[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 97 (Thursday, June 27, 1996)]
[Senate]
[Pages S7204-S7205]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   KESHIA THOMAS: LEADING BY EXAMPLE

 Mr. HOLLINGS. Mr. President, recently we have been seeing a 
lot of headlines about violence, destruction, and racial hatred. Amidst 
these news stories, it is truly heartening to read about a person like 
Keshia Thomas. This courageous woman from Ypsilanti, MI, has shown the 
Nation that, despite all evidence to the contrary, there is still hope 
that we can set aside our differences and someday have a peaceful 
society. On the afternoon of June 22, the only statement Keshia planned 
to make was to counterprotest a KKK rally near her hometown. But

[[Page S7205]]

when she stepped into a group of people that were beating a man and 
risked bodily harm to protect him, she made a greater statement than 
she could have dreamed. I was certainly moved by the picture of a young 
black woman shielding a Ku Klux Klan member from an angry crowd. And 
from the tremendous response her action has gotten, it appears that 
people all over the Nation were moved as well.
  Extremely modest about the incident and her status as ``heroine'', 
Keshia credits the people who raised her, joking, ``who says teenagers 
don't listen.'' She considers herself very much a product of her 
upbringing by her parents and several other adults who taught her from 
an early age the value of education and tolerance. My office contacted 
Ms. Thomas and discovered that she was no stranger to Washington, DC. 
In 1994, Carol Tice, one of the influential people in Keshia's life, 
took her to the signing of Goals 2000, where she met President Clinton. 
Other family friends like Joseph Dulin, a principal of an Ann Arbor 
High School, Joe Lewis, Keshia's horseback riding instructor, and 
Bernadette Lewis have provided and continue to provide her with support 
and instruction.
  Each of these men and women deserve credit in their own right, for 
recognizing the importance of mentoring young people. Far from the 
political rhetoric of family values, these people have shown by example 
what a valuable investment a community can make by supporting its 
children. The image of Keshia Thomas' bravery and humanitarianism 
touched us all, and we must remember that--like every image, there is a 
whole story behind it.
  Keshia Thomas didn't act with the intention of being lauded by the 
press or given awards, and that is what makes her actions truly heroic. 
I would like to take this opportunity to thank her for giving the 
country a stunning example of compassion and a valuable lesson. Her 
philosophy of nonviolence echoes that of history's most influential 
activists. ``Beating someone won't change their mind * * * maybe what I 
did might change somebody's mind.''
  After the incident was over, one of the first things that made Keshia 
Thomas feel like a hero was her 11-year-old brother telling her he was 
proud of her. Mr. President, I think we all are. 

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