[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 167 (Tuesday, November 18, 2003)]
[House]
[Pages H11484-H11487]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
AWARDING CONGRESSIONAL GOLD MEDALS POSTHUMOUSLY ON BEHALF OF REVEREND
JOSEPH A. DeLAINE, HARRY AND ELIZA BRIGGS, AND LEVI PEARSON IN
RECOGNITION OF THEIR CONTRIBUTIONS TO BROWN V. BOARD OF EDUCATION
Mrs. BIGGERT. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the
bill (H.R. 3287) to award congressional gold medals posthumously on
behalf of Reverend Joseph A. DeLaine, Harry and Eliza Briggs, and Levi
Pearson in recognition of their contributions to the Nation as pioneers
in the effort to desegregate public schools that led directly to the
landmark desegregation case of Brown et al. v. the Board of Education
of Topeka et al.
The Clerk read as follows:
H.R. 3287
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of
the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. FINDINGS.
The Congress finds as follows:
(1) The Reverend Joseph Armstrong DeLaine, one of the true
heroes of the civil rights struggle, led a crusade to break
down barriers in education in South Carolina.
(2) The efforts of Reverend DeLaine led to the
desegregation of public schools in the United States, but
forever scarred his own life.
(3) In 1949, Joseph DeLaine, a minister and school
principal, organized African-American parents in Summerton,
South Carolina, to petition the school board for a bus for
black students, who had to walk up to 10 miles through corn
and cotton fields to attend a segregated school, while the
white children in the school district rode to and from school
in nice clean buses.
(4) In 1950, these same parents, including Harry and Eliza
Briggs, sued to end public school segregation in Briggs et
al. v. Elliott et al., one of 5 cases that collectively led
to the landmark 1954 Supreme Court decision of Brown et al.
v. Board of Education of Topeka et al.
(5) Because of his participation in the desegregation
movement, Reverend DeLaine was subjected to repeated acts of
domestic terror in which--
(A) he, along with 2 sisters and a niece, lost their jobs;
(B) he fought off an angry mob;
(C) he received frequent death threats; and
(D) his church and his home were burned to the ground.
(6) In October 1955, after Reverend DeLaine relocated to
Florence County in South Carolina, shots were fired at the
DeLaine home, and because Reverend DeLaine fired back to mark
the car, he was charged with assault and battery with intent
to kill.
(7) The shooting incident drove him from South Carolina to
Buffalo, New York, where he organized an African Methodist
Episcopal Church.
(8) Believing that he would not be treated fairly by the
South Carolina judicial system if he returned to South
Carolina, Reverend DeLaine told the Federal Bureau of
Investigation, ``I am not running from justice but
injustice'', and it was not until 2000 (26 years after his
death and 45 years after the incident) that Reverend DeLaine
was cleared of all charges relating to the October 1955
incident.
(9) Reverend DeLaine was a humble and fearless man who
showed the Nation that all people, regardless of the color of
their skin, deserve a first-rate education, a lesson from
which the Nation has benefited immeasurably.
(10) Reverend DeLaine deserves rightful recognition for the
suffering that he and his family endured to teach the Nation
one of the great civil rights lessons of the last century.
(11) Like the Reverend DeLaine and Harry and Eliza Briggs,
Levi Pearson was an integral participant in the struggle to
equalize the educational experiences of white and black
students in South Carolina.
(12) Levi Pearson, with the assistance of Reverend Joseph
DeLaine, filed a lawsuit against the Clarendon County School
District to protest the inequitable treatment of black
children.
(13) As a result of his lawsuit, Levi Pearson also suffered
from acts of domestic terror, such as the time gun shots were
fired into his home, as well as economic consequences: local
banks refused to provide him with credit to purchase farming
materials and area farmers refused to lend him equipment.
(14) Although his case was ultimately dismissed on a
technicality, Levi Pearson's courage to stand up for
equalized treatment and funding for black students served as
the catalyst for further attempts to desegregate South
Carolina schools, as he continued to fight against
segregation practices and became President of Clarendon
County Chapter of the NAACP.
(15) When Levi Pearson's litigation efforts to obtain
equalized treatment and funding for black students were
stymied, Harry and Eliza Briggs, a service station attendant
and a maid, continued to fight for not only equalized
treatment of all children but desegregated schools as well.
