to its |
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| 18 | 18 | | effectiveness; in Texas, the first chapter was established in |
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| 19 | 19 | | El Paso in 1915, and four more cities in the state gained branches |
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| 20 | 20 | | three years later; and |
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| 21 | 21 | | WHEREAS, In 1937, the Texas State Conference of NAACP Units |
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| 22 | 22 | | was established under the leadership of A. Maceo Smith, and the |
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| 23 | 23 | | organization gained traction as a sustained, statewide movement; |
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| 24 | 24 | | the conference expanded rapidly during and after World War II, |
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| 25 | 25 | | reaching a membership of almost 30,000 people in over 100 branches; |
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| 26 | 26 | | early victories included Supreme Court cases that ended Democratic |
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| 27 | 27 | | White primary elections and secured the admission of Heman M. |
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| 28 | 28 | | Sweatt to The University of Texas School of Law; public school |
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| 29 | 29 | | desegregation cases dragged on longer, tied up in the courts for |
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| 30 | 30 | | years while the NAACP confronted government retaliation; and |
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| 31 | 31 | | WHEREAS, Texas branches of the NAACP have continued to build |
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| 32 | 32 | | on the accomplishments of the Civil Rights Era; initiatives include |
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| 33 | 33 | | litigating redistricting cases and targeting discriminatory |
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| 34 | 34 | | practices in employment, housing, and the criminal justice system; |
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| 35 | 35 | | since 1991, that work has been guided by Gary Bledsoe, president of |
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| 36 | 36 | | the Texas NAACP; and |
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| 37 | 37 | | WHEREAS, For more than eight and a half decades, the Texas |
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| 38 | 38 | | State Conference of NAACP Units has advanced the cause of social |
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| 39 | 39 | | justice, and through their dedication as champions of equal rights, |
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| 40 | 40 | | members across the state are furthering the vital goals of this |
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| 41 | 41 | | trailblazing organization; now, therefore, be it |
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| 42 | 42 | | RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 88th Texas |
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| 43 | 43 | | Legislature hereby recognize April 4, 2023, as Texas NAACP Day at |
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| 44 | 44 | | the State Capitol and extend to the members of the Texas State |
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| 45 | 45 | | Conference of NAACP Units sincere best wishes for a memorable and |
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| 46 | 46 | | productive visit to Austin. |
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| 47 | 47 | | Reynolds |
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| 48 | 48 | | ______________________________ |
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| 49 | 49 | | Speaker of the House |
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| 50 | 50 | | I certify that H.R. No. 576 was adopted by the House on March |
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| 51 | 51 | | 30, 2023, by a non-record vote. |
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| 52 | 52 | | ______________________________ |
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| 53 | 53 | | Chief Clerk of the House |
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