[Congressional Bills 108th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Con. Res. 414 Referred in Senate (RFS)]

  2d Session
H. CON. RES. 414


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                              May 17, 2004

        Received and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary

_______________________________________________________________________

                         CONCURRENT RESOLUTION


 
 Expressing the sense of the Congress that, as Congress recognizes the 
   50th anniversary of the Brown v. Board of Education decision, all 
Americans are encouraged to observe this anniversary with a commitment 
           to continuing and building on the legacy of Brown.

Whereas on May 17, 1954, the United States Supreme Court announced in Brown v. 
        Board of Education (347 U.S. 483) that, ``in the field of education, the 
        doctrine of `separate but equal' has no place'';
Whereas the Brown decision overturned the precedent set in 1896 in Plessy v. 
        Ferguson (163 U.S. 537), which had declared ``separate but equal 
        facilities'' constitutional and

 allowed the continued segregation of public schools in the United States 
on the basis of race;

Whereas the Brown decision recognized as a matter of law that the segregation of 
        public schools deprived students of the equal protection of the laws 
        under the Fourteenth Amendment to the Constitution of the United States;
Whereas the Brown decision stood as a victory for plaintiff Linda Brown, an 
        African American third grader who had been denied admission to an all 
        white public school in Topeka, Kansas;
Whereas the Brown decision stood as a victory for those plaintiffs similarly 
        situated to Linda Brown in the cases that were consolidated with Brown, 
        which included Briggs v. Elliot (103 F. Supp. 920), Davis v. County 
        School Board (103 F. Supp. 337), and Gephardt v. Belton (91 A.2d 137);
Whereas the Brown decision stood as a victory for those that had successfully 
        dismantled school segregation years before Brown through legal 
        challenges such as Westminster School District v. Mendez (161 F.2d 774), 
        which ended segregation in schools in Orange County, California;
Whereas the Brown decision stands among all civil rights cases as a symbol of 
        the Federal Government's commitment to fulfill the promise of equality;
Whereas the Brown decision helped lead to the repeal of ``Jim Crow'' laws and 
        the elimination of many of the severe restrictions placed on the freedom 
        of African Americans;
Whereas the Brown decision helped lead to the enactment of the Civil Rights Act 
        of 1964, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, religion, 
        or national origin in workplaces and public establishments that have a 
        connection to interstate commerce or are supported by the State;
Whereas the Brown decision helped lead to the enactment of the Voting Rights Act 
        of 1965 which promotes every American's right to participate in the 
        political process;
Whereas the Brown decision helped lead to the enactment of the Fair Housing Act 
        of 1968 that prohibits discrimination in the sale, rental, and financing 
        of dwellings, and in other housing-relating transactions, on the basis 
        of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, familial status, or 
        disability; and
Whereas in 2004, the year marking the 50th anniversary of the Brown decision, 
        inequalities evidenced at the time of such decision have not been 
        completely eradicated: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate concurring), 
That the Congress--
            (1) recognizes and celebrates the 50th anniversary of the 
        Brown v. Board of Education decision;
            (2) encourages all Americans to recognize and celebrate the 
        50th anniversary of the Brown v. Board of Education decision; 
        and
            (3) renews its commitment to continuing and building on the 
        legacy of Brown with a pledge to

        acknowledge and address the modern day disparities that remain.

            Passed the House of Representatives May 13, 2004.

            Attest:

                                                 JEFF TRANDAHL,

                                                                 Clerk.