[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 37 (Wednesday, March 4, 2015)]
[Senate]
[Pages S1296-S1298]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   50TH ANNIVERSARY OF BLOODY SUNDAY

  Mr. CARDIN. Mr. President, next week the Nation will celebrate the 
50th anniversary of Bloody Sunday, when we commemorate the series of 
marches of nonviolent civil rights protestors from Selma to the Alabama 
State capital of Montgomery. They were marching for the right to vote, 
which had been guaranteed by the adoption of the 15th Amendment to the 
Constitution in 1870. The first section of the amendment reads: ``The 
right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or 
abridged by the United States or by any State on account of race, 
color, or previous condition of servitude.''
  These marches gripped the attention of the Nation because of the 
violence reaction from the Alabama State troopers, who attacked the 
marchers on the Edmund Pettus Bridge after leaving Selma. The State 
troopers attacked the marchers using billy clubs, tear gas, fire hoses, 
and dogs, and numerous marchers were wounded and were beaten 
unconscious.
  The images shown on television galvanized the American public in 
support of voting rights. President Lyndon Johnson called on Congress 
to enact voting rights legislation and make

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good on both the promise of the 15th Amendment as well as the 
responsibility of Congress to enforce the amendment ``by appropriate 
legislation.''
  One of those protestors beaten on the bridge was a Freedom Rider, 
speaker at the March on Washington, and a leader of the Student 
Nonviolent Coordination Committee. That protestor was John Lewis.
  I was honored and privileged to enter Congress in 1987 at the same 
time as Congressman John Lewis. John Lewis has been a friend and mentor 
of mine for many years and is known as the ``conscience of the 
Congress.'' And while I did leave the House in 2006 to enter the Senate 
in 2007, I have continued to be inspired by Congressman Lewis and his 
continuing struggle to make sure all Americans enjoy the benefits of 
equal justice under the law.
  Just last week during Black History Month, I had the honor, along 
with Congressman John Lewis, to address a group of students from 
Baltimore who took their own pilgrimage to Selma as we approach the 
50th anniversary of Bloody Sunday.
  High School students and teachers from Park School, Baltimore City 
College, City Neighbors High School, and Cristo Rey Jesuit High School 
participated in a trip to southern cities such as Greensboro, Atlanta, 
Selma, Little Rock, the Mississippi Delta, and Memphis, focusing on the 
civil rights movement.
  I wish to share some of the stories that the students told to 
Congressman Lewis and me last week, because their idealism, 
determination, and knowledge of both the past and present is very 
inspirational.
  Let me begin with a brief history of how this trip came into being. 
In 2004, the first group of students and faculty from the Park School 
of Baltimore and Baltimore City College High School traveled throughout 
the American South, visiting with participants in the Civil Rights 
Movement and touring the museums, sites, and memorials that stand in 
witness to the foot soldiers, heroes, and martyrs of the movement. The 
trip was the dream of three Park School faculty members: Carol Kinne, 
Traci Wright, and Stradine Harris. They envisioned young people from 
different schools and different backgrounds learning together and 
becoming inspired to be agents of change upon their return.
  Money to cover the expenses of the trip is raised each year by the 
students. They sell pizza and candy, rake leaves, write grant 
proposals, and solicit funds from various benefactors.
  While learning about the Civil Rights Movement is a primary goal of 
the trip, equally important is inspiring students to raise awareness of 
civil rights issues facing people today and to become activists for 
justice in their own communities.
  In 2015, four Baltimore schools--City Neighbors and Cristo Rey having 
joined the original two--sent 38 students on the trip.
  The January 2015 trip was a special one, as the group had the chance 
to meet with former Ambassador Andrew Young in Atlanta and to attend an 
event for the movie, Selma, that took place on the Edmund Pettus Bridge 
in Selma, in honor of the 50th anniversary of Bloody Sunday.
  The group also visited the International Civil Rights Center in 
Greensboro, NC, attended church service at Ebenezer Baptist Church, 
toured the Rosa Parks Museum, met with activists at the Equal Justice 
Initiative and the Southern Poverty Law Center, and learned about the 
movement in other museums in Birmingham, Memphis, and Little Rock. More 
importantly, the group was able to meet and learn from people who 
fought for change: Cleopatra Goree, Catherine Burks-Brooks, Kurt 
Carrington, Roscoe Jones, Dr. Sybil Hampton, and others.
  I wish to share just a few of the many stories from students who went 
on this trip, as related in their blog:
  Amber Smiley is a 12th grader at Cristo Rey. Amber wrote:

       Across from the museum was this statue of people being 
     attacked by dogs and hit with high amounts of pressured 
     water. In these statues you could see the emotion in every 
     one of them. You could see the fit and the drive to make 
     changes. After leaving we had lunch with 3 women that 
     marched, taught, and fought for rights. The women's names are 
     Ms. Cleopatra Goree, Ms. Catherine Burks-Brooks, and Ms. 
     Mimes. Each one of their stories varied but all built up to 
     the bigger theme that we have to strive to make the world 
     better. These words stuck with me like glue on two pieces of 
     paper. Also, they said it's our turn to make a change its 
     make thing about how can each school community to come and 
     make a change in Baltimore. These women impacted my life and 
     the whole group to change the injustices in our world. I was 
     really honored to have them come and give us these points of 
     views and life stories. It was really a blessing.

