[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 69 (Wednesday, April 27, 2022)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E421-E422]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  BROWN V. BOARD OF EDUCATION NATIONAL HISTORICAL PARK EXPANSION AND 
                           REDESIGNATION ACT

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                        HON. SHEILA JACKSON LEE

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, April 26, 2022

  Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, I rise to speak in support of S. 270, 
the Brown v. Board of Education National Historical Park Expansion and 
Redesignation Act.
  S. 270 will redesignate the Brown v. Board of Education National 
Historic Site in Topeka, Kansas as the Brown v. Board of Education 
National Historical Park.
  Further, the bill will expand the Brown v. Board of Education 
designation by establishing additional sites in South Carolina, 
Virginia, Delaware, and the District of Columbia.
  The Topeka, Kansas site has memorialized the stories of perseverance 
for equal access to education. However, when Brown v. Board of 
education was litigated at the U.S. Supreme Court, it consolidated four 
other school segregation cases and it is important that we recognize 
this through expanding the Brown v. Board National Historic Site to 
each of these four relevant locations.
  These cases were Briggs v. Elliot in South Carolina, Davis v. County 
of Virginia, Gebhart v. Belton of Delaware, and Bolling v. Sharpe of 
the District of Columbia.
  The Supreme Court's landmark decision in Brown v. Board of Education 
found that racial segregation in public education violated the 14th 
Amendment to the Constitution, which guarantees all citizens equal 
protection of laws.
  The effect of this decision was the end of segregation in public 
schools, effectively overturning the doctrine of ``separate but equal'' 
established by the Court in the 1896 decision of Plessy v. Ferguson.
  Every child has a right to equitable education and learning 
opportunities without being limited by their race and other arbitrary 
or irrelevant factors.
  It is incredible how Brown v. Board overturned what was a commonplace 
injustice. And in its place formed a new reality where every student 
can learn unhindered by the color of their skin or their ethnicity.
  This case changed the course of civil rights in this country and set 
a powerful precedent for equality and human dignity around the world.
  In memorializing this unprecedented decision, it is vital we consider 
the states and respective towns involved in this case. Each of the 5 
cases contributes its own unique stories and backgrounds in the 
struggle for educational equity.
  By establishing additional sites and affiliated areas in South 
Carolina, Virginia, Delaware, and the District of Columbia, we ensure 
that the 5 major cases and locations in Brown v. Board are commemorated 
in each of the locations that gave rise to this historic 
transformation.
  I urge all members to join me in voting for S. 270, the Brown v. 
Board of Education National Historical Park Expansion and Redesignation 
Act.

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