[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 143 (Tuesday, September 25, 2007)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1967-E1968]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




      RECOGNIZING THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE SEPTEMBER 25, 1957, 
  DESEGREGATION OF LITTLE ROCK CENTRAL HIGH SCHOOL BY THE LITTLE ROCK 
                                  NINE

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                               speech of

                          HON. NANCY E. BOYDA

                               of kansas

                    in the house of representatives

                       Monday, September 24, 2007

  Mrs. BOYDA of Kansas. Mr. Speaker, I commend the House of 
Representatives for the passage of this important resolution to honor 
the Little Rock Nine. As a Kansan, I am proud to be a resident of one 
of the places where the road to justice began.
  For Kansans, the story of the Little Rock Nine begins with the 
landmark Supreme Court decision Brown v. Board of Education. This case 
began in 1950 when 13 parents took their children to the schools in 
their neighborhoods for white children and attempted to enroll. All 
were refused admission, and for most, this meant traveling across town 
to attend the few available schools for African Americans. These 
courageous parents filed suit against the Topeka Board of Education on 
behalf of their 20 children.
  When the parents agreed to become involved in the case, it's likely 
they never imagined they would change history in such a significant and 
meaningful way. The people who make up this story were ordinary--their 
story is anything but. Oliver Brown, who the case was later named 
after, was a Topeka minister who simply knew that it was not too much 
to ask that his country treat his children equally.

[[Page E1968]]

  On May 17, 1954, the United States Supreme Court announced in Brown 
v. Board of Education (347 U.S. 483) that, ``in the field of education, 
the doctrine `of separate but equal' has no place.'' The Court 
recognized the psychological effects of segregation and that separate 
is inherently unequal.
  In 1957, 3 years after the Brown v. Board of Education decision, 9 
brave students in Little Rock, Arkansas, continued the struggle that 
Oliver Brown and his daughter started. They endured a hostile school 
environment and a local government that was once again not supportive 
of their belief that equal treatment is a basic principle of a 
democratic society.
  The story of Brown v. Board of Education is one of hope and courage. 
On this 50th anniversary of the Little Rock Nine, I am proud to take 
time to remember the contributions of students across the country--from 
Kansas to Arkansas--that fought for integration. I also hope that we 
can recommit ourselves to honoring the legacy that the Brown v. Board 
of Education decision left for us--to continue working to provide a 
world-class education for all children.

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