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| 6 | 7 | | R E S O L U T I O N |
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| 7 | 8 | | WHEREAS, Members of the Texas State Conference of NAACP Units |
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| 8 | 9 | | are visiting the State Capitol on March 19, 2025, in celebration of |
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| 9 | 10 | | Texas NAACP Day; and |
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| 10 | 11 | | WHEREAS, For more than a century, the NAACP has played a |
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| 11 | 12 | | crucial role in the struggle for equal rights and justice; the |
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| 12 | 13 | | organization was founded in 1909 and grew rapidly as it set agendas |
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| 13 | 14 | | and developed tactics that would propel the civil rights movement |
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| 14 | 15 | | through the 20th century; early members of the group included |
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| 15 | 16 | | W. E. B. Du Bois, Mary White Ovington, Moorfield Storey, and |
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| 16 | 17 | | Ida B. Wells; and |
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| 17 | 18 | | WHEREAS, The NAACP has drawn its strength as a grassroots |
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| 18 | 19 | | organization from a membership based in hundreds of communities |
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| 19 | 20 | | across the nation, and its local branches have been key to its |
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| 20 | 21 | | effectiveness; in Texas, the first chapter was established in |
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| 21 | 22 | | El Paso in 1915, and four more cities in the state gained branches |
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| 22 | 23 | | three years later; and |
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| 23 | 24 | | WHEREAS, In 1937, the Texas State Conference of NAACP Units |
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| 24 | 25 | | was established under the leadership of A. Maceo Smith, and the |
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| 25 | 26 | | organization gained traction as a sustained, statewide movement; |
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| 26 | 27 | | the conference expanded rapidly during and after World War II, |
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| 27 | 28 | | reaching a membership of almost 30,000 people in over 100 branches; |
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| 28 | 29 | | early victories included Supreme Court cases that ended Democratic |
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| 29 | 30 | | White primary elections and secured the admission of Heman |
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| 30 | 31 | | M. Sweatt to The University of Texas School of Law; public school |
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| 31 | 32 | | desegregation cases dragged on longer, tied up in the courts for |
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| 32 | 33 | | years while the NAACP confronted government retaliation; and |
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| 33 | 34 | | WHEREAS, Texas branches of the NAACP have continued to build |
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| 34 | 35 | | on the accomplishments of the Civil Rights Era; initiatives include |
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| 35 | 36 | | litigating redistricting cases and targeting discriminatory |
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| 36 | 37 | | practices in employment, housing, and the criminal justice system; |
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| 37 | 38 | | since 1991, that work has been guided by Gary Bledsoe, president of |
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| 38 | 39 | | the Texas NAACP; and |
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| 39 | 40 | | WHEREAS, For nearly nine decades, the Texas State Conference |
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| 40 | 41 | | of NAACP Units has advanced the cause of social justice, and through |
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| 41 | 42 | | their dedication as champions of equal rights, members across the |
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| 42 | 43 | | state are furthering the vital goals of this trailblazing |
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| 43 | 44 | | organization; now, therefore, be it |
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| 44 | 45 | | RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 89th Texas |
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| 45 | 46 | | Legislature hereby recognize March 19, 2025, as Texas NAACP Day at |
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| 46 | 47 | | the State Capitol and extend a warm welcome to the members of the |
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| 47 | 48 | | Texas State Conference of NAACP Units. |
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