  Latonyah Williams is a 12th grader at City Neighbors. She wrote:

       At the Little Rock Central visitor center, I found a quote 
     that immediately grabbed my attention as I walked through the 
     doors. It goes ``If not us, then who? If not now, then 
     when?''--John Lewis. It grabbed at me because it shows the 
     mindset behind how the leaders were thinking back when they 
     were fighting for our rights. They weren't thinking of 
     themselves or their lives, but of the future and the many 
     generations to come. So now I want to have the mindset of if 
     not me, then who will take a stand? If not now, then most 
     likely it will not ever happen.

  I am confident that this trip continues to impact students long after 
they return to Baltimore.
  So today, while we recognize the achievements and accomplishments of 
heroes like Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Rosa Parks, Thurgood Marshall, 
and John Lewis, we cannot shy away from the painful history of race 
relations in our country. To do so would be a disservice to all those 
who struggled and sacrificed in the name of equality.
  Slavery and segregation were dark and painful chapters in American 
history, and those abhorrent practices occurred in Maryland and 
throughout the rest of our Nation.
  Today, we must confront the issue of racial profiling. Racial 
profiling is the practice of discriminatory profiling based on race, 
ethnicity, religion or any other stereotype, and it is a matter that 
needs to be addressed from its root causes.
  I ask: how many more cases like Trayvon Martin, Michael Brown, and 
Eric Garner must we have? How many more families will have to suffer 
until we get this right?
  It has been heartbreaking to see several other American towns--from 
Ferguson, MO, to New York City, gripped by such a tragedies that 
resulted from racial profiling. Eighteen-year old Michael Brown was 
just days away from starting his first college classes, but he no 
longer has the chance to pursue his dreams.
  In the Senate I have introduced the End Racial Profiling Act. This 
legislation is a step in the direction of ensuring equal treatment of 
all people under the law, conserving resources, and restoring trust in 
the men and women who risk their lives by signing up to protect our 
communities.
  Racial profiling is un-American. It has no place within the values of 
our country. It turns communities against the partnerships needed to 
keep our neighborhoods safe.
  Racial profiling is defined in a standard, consistent definition as 
the practice of a law enforcement agent relying on race, ethnicity, 
religion or national origin as a factor in their investigations and 
activities.
  The legislation I have introduced creates an exception for the use of 
these factors where there is trustworthy information, relevant to the 
locality and time frame, which links persons of a particular race, 
ethnicity or national origin to an identified incident or scheme.
  Law enforcement agencies would be prohibited from using racial 
profiling in criminal or routine law enforcement investigations, 
immigration enforcement, and national security cases.
  The legislation I have introduced is supported by a broad coalition 
of civil rights groups such as the NAACP, Leadership Conference on 
Civil and Human Rights, ACLU, Rights Working Group, ACLU, and numerous 
other national, State, and local organizations.
  While some may predict further gridlock and political polarization 
with a Congress led by one party and the President of another, I firmly 
believe that we will find ways to work together on the issues most 
important to the American public--and racial profiling is clearly one 
of those issues.
  Congress overwhelmingly reauthorized the Voting Rights Act in 2006 
after building an extensive record that made a compelling case for the 
continued need to protect minority voters from discrimination.
  As much as we wish it wasn't so, racism has not disappeared from 
America

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and there continue to be individuals and groups who would use our 
voting system to deliberately minimize the rights of minority voters. 
Congress should act to revitalize the Voting Rights Act.
  Protecting the right to vote also extends to restoring the rights of 
nearly 4 million Americans across the country who have been released 
from prison but barred from the voting booth, often for life. I have 
been leading the fight for the Democracy Restoration Act, which would 
restore voting rights to individuals after they have served their time 
and have been released from incarceration.
  If we truly want to break the cycle of recidivism, we need to 
reintegrate former prisoners back into society. When prisoners are 
released, they are expected to obey the law, get a job, and pay taxes 
as they are rehabilitated and reintegrated into their community. With 
these responsibilities and obligations of citizenship should also come 
the rights of citizenship, including the right to vote.
  The current patchwork of State laws results in the lack of a uniform 
standard for eligibility to vote in Federal elections.
  I believe that Congress should take strong action now to remedy this 
problem and enact a nationwide standard for restoration of voting 
rights. That is why I have introduced the Democracy Restoration Act.
  As we commemorate the 50th anniversary of Bloody Sunday, let us 
continue the march for justice for all Americans. I urge Congress to 
address the issues of voting rights and racial profiling during this 
session.

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