[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 41 (Thursday, April 2, 1998)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E564-E565]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




        IN HONOR OF JAMES LEONARD FARMER, CIVIL RIGHTS ACTIVIST

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. ROBERT C. SCOTT

                              of virginia

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, April 1, 1998

  Mr. SCOTT. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to speak in honor of the 
contributions of a distinguished American citizen, Dr. James Leonard 
Farmer.

[[Page E565]]

  As we pay homage to our forbearers for their courage, wisdom, 
perservance and overall contributions to America, I'd like to formally 
salute Dr. Farmer for his efforts as a Civil Rights Activist. He has 
been instrumental in the struggle to remove legal, social, and 
political barriers which continue to impede the progress of African-
Americans.
  James Leonard Farmer was born in Marshall, Texas, on January 12, 
1920, the son of a scholar, grandson of a slave, and one of three 
children. As the son of a faculty member of various southern black 
colleges, the young James Farmer led a somewhat sheltered life. But as 
the old adage reminds us ``to whom much is given, much is expected''. 
Dr. Farmer has not only lived up to, but has exceeded, all anyone had a 
right to expect of him.
  The young James Farmer attended public schools in the south. He 
earned his B.A. degree in chemistry from Wiley College at the age of 18 
and obtained a divinity degree from Howard University, graduating in 
1941. Dr. Farmer refused ordination because of the segregation then 
practiced by the Methodist Church. Instead of entering the ministry, he 
turned his energies to social action, with the goal of destroying 
segregation. In 1942, along with a group of students at the University 
of Chicago, Dr. Farmer organized the first chapter of the Congress Of 
Racial Equality (CORE). The interracial organization's purpose was to 
apply a direct challenge to American racism by using Grandhian tactics 
of nonviolence.
  Dr. Farmer also organized the first Civil Rights sit-in in American 
history at a Chicago donut shop called Jack Spratt's in May of 1942. As 
a someone who grew up in segregated Virginia, I am particularly 
thankful for Dr. Farmer's organization of the ``Pilgramage of Prayer'' 
to Richmond, Virginia. The ``Pilgramage'' protested the closing of 
Virginia's public schools to avoid complying with the United States 
Supreme Court decision outlawing segregation in public schools. More 
than 2,000 persons joined in the ``Pilgrimage of Prayer'', which has 
been credited with a significant role in bringing about the weakening 
of Virginia's ``massive resistance'' program.
  By 1961 Dr. Farmer was the National Director of CORE. During this 
crucial time in our history, Dr. Farmer and CORE received national 
exposure by organizing the ``Freedom Ride''. The ``Freedom Ride'' was a 
bus trip through the deep south designed to desegregate interstate 
buses and terminals. Despite countless arrests and other harassments, 
the ``Freedom Riders'' preserved in their efforts and were eventually 
successful in the desegregation of 120 interstate bus terminals in the 
south.
  Since 1985, Dr. Farmer has been teaching Civil Rights at Mary 
Washington College in Fredericksburg, Virginia, as the Distinguished 
Professor of History and American Studies. He continues to do so at the 
age of 78.
  On Jan 15, 1998, Dr. Farmer was bestowed the country's highest 
civilian honor by President Bill Clinton: the Presidential Medal of 
Freedom. I can think of no individual more deserving of such an honor.
  Frederick Douglass once said ``Men may not get all they pay for in 
this World, but they must certainly pay for all they get.'' Mr. 
Speaker, Dr. Farmer may not have gotten all that he paid for, but with 
the life of service and commitment he has given us, I have no doubt 
that he has paid for all that he has gotten.
  Thank you, Dr. James Leonard Farmer, for all that you have given us.

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