[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 130 (Thursday, September 25, 1997)]
[House]
[Page H7838]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




           THE LITTLE ROCK NINE: A RIGHTFUL PLACE IN HISTORY

  (Mr. LEWIS of Georgia asked and was given permission to address the 
House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. LEWIS of Georgia. Madam Speaker, 40 years ago nine black students 
came to the doors of Central High School in Little Rock, AR, and 
demanded a seat in a classroom where they were denied welcome. They 
were entitled to be there by law, but they could not be there because 
an angry, hateful mob and Arkansas State troopers turned them away. The 
Little Rock Nine did nothing wrong. They were denied an education. They 
were turned away by hatred and bigotry. They were turned away because 
they were black.
  Three weeks later, on September 25, President Eisenhower ordered 
Federal troops to escort the Little Rock Nine into Central High School. 
In doing so, the Little Rock Nine rocked not just a city, they rocked 
the Nation. As giants in our Nation's struggle for civil rights, the 
Little Rock Nine have earned their rightful place in history.
  So today, Madam Speaker, we mark the 40th anniversary of the 
desegregation of Central High School. Because of their action, we have 
witnessed a nonviolent revolution in America. Our country is a better 
country, a better place, and we are better people because of them.

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