[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.

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