[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 168 (Tuesday, November 10, 2009)]
[Senate]
[Pages S11354-S11355]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  RECOGNIZING 49TH ANNIVERSARY OF INTEGRATED SCHOOLS IN NEW ORLEANS, 
                               LOUISIANA

  Mr. REID. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent to proceed to S. 
Res. 350.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report the resolution by title.
  The assistant legislative clerk read as follows:

       A resolution (S. Res. 350) recognizing November 14, 2009, 
     as the 49th anniversary of the first day of integrated 
     schools in New Orleans, Louisiana.

  There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the 
resolution.
  Mr. FEINGOLD. Madam President, last spring, a first grade teacher at 
Barton Elementary School in Milwaukee contacted my office seeking help 
in furthering a project her classroom had started. The Ruby Bridges 
Project began as a modest effort to teach a first grade class in 
Milwaukee, WI, about the courage and bravery another first grader 
displayed on November 14, 1960, when she became the first child to 
integrate a public elementary school in New Orleans, LA. Soon, the Ruby 
Bridges Project grew and expanded because these first graders at Barton 
Elementary School wanted to teach other students in Milwaukee about 
Ruby Bridges. These first graders' efforts were featured in the local 
media and supported by Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett and then State 
Superintendent of Education Elizabeth Burmaster, who wrote letters of 
commendation for the project. The class

[[Page S11355]]

also started a petition which garnered over 2,000 signatures from 
Wisconsinites, and which was sent to President Obama asking him to 
designate a national day of recognition honoring Ruby Bridges.
  On November 14, 1960, Ruby Bridges became the first African-American 
child to attend William Frantz Elementary School in New Orleans, LA. 
While she is forever immortalized in Norman Rockwell's painting as a 
six-year-old child being escorted to school by U.S. Marshals, with 
tomatoes splattered in the background, her story is one of courage, 
bravery and a lifelong commitment to raising awareness of diversity 
through improved educational opportunities for all children. Even 
though Ruby Bridges endured riots and protests and retaliations against 
her family, she attended school at William Frantz every day during the 
1960-61 school year. She was supported by her teacher, Ms. Barbara 
Henry, who herself faced retaliation and was not invited back to teach 
at William Frantz the following school year. Ruby went on to graduate 
high school and college, have a career and raise a family.
  In 1999, Ruby Bridges established the Ruby Bridges Foundation to help 
eliminate racism and improve society by educating students around the 
country about her experiences, discussing ongoing efforts to promote 
diversity and providing lessons students could take back to their 
communities. Even today, 49 years after Ruby Bridges became the first 
child to attend integrated school in New Orleans, LA, her story 
provides an inspiring example for our young people. The story of Ruby 
Bridges has affected and influenced the lives of children across the 
country and one first grade class in Milwaukee, WI, in particular.
  I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this Senate resolution 
recognizing November 14, 2009, as the 49th anniversary of the first 
school integration in New Orleans, LA, and commending Ruby Bridges for 
her bravery, courage and lifetime commitment to raising awareness of 
diversity through education.
  Mr. REID. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the 
resolution be agreed to, the preamble be agreed to, the motions to 
reconsider be laid upon the table, that there be no intervening action 
or debate, and any statements relating to this matter be printed in the 
Record.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The resolution (S. Res. 350) was agreed to.
  The preamble was agreed to.
  The resolution, with its preamble, reads as follows:

                              S. Res. 350

       Whereas, in 1954, the Supreme Court ruled that segregated 
     schools violated the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th 
     amendment to the Constitution;
       Whereas Judge J. Skelly Wright, of the United States 
     District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana, ordered 
     the Orleans Parish School Board to develop a school 
     desegregation plan in 1956 and, after years of delay, in 
     1960, ordered the Orleans Parish School Board to carry out a 
     plan designed by the United States District Court for the 
     Eastern District of Louisiana;
       Whereas 6 years after the Brown v. Board of Education (347 
     U.S. 483) decision, on November 14, 1960, Ruby Bridges, at 
     the age of 6, became the first African-American student to 
     attend the all-white William Frantz Elementary School in New 
     Orleans, Louisiana;
       Whereas, in 1995, Ruby Bridges contributed to ``The Story 
     of Ruby Bridges'', a book for children, and, in 1999, wrote 
     ``Through My Eyes'' to help educate children and people of 
     all ages about her experiences and the importance of 
     tolerance;
       Whereas Ruby Bridges established the Ruby Bridges 
     Foundation in 1999 to help eliminate racism and improve 
     society by educating students about the experiences of Ruby 
     Bridges, discuss ongoing efforts to promote diversity, and 
     provide lessons students can take back to their own 
     communities; and
       Whereas, in 2002, the Ruby Bridges Foundation, along with 
     the Simon Wiesenthal Center's Museum for Tolerance in Los 
     Angeles, launched The Ruby's Bridges Project, a program that 
     brought together students from diverse backgrounds to develop 
     relationship-building skills and promote an appreciation of 
     one another: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) recognizes November 14, 2009, as the 49th anniversary 
     of the first day of integrated schools in New Orleans, 
     Louisiana;
       (2) remembers Judge J. Skelly Wright for his advocacy, 
     support, and lifelong commitment to promoting civil rights, 
     fairness, and equality;
       (3) commends Ruby Bridges for her bravery and courage 49 
     years ago, and for her lifetime commitment to raising 
     awareness of diversity through improved educational 
     opportunities for all children;
       (4) supports policies and efforts to--
       (A) close the achievement gap in the schools of our Nation;
       (B) improve the high school graduation rate for all 
     students;
       (C) strengthen the ability of all students to attend and 
     complete post-secondary education; and
       (D) promote the benefits of school integration throughout 
     the educational careers of students; and
       (5) congratulates all the individuals who have dedicated 
     their lives to the field of education and to promoting equal 
     opportunities for all students regardless of the backgrounds 
     of the students.

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