(16) As with Reverend DeLaine and Levi Pearson, the family
of Harry and Eliza Briggs suffered consequences for their
efforts: Harry and Eliza both were fired from their jobs and
forced to move their family to Florida.
(17) Although they and their family suffered tremendously,
Harry and Eliza Briggs were also pioneers leading the effort
to desegregate America's public schools.
SEC. 2. CONGRESSIONAL GOLD MEDAL.
(a) Presentation Authorized.--In recognition of the
contributions of Reverend Joseph A. DeLaine, Harry and Eliza
Briggs, and Levi Pearson to the Nation as pioneers in the
effort to desegregate public schools that led directly to the
landmark desegregation case of Brown et al. v. the Board of
Education of Topeka et al., the Speaker of the House of
Representatives and the President Pro Tempore of the Senate
shall make appropriate arrangements for the presentation, on
behalf of the Congress, of a gold medal of appropriate
design, to Joseph De Laine, Jr., as next of kin of Reverend
Joseph A. DeLaine, and to the next of kin or other personal
representative of Harry and Eliza Briggs and of Levi Pearson.
(b) Design and Striking.--For the purposes of the awards
referred to in subsection (a), the Secretary of the Treasury
(hereafter in this Act referred to as the ``Secretary'')
shall strike 3 gold medals with suitable emblems, devices,
and inscriptions, to be determined by the Secretary.
SEC. 3. DUPLICATE MEDALS.
The Secretary may strike and sell duplicates in bronze of
the gold medals struck pursuant to section 2, under such
regulations as the Secretary may prescribe, and at a price
sufficient to cover the costs thereof, including labor,
materials, dies, use of machinery, and overhead expenses, and
the cost of the gold medals.
SEC. 4. STATUS AS NATIONAL MEDALS.
(a) National Medals.--The medals struck pursuant to this
Act are national medals for
[[Page H11485]]
purposes of chapter 51 of title 31, United States Code.
(b) Numismatic Items.--For purposes of section 5134 of
title 31, United States Code, all medals struck under this
Act shall be considered to be numismatic items.
SEC. 5. FUNDING.
(a) Authority To Use Fund Amounts.--There is authorized to
be charged against the United States Mint Public Enterprise
Fund such amounts as may be necessary to pay for the cost of
the medals authorized by this Act.
(b) Proceeds of Sale.--Amounts received from the sale of
duplicate bronze medals under section 3 shall be deposited in
the United States Mint Public Enterprise Fund.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentlewoman from
Illinois (Mrs. Biggert) and the gentlewoman from Indiana (Ms. Carson)
each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from Illinois (Mrs. Biggert).
General Leave
Mrs. BIGGERT. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members
may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their
remarks and to insert extraneous material on this legislation.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentlewoman from Illinois?
There was no objection.
Mrs. BIGGERT. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to express strong support for H.R. 3287,
which seeks to award the Congressional Gold Medal to each of four
Americans closely associated with the landmark Brown v. Board of
Education of Topeka Supreme Court ruling that led to desegregation of
our Nation's schools. I commend the gentleman from South Carolina (Mr.
Clyburn) for introducing this legislation.
This bill seeks to award this body's highest civilian honor
posthumously to four courageous Americans. They are the Reverend Joseph
A. DeLaine, Levi Pearson, and Henry and Elizabeth Briggs. Given the
time required to design and strike the medals, these medals should be
ready for an awards ceremony next year, which is fitting as next year
is the 50th anniversary of the Brown v. Board of Education decision.
Mr. Speaker, we all know the names of many of the civil rights
movement's greatest leaders, and we know their stories well; but not
everyone knows well the names of those whose courageous actions led to
the Brown v. Board of Education decision and precipitated the
desegregation of our schools throughout America. The legislation we
consider here today would rectify that situation. Through this
Congressional Gold Medal, we honor the stories, the bravery and the
memories of these fine Americans.
Reverend DeLaine was a minister and a school principal. In 1947, he
organized a petition drive for African American parents to get a school
bus so their children would not have to walk up to 10 miles to and from
school while white children were driven to their schools in buses. The
request was denied.
The next year, 1948, Levi Pearson, a farmer whose three children had
to walk 9 miles to school each day, filed a lawsuit against the
Clarendon County, South Carolina School District that protested unequal
treatment of and funding for black and white students. While the suit
was dismissed on a technicality, it served as a catalyst to further
efforts to desegregate South Carolina schools.
