[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 91 (Thursday, May 25, 2017)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E728]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




             RECOGNIZING THE RETURN TO EL PASO ROOTS EVENT

                                  _____
                                 

                           HON. BETO O'ROURKE

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, May 25, 2017

  Mr. O'ROURKE. Mr. Speaker, I am honored to rise and join with my 
colleague, the Honorable Barbara Lee, to acknowledge and celebrate the 
``Return to El Paso Roots'' event, which will take place May 26 through 
29, 2017 in El Paso, Texas. This historically significant event salutes 
the African American families, friends, and students who attended the 
historic Douglass School, the first school for African Americans in El 
Paso.
  Andrew Morelock established the school in 1883 as a refuge and haven 
for the children of African American El Pasoans barred from attending 
schools with white children. First named Franklin School, it became 
Douglass School in tribute to the noted abolitionist and statesman, 
Frederick Douglass. The school sought to allow children to thrive in a 
fully supportive community committed to their success and academic 
achievement. Douglass School provided much more than a quality 
education; it also provided community and a sense of well being and 
belonging for its students.
  The school desegregated in 1955 following the Brown v. Board of 
Education Supreme Court decision, and the site is now an historical 
site in El Paso. Douglass students excelled, and the school produced a 
notable array of successful graduates, including the family of my 
esteemed colleague, Congresswoman Lee.
  During the ``Return to El Paso Roots'' event, former students, 
families, friends, and El Paso residents will come together in 
celebration at the historic McCall Neighborhood Community Center. The 
late Leona Ford Washington, a retired Douglass schoolteacher, founded 
the Center in 1983. She dedicated her life to the needs and development 
of the El Paso African American community. It is pertinent to highlight 
the history of The McCall Neighborhood Center as it prepares to host 
many events for ``Return to El Paso Roots''.
  The McCall Neighborhood Center is the former home of Marshall and 
Olalee McCall. Mr. McCall was the first African American postal worker 
in El Paso, and his wife, Mrs. McCall, was a principal at Douglass 
School. Following Mrs. McCall's tenure as principal from 1937 through 
1944, the home served as a daycare center as well as her music studio. 
The McCall Neighborhood Center is an important foundation in the El 
Paso community.
  In this celebration, we acknowledge and honor the tremendous 
contributions of the African American community to the success and 
development of El Paso, and the work they have done to make our 
community, the State of Texas, and our country a more just world.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask you and my colleagues to join Congresswoman Lee 
and me in saluting the Douglass School students, families, and friends 
who will come to El Paso to commemorate and celebrate this remarkable 
community.

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