[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 142 (Friday, August 24, 2018)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1172]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 TRIBUTE TO CLARK V. BOARD OF DIRECTORS

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. DAVID YOUNG

                                of iowa

                    in the house of representatives

                        Friday, August 24, 2018

  Mr. YOUNG of Iowa. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the 150th 
anniversary of Clark v. Board of Directors. The decision Clark v. Board 
of Directors rejected segregation and race discrimination and helped 
advance civil rights in the United States. Drake University of Des 
Moines, Iowa will be hosting a commemorative celebration.
  Susan Clark, a 12-year-old African-American girl was denied admission 
to her neighborhood public school based on her race. In 1868, the Iowa 
Supreme Court ruled in favor of Susan Clark, declaring that, ``separate 
but equal'' was unconstitutional according to the equality provisions 
of the Iowa Constitution. Clark v. Board of Directors is considered a 
landmark decision made 86 years before the United States Supreme Court 
ruled in Brown v. Board of Education in 1954. Russell Lovell, a Drake 
University emeritus law professor, said, ``Clark v. Board of Directors 
was one of the most important court cases in our history. The decision 
continues to be vital and relevant today--not only in its rejection of 
segregation and racial discrimination, but also as a leading precedent 
for the Iowa Supreme Court's independent constitutional analysis.''
  Mr. Speaker, it is an honor to recognize the 150th anniversary of 
Clark v. Board of Directors because of the important role this decision 
has played in our history to eliminate racial discrimination and 
segregation. I ask that my colleagues in the United States House of 
Representatives join me in celebrating this monumental decision.

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