And in 1949, Henry and Elizabeth Briggs, along with many of the same
parents who joined in the original petition for a bus, sued to end
public school segregation in Briggs v. Elliott.
{time} 2100
This was the first of the five cases to be filed, and all were
eventually merged together to become the Supreme Court's 1954 Brown v.
Board of Education of Topeka decision. Taken separately, each of these
individuals contributed considerably to the civil rights movement and
to the breakdown of racial barriers in education. Taken together, their
accomplishments are enormous. These individuals were pioneers in
desegregation. They suffered and made great personal sacrifices,
risking their lives, jobs, and homes to ensure that all children are
educated equally and together, regardless of the color of their skin.
Mr. Speaker, these individuals deserve our recognition for their
courage, and I urge immediate passage of this legislation.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Ms. CARSON of Indiana. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
I would like to thank the gentleman from South Carolina (Mr. Clyburn)
for sponsoring the bill. I also would like to thank the gentleman from
Ohio (Mr. Oxley) and the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. Frank) for
allowing this bill to come to the floor today.
Mr. Speaker, H.R. 3287 gives honor to whom honor is due. It provides
Congressional Gold Medals to the Reverend Joseph DeLaine, Levi Pearson,
and Harry and Eliza Briggs.
Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman
from South Carolina (Mr. Clyburn), the creator and inspirator of this
legislation.
Mr. CLYBURN. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from Indiana for
yielding me this time and the gentlewoman from Illinois for her
assistance with this effort. I also want to thank Speaker Hastert and
Leader Pelosi for their assistance in expediting this very important
piece of legislation. I am also thankful to Chairman Oxley and Ranking
Member Frank for their leadership in this matter. It is very difficult
to find proper words to convey to the 298 cosponsors of this bill my
appreciation of the bipartisan support and genuine courtesies extended
to me throughout this effort.
Mr. Speaker, I am also grateful to Senator Fritz Hollings for his
sponsorship of similar legislation in the other body and his 99
colleagues who gave his bill a unanimous vote. I am hopeful this body
will do likewise.
Mr. Speaker, as we approach the 50th anniversary of Brown v. Board of
Education of Topeka, Kansas, it is indeed an honor to stand in the
Halls of the United States House of Representatives to commemorate the
dedication and courage of four South Carolinians who initiated the
effort to desegregate public school education in South Carolina and the
Nation.
Reverend Joseph Armstrong DeLaine organized the original 106
petitioners, 18 of whom and two others made up the original 20
plaintiffs in Briggs v. Elliott, the first of the five cases that were
merged and became Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas. I now
submit the names of all of those petitioners into the Record of these
proceedings this evening.
Briggs v. Elliot
South Carolinians who signed a petition to the Board of
Trustees for Clarendon County School District #22 demanding
equal educational opportunities for African-Americans. The
petition was submitted on November 11, 1949.
