[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 172 (Wednesday, October 30, 2019)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1375-E1376]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




     CELEBRATING THE DEDICATION OF THE PROUD TO TAKE STAND MONUMENT

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. BENNIE G. THOMPSON

                             of mississippi

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, October 30, 2019

  Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. Madam Speaker, I would like to take this 
opportunity to celebrate the unveiling of the Proud to Take Stand 
Monument in Natchez, Mississippi.
  I would like to recognize the State of Mississippi and the City of 
Natchez for their efforts in establishing the monument, which sits on 
the southwest corner of the Natchez City Auditorium at Jefferson and 
Canal streets.
  The Proud to Take Stand Monument honors 486 civil rights activists 
who were arrested for attempting to protest segregation, discrimination 
and mistreatment by white leaders in October of 1965. The group was 
forced by local authorities onto buses and charged with ``parading 
without permit,'' a local ordinance later ruled unconstitutional. The 
activists were taken to the Mississippi State Penitentiary in

[[Page E1376]]

Parchman where prison authorities subjected them to days of abuse, 
humiliation and punishment under horrific conditions.
  Madam Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in recognizing these 
civil rights activists and honoring their memories through the 
dedication of the Proud to Take Stand Monument.

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