Political Quotes

“Madam Speaker, I rise today, as we celebrate Black History Month, to recognize the life and legacy of Ernest ``Ernie'' Charles Tanner. Ernie Tanner was born in Indianapolis, Indiana, on June 5, 1889. His family moved to Tacoma, Washington, my hometown, in 1900, where he attended Tacoma High School, which is now known as Stadium High School. At Whitworth College, he was the first African American to play football at the college level in the entire Pacific Northwest. After college, Mr. Tanner worked as a Tacoma elevator operator, and in 1918 he joined the Tacoma chapter of the International Longshoremen's Association, then known as ILA. He remained a member until he died. In 1934, Mr. Tanner was the only Black member of the Tacoma strike committee during the big strike that shut down every single Pacific Coast port. Mr. Tanner worked closely with San Francisco leader, Harry Bridges, to keep Black and White workers united during the strike so employers could not break the union. He was a trustee of Local 2897 from 1934 to 1936, where he pressured leaders to pay Black dockworkers the same wages as their White counterparts. Ernest Charles Tanner passed away in 1956 at the age of 66. He achieved what many seek when they join a union, the recognition of the dignity of all work, to rise out of poverty, and to provide a better life for his family. This was exemplified when Mr. Tanner's son, Jack Tanner, became the Pacific Northwest's first Black Federal judge in 1978.…”