1. Harry Briggs*
2. Eliza Briggs
3. Harry Briggs, Jr.
4. Thomas Lee Briggs
5. Katherine Briggs
6. Thomas Gamble
7. Henry Brown
8. Thelma Brown
9. Vera Brown
10. Beatrice Brown
11. Willie Brown
12. Marian Brown
13. Ethel Mae Brown
14. Howard Brown
15. James Brown
16. Theola Brown
17. Thomas Brown
18. Euralia Brown
19. Joe Morris Brown
20. Onetha Bennett*
21. Hercules Bennett
22. Hilton Bennett
23. William Gibson
24. Annie Gibson*
25. William Gibson Jr.
26. Maxine Gibson
27. Harold Gibson
28. Robert Georgia*
29. Carrie Georgia
30. Charlie Georgia
31. Jervine Georgia
32. Gladys Hilton
33. Joseph Hilton
34. Lila Mae Huggins
35. Celestine Huggins
36. Juanita Huggins
37. Gussie Hilton
38. Roosevelt Hilton
39. Thomas Johnson
40. Blanche E. Johnson
41. Lillie Eva Johnson
42. Rubie Lee Johnson
43. Betty J. Johnson
44. Bobby M. Johnson
45. Preston Johnson Jr.
46. Susan Lawson*
47. Raymond Lawson
48. Eddie Lee Lawson
49. Susan Ann Lawson
50. Frederick Oliver*
51. Willie Oliver
[[Page H11486]]
52. Mary Oliver*
53. Mose Oliver*
54. Leroy Oliver
55. Mitchel Oliver
56. Bennie Parson Jr.*
57. Plummie Parson
58. Celestine Parson
59. Edward Ragin*
60. Sarah Ragin
61. Shirley Ragin
62. Deloris Ragin
63. Hazel Ragin*
64. Zelia Ragin
65. Sarah Ellen Ragin
66. Rebecca Ragin
67. Mable Ragin
68. William Ragin*
69. Glen Ragin
70. Luchrisher Richardson*
71. Elane Richardson
72. Emanuel Richardson
73. Rebecca Richburg*
74. Rebecca I. Richburg
75. E.E. Richburg
76. Albert Richburg
77. Lee Johnson
78. Bessie Johnson
79. Morgan Johnson
80. Samuel Gary Johnson
81. Lee Richardson*
82. James Richardson
83. Charles Richardson
84. Annie L. Richardson
85. Dorothy Richardson
86. Jackson Richardson
87. Mary O. Lawson
88. Francis Lawson
89. Bennie Lee Lawson
90. Mary Oliver
91. Daisy Oliver
92. Louis Oliver Jr.
93. Esther F. Singleton
94. Janie Fludde
95. Henry Scott*
96. Mary Scott
97. Irene Scott
98. Willie M. Stukes*
99. Gardenia Stukes
100. Willie M. Stukes Jr.
101. Gardenia Stukes
102. Louis W. Stukes
103. Gabriel Tyndal*
104. Annie Tyndal
105. Mary L. Bennett
106. Lillian Bennett
*Indicates those who served as named plaintiffs in the case
of Briggs v. Elliott. Plaintiff's also included James H.
Bennett and G. H. Henry.
At the time of their petition, black children in Clarendon County
were walking 9 miles each way to school, and all they petitioned for
was a school bus. When their request for a bus was denied, they sought
relief in the courts. Reverend DeLaine was harassed by the Ku Klux Klan
and several attempts were made on his life. His church was burned and
when he responded in kind to gunshots that were fired into his home in
1955, law enforcement officials issued a warrant for Reverend DeLaine's
arrest. Fearing the consequences, he and his family fled the State.
In 1971, Governor John C. West received a letter from Reverend
DeLaine advising that his health was failing and requesting that he be
allowed to return to South Carolina where he wished to be buried.
Governor West tasked me with the responsibility of getting it done. We
failed, because one of the men who signed the arrest warrant refused
the Governor's and law enforcement officials' requests that he drop the
charges. In 2000, the South Carolina legislature cleared Reverend
DeLaine's record, but much too late to honor his request. Reverend
DeLaine died in 1974 and is buried in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Levi Pearson was a small Clarendon County farmer. He responded to
Reverend DeLaine's request and sued the school district on behalf of
his three children who were walking those 9 miles to school each day.
His decision was met with dire consequences. The local bank refused to
provide him credit to purchase farming equipment and other farmers
refused to lend him any equipment. Shots were fired into his home and
he was ostracized by his neighbors. Despite these actions, Pearson
continued with his suit. But in 1948, the United States District Court
dismissed Pearson's suit, finding that although his farm was partially
in Clarendon School District 1, his house was situated in Clarendon
School District 2; and therefore he had no standing. Although his legal
case was dismissed, Pearson continued to fight against segregation and
later became president of the local NAACP chapter. In spite of extreme
hardships, he never left his land.
Harry Briggs, a service station attendant, and his wife, Eliza, a
maid at a local motel, took up the cause. As did Levi Pearson and
Reverend DeLaine, they suffered inhumane consequences for their
actions. They were fired from their jobs but they persevered, and as is
often said, the rest is history. Because he was blackballed in South
Carolina and could not find employment, Harry moved to Florida where he
lived out his productive life. Unlike Reverend DeLaine, he returned to
South Carolina and is buried in his native soil.
Every year on the Friday evening nearest May 17, the South Carolina
conference of branches of the NAACP holds its annual Freedom Fund
dinner in honor of the Briggs petitioners. And ever since I have been a
Member of this body, pictures of Mrs. DeLaine and other principals in
the case have been prominently displayed on a wall of my office.
