Bill Text: GA HR162 | 2011-2012 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Fauntroy, Mr. Walter; commend
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Passed) 2011-02-07 - House Read and Adopted [HR162 Detail]
Download: Georgia-2011-HR162-Introduced.html
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House
Resolution 162
By:
Representative Brooks of the
63rd
A
RESOLUTION
Recognizing
and commending Mr. Walter Fauntroy; and for other purposes.
WHEREAS,
Mr. Walter Fauntroy was born on February 6, 1933, in Washington, D.C., and
attended Virginia Union University before graduating from Yale University
Divinity School; and
WHEREAS,
Mr. Fauntroy served as minister of Washington's New Bethel Baptist Church, which
exposed him to a network of activist-preachers and inspired him to join the
Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC); and
WHEREAS,
in 1961, Mr. Fauntroy was appointed by Martin Luther King, Jr., to serve as the
Washington Director of the SCLC and later went on to become a trusted lieutenant
for Dr. King and serve as local coordinator for the 1963 March on Washington;
and
WHEREAS,
in addition to the 1963 March on Washington, Mr. Fauntroy's leadership and
guidance were instrumental in his work as an organizer for the 1965
Selma-to-Montgomery March and the 1966 March Against Fear; and
WHEREAS,
Mr. Fauntroy was appointed to serve as vice president of the "To fulfill these
rights" conference by President Lyndon Johnson in 1966 and became the national
director of the Poor People's Campaign in 1969; and
WHEREAS,
he was elected as the Washington, D.C. delegate to the United States House of
Representatives in 1971, a position in which he adeptly served for 20 years;
and
WHEREAS,
a founding member of the Congressional Black Caucus, Mr. Fauntroy served as the
chairman of the House subcommittee which investigated the assassination of Dr.
King and uncovered the covert F.B.I. surveillance operation called COINTELPRO;
and
WHEREAS,
a life-long civil rights advocate, Mr. Fauntroy was arrested in 1984 for
protesting at the South African embassy against apartheid as part of the Free
Nelson Mandela movement; and
WHEREAS,
today, Mr. Fauntroy has returned to New Bethel Baptist Church, where he serves
as pastor, and works as a news commentator and advocate for Project We Care,
which encourages churches to take an active role in rebuilding their
communities.
NOW,
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES that the members of
this body commend Mr. Walter Fauntroy on his amazing lifetime of civil rights
advocacy and recognize the impact his work has had upon obtaining equal rights
around the world.
BE
IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Clerk of the House of Representatives is authorized
and directed to transmit an appropriate copy of this resolution to Mr. Walter
Fauntroy.
