[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 140 (Thursday, September 20, 2007)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1944]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  INTRODUCTION OF RESOLUTION RECOGNIZING THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE 
                            LITTLE ROCK NINE

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                         HON. JOHN CONYERS, JR.

                              of michigan

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, September 20, 2007

  Mr. CONYERS. Madam Speaker, today I rise to introduce a resolution 
recognizing the 50th anniversary of the desegregation of Little Rock 
Central High School by the Little Rock Nine.
  Fifty years ago today, on September 25, 1957, 9 African American 
students who would come to be known as the Little Rock Nine--Minnijean 
Brown, Elizabeth Eckford, Ernest Green, Thelma Mothershed, Melba 
Pattillo, Gloria Ray, Terrence Roberts, Jefferson Thomas, and Carlotta 
Walls--successfully integrated Little Rock Central High. With strength, 
determination, and dignity, the Little Rock Nine stood up to the 
inequities and injustices of their time.
  The Little Rock Nine realized that the promise of the 1954 Brown v. 
Board (347 U.S. 483) was unfulfilled 3 years later in 1957. The Brown 
decision recognized that the segregation of public schools deprived 
students of the Constitution's Fourteenth Amendment guarantee of equal 
protection. Continued segregation on the basis of race was to be no 
more. Armed with the Brown v. Board decision, the Little Rock Nine 
would successfully dismantle years of school segregation.
  Implementing the law of the land, the actions of the Little Rock Nine 
were symbolic of the promise of educational access and equality not 
just in Little Rock, but in cities throughout the nation. The Little 
Rock Nine conveyed that ``separate, but equal'' would have no place in 
this country. Despite death threats, verbal and physical assaults, 
school closings, and other adversities, the Little Rock Nine persevered 
in their mission of school integration.
  And despite the violence that was inflicted upon them, the Little 
Rock Nine did as Dr. King instructed: ``[M]eet physical force with soul 
force.'' On September 26, 1957, Dr. King urged the people of Little 
Rock to ``adhere rigorously to a way of non-violence,'' and they did. 
The Little Rock Nine not only furthered the Civil Rights Movement's 
strategy of non-violence, but proved that ordinary citizens, and young 
citizens like themselves, could bring about change. Just as Rosa Park's 
refusal to give up her seat led to integration of public 
accommodations, the Little Rock Nine's refusal to be denied an 
education led to integration of public schools.
  Members of the Little Rock Nine went on to become social workers, 
educators, government officials, and other distinguished professionals. 
In 1999, the Little Rock Nine established the Little Rock Nine 
Foundation. The Foundation is dedicated to advancing educational access 
and opportunities for young people of color--a commitment that reflects 
the significant and historic role of the Little Rock Nine in the Civil 
Rights Movement and within the realm of education.
  Today, because of the Little Rock Nine, our country's children, 
regardless of race, are entitled to fair and equal education. In 
furthering this entitlement, the Congress must continue to work to 
promote racial diversity, integration, and inclusion within our 
Nation's schools. It is our responsibility to continue the legacy of 
Brown v. Board and the Little Rock Nine. A resolution recognizing the 
50th anniversary of the Little Rock Nine integrating Little Rock 
Central High is symbolic of this commitment.

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