Jim Clyburn: “I rise to pay tribute this evening to one of our Nation's greatest civil rights leaders: Arnold Aronson. Arnold Aronson…”

“I rise to pay tribute this evening to one of our Nation's greatest civil rights leaders: Arnold Aronson. Arnold Aronson has been active in civil rights for nearly 60 years. In 1941, he, along with A. Philip Randolph, mobilized a campaign that led to President Roosevelt's Executive order which banned discrimination on the basis of race, creed or national origin in war-related industries. This Executive order established the first Fair Employment Practice Committee. In 1941, Mr. Aronson headed the Bureau of Jewish Employment Problems, a one-person agency located in Chicago. Discrimination against Jews at that time was overt and widespread. Help wanted ads specifying gentile only were commonplace, and employment agencies accepted and filled orders in accordance with such specifications. Rather than attempting to deal with the problem as it affected Jews alone, he decided to attack employment discrimination per se, no matter the victim. Accordingly, he organized the Chicago Council Against Religious and Racial Discrimination, a coalition of religious, labor, ethnic, civil rights and social welfare organizations.”