[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 90 (Tuesday, May 24, 2022)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E553]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




              IN RECOGNITION OF ARGO COMMUNITY HIGH SCHOOL

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                           HON. MARIE NEWMAN

                              of illinois

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, May 24, 2022

  Ms. NEWMAN. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the critical work by 
the Argo Community High School administration to promote equity in 
their school. Argo Community High School is making history by erecting 
a bronze sculpture honoring the life and work of Mamie Till, the mother 
of Emmett Till and a graduate of Argo Community High School. Mamie 
Till's brave decision to hold an open casket funeral following the 
brutal lynching of her son provided a spark for the civil rights 
movement and brought lynching to the forefront of social conversation.
  Argo Community High School's efforts to implement this project will 
serve as a road map for other communities to infuse equity in 
education. Through collaboration with individuals such as Reverend 
Wheeler Parker and Ollie Gordon, Emmett Till's cousins, to design the 
sculpture, Argo Community High School has incorporated the surrounding 
community into their project. Additionally, students have been an 
integral part of the process, and are currently documenting stories of 
living Till family members as well as community members who knew Mamie 
and Emmett Till. I am proud of Argo Community High School's leadership 
to uplift our civil rights heroes as we educate the next generation of 
American leaders.
  I commend the Argo Community High School administration for educating 
their students about our nation's history through the Mamie Till 
Memorial Sculpture. This sculpture will serve as a catalyst for 
immediate and continued education of students at Argo Community High 
School as well as members of the Argo-Summit community around the 
issues of social justice and civil rights. I thank Dr. William Toulios 
and Dr. Brandon Cotter for their leadership and am honored to have such 
outstanding educators in my district.

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