Mr. Speaker, if not for the personal sacrifices of those like
Reverend DeLaine, Mr. Pearson, the Briggses and many others known and
unknown, I and others like me may have never experienced membership in
this body. This bill reminds us that it is the actions of a preacher
and educator, a farmer, a gas station attendant, and a motel maid that
initiated the efforts that changed American society forever. I hope
that our actions here tonight remind all Americans that it is not our
station in life that makes us worthy of honor and recognition, but our
commitment to the principles and pursuit of the promise that all men
are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain
unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit
of happiness.
Mrs. BIGGERT. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Ms. CARSON of Indiana. Mr. Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the
gentleman from South Carolina (Mr. Spratt), the very bright and
energetic ranking member of the Committee on the Budget.
(Mr. SPRATT asked and was given permission to revise and extend his
remarks.)
Mr. SPRATT. I thank the gentlewoman for yielding me this time.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in proud support of H.R. 3287, which honors four
South Carolina heroes. Because of the courage of Joseph A. DeLaine,
Harry Briggs, Eliza Briggs and Levi Pearson, South Carolinians live in
a better State; but more important, Americans live in a better country.
I can think of no tribute to these brave South Carolinians more
deserving or appropriate than a Congressional Gold Medal.
I have the same story to tell that the gentleman from South Carolina
(Mr. Clyburn) just told, but I cannot possibly tell it with the same
empathy that he related it, so I will not rehearse the facts that we
have just heard, which are stirring. I will enter those for the Record.
Let me simply say that, Mr. Speaker, I have lived all my life in
South Carolina. I can imagine the resistance and intimidation that
Joseph DeLaine and Levi Pearson and Harry and Eliza Briggs faced. These
brave Americans stood up for justice, and for their courage they paid a
heavy price. Today we remember Dr. Martin Luther King and Thurgood
Marshall, and we should. They were the giants of the civil rights
movement. But without brave pioneers, foot soldiers like Joseph A.
DeLaine, Levi Pearson, and Harry and Eliza Briggs, our schools would
not have been desegregated in 1954. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 and
1965 may have been passed but not in those years. They sparked those
events.
I commend the gentleman from South Carolina (Mr. Clyburn) for
conceiving and spearheading this resolution. I ask that all Members of
the House join us in voting to award Congressional Gold Medals
posthumously to the Reverend DeLaine, to Mr. and Mrs. Harry Briggs, and
to Mr. Levi Pearson. In the words of Dr. King, they made this country
rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed, that all men are
created equal.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in proud support of H.R. 3287, honoring four
South Carolina heroes. Because of the courage of Joseph DeLaine, Harry
Briggs, Eliza Briggs, and Levi Pearson, South Carolinians live in a
better state and Americans live in a better country. I can think of no
tribute to these brave South Carolinians more deserving or appropriate
than a Congressional Gold Medal.
In 1949-50, there were 6,531 black students enrolled in the Clarendon
County public schools and 2,375 whites. The schools were separate and
unequal. Clarendon County that
[[Page H11487]]
year spent $179 per white student and $43 per black student. Reverend
Joseph DeLaine was a teacher in Clarendon County. He attended a
statewide meeting of the NAACP and heard the president decry
segregation and lay down a challenge saying, ``No teacher or preacher
in South Carolina has the courage to find a plaintiff who will test the
legality of discriminatory bus transportation.'' The Reverend DeLaine
was moved to action. He went to the Clarendon County School Board to
ask for a bus to carry children to and from Scotts Branch High School.
He pointed out that bus service was available to white students at
other county schools, and asked simply for the same bus service for
black students attending Scotts Branch. When he was turned down, he
appealed to the State Superintendent of Education in Columbia and the
U.S. Attorney General, all to no avail. Reverend DeLaine then enlisted
Levi Pearson, a farmer with children at Scotts Branch, to be plaintiff
in a lawsuit against the Clarendon County Board of Education. Levi
Pearson v. County Board of Education was brought but dismissed in 1948
on a technicality. Levi Pearson's farm straddled the school district
boundary, and his home was held to be outside the school district's
boundary. The court ruled that Pearson had no standing, and dismissed
his suit.
