MISSISSIPPI LEGISLATURE

2004 Regular Session

To: Rules

By: Representative Smith (27th), Flaggs, Stevens, Harrison, Coleman (29th), Bailey, Blackmon, Bondurant, Broomfield, Buck, Burnett, Calhoun, Clark, Clarke, Dickson, Ellis, Espy, Fleming, Fredericks, Gibbs, Green, Hines, Holloway, Huddleston, Malone, McCoy, Middleton, Morris, Myers, Perkins, Robinson (63rd), Scott, Straughter, Thomas, Watson, West, Whittington, Young

House Resolution 107

A RESOLUTION COMMENDING THE LIFE, CONTRIBUTIONS OF MRS. WINSON HUDSON FOR HER MANY OUTSTANDING ACCOMPLISHMENTS DURING THE CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT AND EXPRESSING DEEPEST SYMPATHY TO HER FAMILY AND FRIENDS UPON HER PASSING.

     WHEREAS, Mrs. Winson Hudson was born on November 17, 1916, in the all African-American community of Harmony, Mississippi, in Leake County, departed this earthly life to enter into eternal rest on Saturday, April 24, 2004, causing great sorrow and loss to her family and friends; and

     WHEREAS, Mrs. Hudson, along with her sister, Dovie, emerged as courageous leaders in the freedom struggle in the early 1960s and filed the first suit for school desegregation in a rural Mississippi county; and

     WHEREAS, having been one of the first to register to vote, Mrs. Hudson became involved in the NAACP and was elected president of the county chapter and served for the next 38 years; and

     WHEREAS, subjected to harassment and threats of violence, Mrs. Hudson appeared before the United States Commission on Civil Rights in February of 1965 to speak about the harassment of her fellow neighbors who were being harassed while attempting to register to vote; and

     WHEREAS, Mrs. Hudson was instrumental in the establishment of the first Head Start program in Leake County, voter registration drives, the integration of the Holiday Inn in Clarksdale, and helped with the efforts to desegregate all public facilities in Carthage, Mississippi; and

     WHEREAS, Mrs. Hudson has been recognized for many outstanding accomplishments, including serving as a delegate to the Democratic National Convention in 1976 and was presented the Fannie Lou Hamer Award by the Mississippi Democratic Party in 1989; and

     WHEREAS, in 1989, Mrs. Hudson attended the opening of Brian Lanker's photographic exhibition, "I Dream A World:  Portraits of Black Women Who Changed America," at the Corcoran Gallery in Washington, D.C., which featured a photo of Mrs. Hudson and her sister; and

     WHEREAS, Mrs. Hudson testified on behalf of Mississippi's poor citizens before President Bill Clinton's Health Reform Task Committee in Washington, D.C., in 1994; and

     WHEREAS, in the fall of 2002, Mrs. Hudson fulfilled her life-long dream and heart's desire with the publication of her book, Mississippi Harmony, Memoirs of a Freedom Fighter; and

     WHEREAS, the life of Mrs. Hudson was as the beauty and fragrance of flowers that brighten the countryside, and not lived in vain, for it filled its place in the world and will forever fill a place in the hearts and memories of her loved ones; and

     WHEREAS, her soul is safe with the Heavenly Father to dwell throughout eternity, we give thanks to Almighty God for Mrs. Hudson's life, and honor her legacy along with her survivors; and

     WHEREAS, it is the policy of the House of Representatives of the State of Mississippi to recognize and commend the lives of outstanding citizens such as Mrs. Hudson, who dedicated her life to improving the quality of life for people everywhere:

     NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI, That we do hereby commend the life of Mrs. Winson Hudson for her many outstanding contributions to the civil rights movement and express deepest sympathy to her family and friends upon her passing.

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That copies of this resolution be furnished to the family of Mrs. Winson Hudson and to the members of the Capitol Press Corps.