[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 114 (Friday, July 30, 2010)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1501]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




          HONORING SOJOURN TO THE PAST ON ITS 10TH ANNIVERSARY

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                               speech of

                         HON. LAURA RICHARDSON

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                         Monday, July 26, 2010

  Ms. RICHARDSON. Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of H. Res. 
1058, which honors and praises the Sojourn to the Past organization on 
the occasion of its 10th anniversary. This resolution recognizes an 
important educational program that helps students understand the 
invaluable role of the Civil Rights Movement in our Nation's moral and 
social development.
  I thank Chairman Miller for his leadership in bringing this measure 
to the floor. I also thank the sponsor of this resolution, Congressman 
Louis, whose role in the Civil Rights Movement and work as a public 
servant has made the United States a more tolerant and democratic 
country.
  Madam Speaker, the Civil Rights Movement was a transformative 
experience for the United States. It helped our Nation grow out of a 
culture of bigotry, segregation, and oppression, and extend the 
democratic freedoms promised by our Nation's founders to people that 
had, for more than two centuries, been deemed second-class citizens. It 
elevated our moral standing in the world and brought our Nation closer 
to meeting the ideals set forth in our founding documents.
  It is absolutely essential that every high school student in the 
United States understands the moral gravity and massive historical 
significance of the Civil Rights Movement. The Sojourn to the Past 
project helps us achieve this goal. Established in 1999, the Sojourn to 
the Past project takes high school students on a 10-day excursion along 
the path of the Civil Rights Movement in the southern United States, 
engaging them with historical sites and talks with prominent veteran 
leaders of the movement. The longest running civil rights education 
program in the United States, the program has conducted 55 sojourns and 
introduced over 5,000 high school juniors and seniors to the lessons, 
locations, and leaders of the Civil Rights Movement.
  Madam Speaker, the Civil Rights Movement is not only a vital part of 
our past, but its lessons are instructive in the ongoing efforts to end 
violence, discrimination, hatred, and inequality in the United States 
and across the world. The work of the Sojourn to the Past program is 
extremely commendable. It instills in our future leaders the knowledge 
and understanding needed to bring continued moral and social progress 
to our Nation.
  I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this resolution.

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