Expressing support for the designation of September 23, 2024, as "Mary Church Terrell Day", and calling on Congress to recognize Mary Church Terrell's lasting contributions to the civil rights and women's rights movements.
About This Bill
Committee
Latest Action · September 23, 2024
Referred to the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability.
This resolution expresses the House of Representatives' support for designating September 23, 2024, as "Mary Church Terrell Day" to honor the legacy of the pioneering civil rights and women's rights activist. Mary Church Terrell was born on September 23, 1863, and became one of the first African American women to attend college, later becoming the first African American woman appointed to a school board in Washington, D.C. Throughout her life, she fought against racial and gender discrimination through education, activism, and community organizing, including participating in antilynching campaigns and leading desegregation efforts at D.C. restaurants in the 1950s when she was in her eighties. Her efforts contributed to a landmark 1953 Supreme Court ruling that upheld civil rights laws requiring restaurants to serve customers regardless of race. The resolution does not require any funding or create legal obligations; it is a symbolic measure calling on Congress to recognize Terrell's substantial contributions to American civil rights history.
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