[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 14 (Friday, February 6, 2004)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E126-E127]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   UNIVERSITY OF NORTH TEXAS ``50 YEARS OF PROGRESS AND OPPORTUNITY''

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. MICHAEL C. BURGESS

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                        Friday, February 6, 2004

  Mr. BURGESS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate the University 
of North Texas for celebrating 50 years of desegregation on their 
campus. In the summer of 1954 the University of North Texas accepted 
doctoral student A. Tennyson Miller as the first African-American 
student admitted into the university.
  Since 1954 African-American students have been scholars, athletes, 
both homecoming kings and queens, and most importantly leaders. They 
have shaped and molded the identity and character of the University of 
North Texas. The excellence of UNT today is directly linked to the 
diversity of its students.
  The year of 1954 was a turning point for civil rights and in 
particular, for the African-American community. Literally, the doors of 
opportunity began to open up in America's history. The landmark Supreme 
Court decision of Brown v. Board of Education sent public institutions 
in an uproar when it aimed to desegregate public schools.
  Within this tumultuous and controversial time, of the beginning of 
the Civil Rights

[[Page E127]]

Movement in the 1950s, the University of North Texas took a giant step 
forward by opening its doors to African-American students. And it is 
only appropriate, that during February, Black History Month, that UNT 
celebrates their own turning point in history with the 50 Years of 
Progress and Opportunity, 1954-2004 culminating in a celebration on 
Saturday, February 14, 2004.
  In 2004, the UNT is commemorating its desegregation as well as the 
incredible progress made in during those 50 years. I congratulate the 
African-Americans who overcame barriers to pave the way for others at 
the University of North Texas. I also applaud the university's former 
and current African-American students, faculty and staff for their 
continued dedication to the Mean Green of UNT.

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