[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 134 (Wednesday, September 7, 2016)]
[Senate]
[Page S5365]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




              RECOGNIZING LITTLE ROCK CENTRAL HIGH SCHOOL

  Mr. COTTON. Mr. President, in honor of the National Park Service's 
100th birthday year, I want to recognize one of Arkansas' most 
recognized and historic sites: Little Rock Central High School. As one 
of the most well-known high schools in the United States, Little Rock 
Central's story is an important one in the history of our Nation.
  Central High School played a pivotal role in the desegregation of 
public schools in the United States. On September 23, 1957, following 
the Supreme Court's decision in Brown v. Board of Education in 1954, 
nine African-American students attempted to attend class at Little Rock 
Central High School. Now known as the Little Rock Nine, these students 
were met with heavy public disapproval by an angry mob. President 
Eisenhower ultimately ordered Federal troops into Little Rock to escort 
the students into the school for their first day of class on September 
25, 1957.
  These courageous nine students changed the course of history. They 
showed us that we should always pursue what is just, no matter how hard 
the journey is.
  Former President and Arkansas Governor Bill Clinton signed 
legislation in 1998 designating the school a national historic site. To 
this day, Little Rock Central High School is the only functioning 
secondary school in the United States to have this distinction. 
Preserving Little Rock Central High School and presenting its history 
so that others might learn from it is an important mission, one that we 
should never abandon.
  Named ``America's Most Beautiful High School'' by the American 
Institute of Architects, Little Rock Central High School certainly has 
a storied history, and when you find yourself in Little Rock, be sure 
to take an afternoon to visit the Little Rock Central High School 
National Historic Site.

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