Proclamation
Village of Skokie,
Illinois
WHEREAS, the National
Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) is the oldest and largest" United States grassroots based civil
rights organization; founded February 12, 1909,
by a diverse multi-racial group of activists of varying political and religious backgrounds, including Ida Wells-Barnett,
W.E.B. DuBois, Henry Moscowitz, Mary White Ovington, Oswald Garrison Villiard and William English Walling. They were all committed
to the cause of equality; and
WHEREAS, the mission
of the NAACP is to ensure the political, educational, social and economic equality of rights of all persons and to eliminate
racial hatred and racial discrimination; and
WHEREAS, the NAACP
has advanced its mission through reliance upon the press, the petition, the ballot and the courts, and, even in the face of
overt and sometimes violent hostility, has successfully utilized the legal system and moral persuasion to tear down the barriers
of racism, discrimination, education, economic and political exclusion in this country; and
WHEREAS, the sustained
efforts of the NAA CP led to desegregation of America's public schools, military, public places of accommodation and election
to public office; as well as ended the horrific practice of routine lynching of African Americans; and
WHEREAS, the NAACP
was prominent in lobbying for! the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1957, 1960 and 1964, the Voting Rights Act of 1965,
the Fair Housing Act of 1968, and the Fannie
Lou Hamer, Rosa Parks and Coretta Scott King Voting Rights Act Reauthorization and Amendments Act of 2006, laws that ensured legislative protection for all Americans; and
WHEREAS, more than
1,700 NAACP units in the United States, Italy, Germany and Japan, are the life blood of the Association, acting as grassroots
"freedom fighters" in their communities; and
WHEREAS, the NAACP
mission of ensuring the political, educational, social and economic equality of rights of all persons remains relevant today,
due to the continuing disparities in housing, health care, the workplace and elsewhere; and
WHEREAS, the NAACP's
actions have improved the quality of life of African Americans, benefited all Americans well into the future and fostered
lasting progressive spirit in this nation; and
WHEREAS, the local unit, the Evanston/North Shore Branch, which includes Skokie, was formed in 1915 and has been an advocate for the mission and objectives of the NAACP and a presence for equity in education,
social justice, fair housing practices and improved race relations in our communities.
NOW, THEREFORE, I,
GEORGE VAN DUSEN, Mayor of the Village Skokie, do commemorate the "100th ANNIVERSARY OF THE NAACP" and congratulate
the NAACP on its many years of successful accomplishments.
Passed this 2nd day of March 2009
