[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 94 (Wednesday, July 15, 1998)]
[Senate]
[Pages S8264-S8265]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
CONGRESSIONAL GOLD MEDALS TO THE ``LITTLE ROCK NINE''
Mr. BUMPERS. Mr. President, in just a moment, staff will have a bill
that I introduced several months ago. I would like to just discuss it
briefly so we can get that behind us before I offer it.
But this is an amendment that would award the Congressional Gold
Medal to the nine African American children who integrated Little Rock
Central High during probably the greatest threat to the Constitution
since the Civil War. I lived through it. I was in a small town in
western Arkansas called Charleston. That is my hometown, where I was
born and reared.
My hometown had integrated in 1954, very quietly and very peacefully,
a town of 1,200 people at the time. Our schools had successfully
integrated from the fall of 1954 until Governor Faubus called out the
Guard to block integration at Little Rock Central High School in Little
Rock.
Let me also say that Charleston, this little hometown of mine which I
am seeking to get designated a national commemorative site by the Park
Service this year, was the first school to integrate following the
Brown v. Board of Education decision in May of 1954. I was on the
school board during that time, and we integrated the school that fall.
There is still some controversy because good records were not kept
about how many African American children were integrated into the
school system.
It went along smoothly. There were some schools that wouldn't play us
in football, and there were some schools that wouldn't allow our band
to participate, because we had African Americans on the football team
and in the band. We lived with that as best we could. There was a lot
of seething undercurrent. Even though it had gone peacefully for 3
years, there was still an unrest among some.
After the turmoil in Little Rock, that seething unrest surfaced. I
will never forget, Mr. President, I was trying a lawsuit on the third
floor of Logan County Courthouse in Paris, AR, and I heard these
rumbling trucks going down Highway 22 from Fort Chaffee which came
through my hometown to Little Rock to provide the logistical support
for the 101st Airborne which President Eisenhower had sent in to Little
Rock to enforce the integration of that school.
It was a very ominous, frankly, rather terrifying time. I was not as
concerned about what was going on in Little Rock--though that was
terrifying and certainly to the people in Little Rock it was
terrifying--as I was with the certain knowledge in my own mind that we
were in for big trouble in my hometown, too, because I knew, as I say,
that seething unrest was going to be fortified and encouraged to try to
do the same thing, and sure enough it happened.
We had a big knock-down-drag-out election in March of 1958, and the
whole issue was: Shall we stay integrated or shall we re-segregate?
I convinced a friend of mine to run to fill one of the vacancies that
had been created because things got so hot a couple of board members
resigned. I think there were about 600 votes cast in that election,
probably five times more than ever had been cast in a school election
in Charleston, AR, in its history. In any event, the so-called
``moderates'' won overwhelmingly, and that put the issue to rest in my
hometown.
Back to the Little Rock Nine. Ernie Green testified in the Energy
Committee the other day in support of a bill to make Central High
School in Little Rock a unit of the Park Service. He was one of the
Little Rock Nine, later was Assistant Secretary of Labor when Jimmy
Carter was President.
Anybody who didn't live through that time can never understand what a
traumatic period that was for my State. We didn't attract a single
industry in the State of Arkansas for almost 10 years after the Little
Rock High School integration crisis. But those nine young black
children who were escorted into that school in the fall of 1957 by
paratroopers from the 101st Airborne showed more bravery than anybody I
have ever seen in my life. It was absolutely unbelievable.
They have been recognized in a lot of ways, but S. 1283 would provide
them with the Congressional Gold Medal. It is an honor that they are
due and that is long overdue. This bill was recently reported out of
the Banking Committee and is now on the Calendar. Mr. President, I ask
unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the immediate
consideration of Calendar No. 465, S. 1283.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report.
The legislative clerk read as follows:
A bill (S. 1283) to award congressional gold medals to Jean
Brown Trickey, Carlotta Walls LaNier, Melba Patillo Beals,
Terrence Roberts, Gloria Ray Karlmark, Thelma Mothershed
Wair, Ernest Green, Elizabeth Eckford, and Jefferson Thomas,
commonly referred collectively as the ``Little Rock Nine'' on
the occasion of the 40th anniversary of the integration of
the Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there objection to the immediate
consideration of the bill?