Undaunted, Reverend DeLaine, worked with the NAACP to draft a new
petition to the State Board of Education seeking not just school buses,
but educational equality across the board for all black students in
Clarendon County. A petition with the necessary signatures was
presented to the board. The first name listed was Harry Briggs, a
service station attendant in Summerton, South Carolina. In retribution,
Reverend DeLaine was fired from his job at Scotts Branch, and Harry
Briggs lost his service station job. The state school board refused to
act.
Reverend DeLaine then sought the assistance of the NAACP Legal
Defense Fund, and in particular a lawyer by the name of Harold Boulware
in Columbia. Boulware, with the assistance of Thurgood Marshall, took
the case and filed a new suit, Briggs v. Elliott, seeking equal
educational opportunities for all black students in Clarendon County.
By a 2-1 vote, a three-judge panel denied the plaintiffs in Briggs v.
Elliott the relief they were seeking. Judge Waties Waring,
another unsung hero, wrote a dissenting opinion in favor of the
plaintiffs. Briggs v. Elliott was appealed to the Supreme Court, and
eventually consolidated with four other cases, the first of which was
Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas.
Reverend DeLaine was in the Supreme Court's courtroom for the
argument of Brown v. Board of Education. A reporter quoted him as
saying: ``There were times when I thought I would go out of my mind
because of this case, but if I had to do it again, I would. I feel it
was worth it. I have a feeling that the Supreme Court is going to end
segregation.''
He was not only brave but prescient. In 1954, a unanimous Supreme
Court vindicated the efforts of the Reverend Joseph A. DeLaine with its
unanimous decision in Brown v. Board of Education. It was a bittersweet
victory for Reverend DeLaine. Forced out of Clarendon County on charges
arising out of a confrontation with whites who threatened his home at
night, he moved to Charlotte, North Carolina where he founded a church.
Because of the outstanding warrant, he was effectively exiled from
South Carolina and never able to return to Clarendon County.
Mr. Speaker, I have lived all my life in South Carolina and I can
imagine the resistance and intimidation that Joseph DeLaine, Levi
Pearson, and Harry and Eliza Briggs faced. These brave Americans stood
up for justice and for their courage, they paid a heavy price. Today we
remember Dr. Martin Luther King and Thurgood Marshall, as we should;
they were the giants of the civil rights movement. But without brave
pioneers like Joseph DeLaine, Levi Pearson, Harry and Eliza Briggs, our
schools would not have been desegregated and the Civil Rights Acts of
1964 and 1965 would not have been passed.
I commend Congressman Clyburn for conceiving and spearheading this
resolution, and I ask that all members of this House join us in voting
to award Congressional gold medals posthumously to the Reverend
DeLaine, to Mr. and Mrs. Harry Briggs, and to Mr. Levi Pearson. In the
words of Dr. King, they made this country ``rise up and live out the
true meaning of its creed, that all men are created equal.''
Mrs. BIGGERT. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Ms. CARSON of Indiana. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
Eleanor Roosevelt said, ``When will our consciences grow so tender
that we will act to prevent human misery rather than avenge it?'' I
recall the words of Chief Justice Earl Warren who said, ``It is the
spirit and not the form of law that keeps justice alive.'' I want to
commend the sponsors of this legislation for their foresight and
insight.
The court action of Briggs v. Elliott in South Carolina to end public
school segregation was a major component in the successful Brown v.
Board of Education Supreme Court ruling which effectively struck down
the so-called separate but equal. It is this ``spirit of the law'' that
preceded Brown v. Board of Education in the form of Briggs v. Elliott.
Before Briggs v. Elliott was Plessy v. Ferguson. Before Plessy were the
13th and the 14th amendments.
And so, Mr. Speaker, I would encourage each Member of this body to
give proper honor to whom honor is due by supporting unanimously this
legislation that will authorize the Congressional Gold Medal to these
deserving citizens of the United States.
Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
Mrs. BIGGERT. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Let me again commend the gentleman from South Carolina (Mr. Clyburn)
for sponsoring H.R. 3287 and Chairman Oxley and Ranking Member Frank of
the Committee on Financial Services for their support of this
legislation.
Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Pearce). The question is on the motion
offered by the gentlewoman from Illinois (Mrs. Biggert) that the House
suspend the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 3287.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds having voted in favor
thereof) the rules were suspended and the bill was passed.
A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.
____________________