[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 105 (Tuesday, June 24, 2008)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1329]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




COMMEMORATING THE ANNIVERSARY OF THE DEATH OF MISSISSIPPI CIVIL RIGHTS 
                 WORKERS: GOODMAN, SCHWERNER AND CHANEY

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. CHARLES B. RANGEL

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, June 24, 2008

  Mr. RANGEL. Madam Speaker, I rise today to commemorate the 44th 
anniversary of the tragic death of Mississippi civil rights activists: 
Andrew Goodman, James Chaney and Michael Schwerner.
  The murder of Goodman, Schwerner and Chaney occurred in Philadelphia, 
Mississippi, on June 21, 1964. These three young, courageous and bright 
men came to Philadelphia to fight for freedom and justice, promote 
equality in voting and bring peace and a better life for all people of 
Neshoba County. The American Civil Rights Movement carried out the 
mission of ``Freedom Summer'' determined to encourage equal voter 
registration regardless of race. The ``Freedom Summer'' participants 
included many Jewish-American and African-Americans, dedicated to such 
a noble cause. Unfortunately, three of the best, idealistic, and 
brightest of the volunteers who responded to the call to come to 
Mississippi and work for justice, were cowardly kidnapped and brutally 
murdered by the coldblooded activists of the Ku Klux Klan. Public 
outrage and demands for justice led to the FBI's thorough investigation 
of this shocking murder case. For several weeks the American people 
followed the unfolding of this horrible event in the televised 
newscasts. The bodies of Goodman, Chaney and Schwerner were found 44 
days later, buried in the dam with bullets in their hearts. Three years 
after the murders, FBI arrested 21 active members of the Ku Klux Klan 
and indicted 19 of them.
  The realization of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights 
Act of 1965 came in part as a result of public reaction to the brutal 
murders of Goodman, Chaney and Schwerner as well as through 
demonstrations, marches and public demand for passing these critical 
laws. Andrew Goodman, James Chaney and Michael Schwerner were committed 
to fight for justice and democracy in their beloved country. They 
believed in constitutional rights for all, regardless of race, gender 
or religion. Even today this struggle is not yet over. We should 
continue the noble fight for justice.

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