There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the bill,
which had been reported from the Committee on Banking, Housing, and
Urban Affairs, with an amendment on page 4, so as to make the bill
read:
S. 1283
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of
the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. CONGRESSIONAL FINDINGS.
The Congress hereby finds the following:
(1) Jean Brown Trickey, Carlotta Walls LaNier, Melba
Patillo Beals, Terrence Roberts, Gloria Ray Karlmark, Thelma
Mothershed Wair, Ernest Green, Elizabeth Eckford, and
Jefferson Thomas, hereafter in this section referred to as
the ``Little Rock Nine'', voluntarily subjected themselves to
the bitter stinging pains of racial bigotry.
(2) The Little Rock Nine are civil rights pioneers whose
selfless acts considerably advanced the civil rights debate
in this country.
[[Page S8265]]
(3) The Little Rock Nine risked their lives to integrate
Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas, and
subsequently the Nation.
(4) The Little Rock Nine sacrificed their innocence to
protect the American principle that we are all ``one nation,
under God, indivisible''.
(5) The Little Rock Nine have indelibly left their mark on
the history of this Nation.
(6) The Little Rock Nine have continued to work toward
equality for all Americans.
SEC. 2. CONGRESSIONAL GOLD MEDALS.
(a) Presentation Authorized.--The President is authorized
to present, on behalf of Congress, to Jean Brown Trickey,
Carlotta Walls LaNier, Melba Patillo Beals, Terrence Roberts,
Gloria Ray Karlmark, Thelma Mothershed Wair, Ernest Green,
Elizabeth Eckford, and Jefferson Thomas, commonly referred to
as the ``Little Rock Nine'', gold medals of appropriate
design, in recognition of the selfless heroism such
individuals exhibited and the pain they suffered in the cause
of civil rights by integrating Central High School in Little
Rock, Arkansas.
(b) Design and Striking.--For purposes of the presentation
referred to in subsection (a) the Secretary of the Treasury
shall strike a gold medal with suitable emblems, devices, and
inscriptions to be determined by the Secretary for each
recipient.
(c) Authorization of Appropriation.--Effective October 1,
1997, there are authorized to be appropriated such sums as
may be necessary to carry out this section.
SEC. 3. DUPLICATE MEDALS.
(a) Striking and Sale.--The Secretary of the Treasury may
strike and sell duplicates in bronze of the gold medals
struck pursuant to section 2 under such regulations as the
Secretary may prescribe, at a price sufficient to cover the
cost thereof, including labor, materials, dies, use of
machinery, and overhead expenses, and the cost of the gold
medal.
(b) Reimbursement of Appropriation.--The appropriation used
to carry out section 2 shall be reimbursed out of the
proceeds of sales under subsection (a).
SEC. 4. NATIONAL MEDALS.
The medals struck pursuant to this Act are national medals
for purposes of chapter 51 of title 31, United States Code.
SEC. 5. COMMEMORATIVE COINS.
(a) In General.--Section 101(7)(D) of the United States
Commemorative Coin Act of 1996 (Public Law 104-329, 110 Stat.
4009) is amended to read as follows:
``(D) Minting and issuance of coins.--The Secretary--
``(i) may not mint coins under this paragraph after July 1,
1998; and
``(ii) may not issue coins minted under this paragraph
after December 31, 1998.''.
(b) Effective Date.--The amendment made by this section
shall be construed to have the same effective date as section
101 of the United States Commemorative Coin Act of 1996.
Mr. BUMPERS. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the
committee amendment be agreed to.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
The committee amendment was agreed to.
Mr. BUMPERS. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the bill, as
amended, be read for the third time, passed and the motion to
reconsider be laid upon the table, and that any statements relating to
the bill be placed in the Record at the appropriate place as if read.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
The bill (S. 1283), as amended, was considered read the third time
and passed.
Mr. BUMPERS. Mr. President, I suggest the absence of a quorum.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
The assistant legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
Mr. GORTON. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for
the quorum call be rescinded.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
____________________