SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 35

(By Senators Unger and Hunter)


Commemorating the 100th anniversary of the assembly of the Niagara Movement at Harpers Ferry.

Whereas, The Niagara Movement, founded in 1905 by Dr. W. E. B. DuBois, was the first major civil rights organization of the 20th century. It was the forerunner to the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP); and
Whereas, The founding meeting in 1905 was to be held in Buffalo, New York, but the attendees were refused accommodations and Dr. DuBois moved the meeting to the Canadian side of Niagara Falls; and
Whereas, In 1906 the first meeting on American soil of the Niagara Movement was held on the campus of Storer College, which opened in 1867 and was the only school in West Virginia that offered an education to African-Americans beyond the primary level. Storer College is now part of Harpers Ferry National Historical Park; and
Whereas, Harpers Ferry was selected as the location because of its connection to John Brown and his raid to free the slaves in 1859; and
Whereas, At the conclusion of the Harpers Ferry conference of the Niagara Movement, a five-point resolution was instituted demanding basic civil rights. In an address delivered at Harpers Ferry, Dr. DuBois wrote, "We claim for ourselves every single right that belongs to a freeborn American, political, civil and social; and until we get these rights, we will never cease to protest and assail the ears of America. The battle we wage is not for ourselves alone, but all true Americans."; and
Whereas, The Niagara Movement continued until 1911, when Dr. DuBois urged his colleagues to join the NAACP; and
Whereas, In August, 2006, the Harpers Ferry National Historic Park, the Harpers Ferry Historical Association, the West Virginia Division of Tourism and the Jefferson County NAACP will sponsor a three-day commemoration of the Niagara Movement and its importance as a cornerstone for modern civil rights in America; therefore, be it
Resolved by the Senate:
That the Senate hereby commemorates the 100th anniversary of the assembly of the Niagara Movement at Harpers Ferry; and, be it
Further Resolved, That the Clerk is hereby directed to forward a copy of this resolution to the appropriate officials of the Niagara Movement Centennial Committee.