H.Res. 780 — Introduced in House

IV 113th CONGRESS 2d Session H. RES. 780 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES December 11, 2014 Mr. Conyers submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform RESOLUTION Honoring the life, accomplishments, and legacy of Chokwe Lumumba. Whereas Chokwe Lumumba was born on August 2, 1947, as Edwin Taliaferro, to Lucien and Priscilla Taliaferro in Detroit, Michigan; Whereas Chokwe Lumumba was a staunch advocate for African-American self-determination and equality under the law in the United States; Whereas throughout his life, Chokwe Lumumba worked to defend the rights of African-American activists and communities, and opposed human rights violations throughout the world; Whereas growing up as a young man, Chokwe Lumumba experienced racism first hand, from white only restaurants that would not serve his family to housing and job discrimination in his community, and became a political activist engaging in protest activities and raising money for the Student National Coordinating Committee (SNCC); Whereas because of the racism he experienced as a young man, Chokwe Lumumba developed a level of social consciousness that grew as he internalized the racist acts of the Civil Rights Era, such as the killing of Emmitt Till, the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing, and the assassinations of Malcolm X and Medgar Evers; Whereas like many other young Black activists during the Civil Rights Era, Chokwe Lumumba took on a deep radical activism following the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., becoming a leading figure of the New Afrika Republic movement and adopting the names of an African tribe and the slain Congolese revolutionary Patrice Lumumba; Whereas in 1969, Chokwe Lumumba graduated from Kalamazoo College, where he formed the Black United Front student movement which advocated for the establishment of African-American studies departments at universities throughout the Midwest; Whereas in 1975, Chokwe Lumumba graduated first in his class from Wayne State University Law School, where he advocated for fair grading procedures and support programs for African-American students; Whereas upon graduating law school, Chokwe Lumumba became an advocate for the protection of Black communities in Detroit, against attacks by local police, and established the Malcolm X Center to train young Black activists and teach the dismantling of racism and inspirations of Black pride; Whereas as an attorney Chokwe Lumumba defended individuals and groups whose human rights were violated, and took on a host of high-profile and controversial cases, including that of Black activists Hayward Brown and Fulani Sunni Ali, rapper Tupac Shakur, and former Black Panther Party members Geronimo Pratt and Assata Shakur; Whereas in 1985, Chokwe Lumumba became active in the movement against apartheid in South Africa, training and motivating African-American youth to become active in the fight against global racial injustice; Whereas in 1987, Chokwe Lumumba co-founded the National Coalition of Blacks for Reparations in America (N’COBRA) and was a key partner in the national effort to foster a dialogue on the continuing impact of the transatlantic slave trade; Whereas in light of the political opportunities for African-Americans in the south created by the Civil Rights movement, Chokwe Lumumba transformed his radical activism and adopted more inclusive tactics to establish political power, becoming elected to the Jackson, Mississippi City Council in 2009 and Jackson, Mississippi Office of the Mayor in 2013; Whereas Chokwe Lumumba as City Councilman and Mayor never renounced his goal for African-American self-determination and equality, but instead worked within the government structure to organize new social and economic networks that created unprecedented coalitions across racial and political lines; and Whereas Chokwe Lumumba leaves a legacy that will guide and inspire generations to come: Now, therefore, be it That the House of Representatives— (1) honors the life, accomplishments, and legacy of the dedicated political activist, community leader, and man of the people Chokwe Lumumba; and (2) extends its heartfelt sympathies and condolences to the members of the family of the late Chokwe Lumumba.