Appropriations question?  Visit the Committee website.

E-mail
Senator Byrd

Leadership.      Character.      Commitment.

News organizations seeking more information should contact Senator Byrd's Communications Office at (202) 224-3904.

August 17, 2006

Byrd Honors Niagara Movement at Harpers Ferry

The Niagara Movement changed the course of history, said U.S. Senator Robert Byrd, D-W.Va., at the group’s centennial opening ceremony Thursday at the Harpers Ferry National Historical Park.

The Niagara Movement was founded in 1905 by a group of courageous and determined African-Americans. The group’s 1906 meeting, the first on American soil, was held on the campus of Storer College, now part of Harpers Ferry National Historical Park. The Niagara Movement served as the foundation for the NAACP.

Senator Byrd’s remarks at the event are below.

It was in August of 1906 at the now closed Storer College, an historically black educational institution, here in Harpers Ferry, that members of the Niagara Movement held their first meeting on American soil. The men and women who participated in this second conference of African-Americans met to discuss the state of affairs for African-Americans nationwide. They were alarmed and distressed to observe and experience the erosion of the political and civil rights of African-Americans that continued to take place commencing with the end of the Reconstruction. Also of growing concern was the marked increase in instances of mob violence visited on African-Americans, the ever-growing legal and social practices limiting economic and educational opportunities, and finally, the narrowing of opportunities to seek redress or remedy through the courts to end segregation and other discriminatory practices.

The courageous and determined men and women of the Niagara Movement gathered to register their protest of such treatment and to make known their intention to be vigilant in their efforts to contest any legal action or practice designed to assign them status as second-class citizens. They made claim to their birthright as citizens of this country, and wished to remind the nation of their right to full citizenship as outlined in the 13th, 14th, and 15th amendments to the Constitution. The individuals of the Niagara Movement resolved that they would demand their rights and freedoms as American citizens. Despite seemingly overwhelming odds, these stalwart individuals made a commitment to press on. That commitment and determination are a testament to what a few individuals motivated by passion and faith can achieve. Mountains can be moved. Prejudice can be overcome and the course of history can be changed. Because of their faith in God and their belief in the high ideals on which this nation was founded, right prevailed in the end.

At Storer College, the conferees used as their guide the “Declaration of Principles”, a document produced at their first meeting, which pressed for the full restoration of their civil and political rights, including sufferance or the right to vote, economic opportunity, a call for the abandonment of legal segregation and other discriminatory practices based on race, and recognition of their right to petition for equal protection through the courts. Along with the declaration was a list of duties, including the duty to vote, the duty to respect the rights of others, the duty to work, and the duty to obey laws. The declaration closed with “an appeal to the American people and to Almighty God.” The seeds of the American civil rights movement were thusly sown, and would take root and flourish to change the political landscape of America for all time.

From the Niagara Movement emerged the oldest and most prominent civil rights organization, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). The NAACP has been at the forefront of defending and supporting the causes and interests of African-Americans and others in their pursuit of equal protection under the law.

Much progress has been made since the time of the Niagara Movement but the journey must continue. Like much of the American public, my views on civil rights have evolved over a period of years. I was not immune to the attitudes and mores of my childhood and youth. However, as time has passed, I have come to view matters differently. God continues to work with me, as he does with all of us. With the Bible as my companion and guide, I believe that I have come to understand the true fellowship of all of God’s children.

I am proud that I was able to add $300,000 to the Fiscal Year 2006 Interior Appropriations bill to assist the National Park Service in hosting this 100th anniversary celebration. I am delighted that my efforts to add federal funds for this project, together with generous private giving, have enabled this important celebration to remind us all of the brave struggle of many souls moved and inspired by the dream of freedom and justice for all.

As we today pay tribute to those amazingly resolute men and women of the Niagara Movement, let us remember the statement issued at the conclusion of the conference: “The battle we wage is not for ourselves alone, but for all true Americans.”

###