08 LC 95
0073
House
Resolution 1057
By:
Representatives Abdul-Salaam of the
74th,
Thomas of the
55th,
Brooks of the
63rd,
Bruce of the
64th,
Morgan of the
39th,
and others
A
RESOLUTION
Recognizing
and honoring Reverend Doctor James Edward Orange and inviting him to appear
before the House of Representatives; and for other purposes.
WHEREAS,
Reverend Doctor James Edward Orange was born in Birmingham, Alabama, on October
29, 1942, to the late Calvin and Ida Orange; and
WHEREAS,
he is a graduate of Parker High School in Birmingham, Alabama, and attended the
former Bishop College in Dallas, Texas, and is the recipient of a doctorate
degree from the A. P. Clayton Theological College; and
WHEREAS,
he is married to the former Cleophas Brown and they have five children and two
grandchildren; and
WHEREAS,
during his youth, he was very involved in the Civil Rights Movement, and was one
of the first field staffers hired by the late Reverend Doctor Martin Luther
King, Jr., and was instrumental in mobilizing youth throughout the Civil Rights
Era; and
WHEREAS,
in 1968, he was responsible for bringing over 300 bus loads of participants to
Washington, D. C., for the Poor Peoples' Campaign, which led to the
establishment of the food stamp program; and
WHEREAS,
Reverend Doctor Orange is blessed with exceptional organizational skills and has
used these skills in various labor movements, including a hospital workers
strike in Charleston, South Carolina; a sanitation strike in Memphis, Tennessee;
the J. P. Stevens campaign in Milledgeville, Dublin, and Tifton, Georgia and
Louisville, Kentucky; Justice for Janitors in Atlanta, Georgia; campaigns in
Tupelo, Mississippi; the worker's campaign in Birmingham, Alabama; and the state
workers campaign in Alabama; and
WHEREAS,
Reverend Doctor Orange developed, organized, and directed grassroots,
education/mobilization campaigns that led to the passage of the Workplace
Fairness bill; developed and directed a regional conference on "Organizing
Worker's Rights and Coalition Building"; coordinated the "Stop the Violence"
conference in Atlanta, Georgia; created and supervised the Atlanta Olympic
Community Intervention Team; and accompanied Bill Lucy to Brazil for the INSPIR
and CUT convention; and
WHEREAS,
he is retired from the ALF-CIO labor organization and served as a mediator
between MARTA and the Transit Union; and
WHEREAS,
he as received a host of community service awards and several keys to different
cities throughout the world; and
WHEREAS,
Reverend Doctor Orange currently serves on the boards of the Atlanta/Fulton
County Commission of Children and Youth; the Highlander Research and Education
Center; the National Voting Rights Museum and Institute; the National Tenants
Organization; the Southern Christian Leadership Conference/WOMEN, Inc.; and the
Southern Organizing Committee; and
WHEREAS,
Reverend Doctor Orange served on the Georgia Association of Black Elected
Officials (GABEO) and, as ambassador to the Republic of South Africa, he worked
with world leaders such as President Nelson Mandela, President Thabo Mbeki, and
Premier Sbu Ndebele.
NOW,
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES that the members of
this body commend Reverend Doctor James Edward Orange and recognize his
illustrious career and invite him to appear before this body at a date and time
designated by the Speaker of the House of Representatives.
BE
IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Clerk of the House of Representatives is authorized
and directed to transmit an appropriate copy of this resolution to Reverend
Doctor James Edward Orange.