[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 109 (Tuesday, June 28, 2022)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E682-E683]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




RECOGNIZING JEROME ``BIG DUCK'' SMITH, CIVIL RIGHTS PIONEER AND FREEDOM 
                                 RIDER

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. TROY A. CARTER

                              of louisiana

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, June 28, 2022

  Mr. CARTER of Louisiana. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize 
Jerome ``Big Duck'' Smith, a New Orleans Native Civil Rights Pioneer 
and Icon of the Freedom Riders.
  Jerome ``Big Duck'' Smith, a life-long resident of New Orleans, 
Louisiana, is considered a stalwart of the Civil Rights Movement 
locally and nationally.
  It was 72 years ago that Jerome Smith, then 10 years old, removed the 
screen that acted as a barrier between white and black passengers on a 
New Orleans streetcar. ``The streetcar became very hostile,'' Smith 
recalls. The event took place 5 years before Rosa Parks energized the 
civil rights movement on December 1, 1955, when she refused to give up 
her bus seat to a white passenger in Montgomery, Alabama.
  Smith says that as he sat in the white section of the streetcar in 
Louisiana, an older black woman from the rear of the car descended on 
him, hitting him so hard that ``It felt like there was a bell ringing 
in my head.'' The woman loudly said she would teach the boy a lesson, 
telling him, ``You should never do that, disrespect white people. You 
have no business trying to sit with them.''
  She forced Smith off the streetcar, and around the back of an auto 
store. But once they were behind the building, the woman's tone 
changed. ``Never, ever stop,'' the woman told Smith as she began to 
cry. ``I'm proud of you,'' she said. ``Don't you ever quit.''
  Smith's involvement in the Civil Rights Movement dates back to the 
late 1950s when he joined the New Orleans chapter of the Congress of 
Racial Equality (``CORE'') as a 19-year-old student at Southern 
University of New Orleans. From boycotting stores that refused to hire 
or serve Blacks to sit-ins along Canal Street, CORE's substantial 
contributions were integral to the Civil Rights Movement from 1960 
onward. Speaking of CORE, the late Rudy Lombard stated, ``They had `a 
certain confidence,' . . . because they came out of a culture that was 
so rich. They knew that everything that was unique about the city could 
be traced to the Black presence.''
  Thereafter, Smith challenged Federal desegregation laws across the 
South as a member of the Freedom Riders. Throughout his travels, Smith 
participated in numerous protests that resulted in battle wounds. In 
fact, Smith had been beaten at least 12 times by mobs or police during 
the struggle. On May 24, 1963, Smith met with Attorney General Robert 
Kennedy and a host of celebrities and civil rights leaders in New York 
City to discuss the state of civil rights in the United States. During 
this meeting, it is said Smith emotionally told the United States' 
Attorney General, ``I've seen you guys [from the Justice Department] 
stand around and take notes while we're being beaten.'' Despite grave 
injustice and adversity of the times, Smith made a profound impact on 
civil rights history.
  Beyond the Civil Rights Movement, Smith continued to impact our city, 
particularly in the Treme Community in New Orleans, Louisiana.

[[Page E683]]

In 1968, Smith founded Tambourine and Fan to instill important culture, 
history, and tradition in New Orleans youth. He continues to teach 
classes modeled on those of the Freedom Schools during the 1964 Freedom 
Summer. ``Children in the Center recite lyrics of `Strange Fruit,' the 
names of the four young girls killed in the Birmingham, Alabama Church-
fire of 1963, the Neville Brothers' `Sister Rosa,' and chants of Mardi 
Gras Indians who will `not bow down.' ''
  Jerome Smith has mentored multitudes of individuals across the city 
for decades and continues to do so. Smith is the definition of a true 
warrior, and his legacy continues to inspire people everywhere.
  If it was not for the courage of this stellar man, I have to wonder 
if I would be allowed to stand before you today. For that, I am beyond 
humble to stand on his shoulders leading the constituents of 
Louisiana's 2nd Congressional District. The world could never thank him 
enough for all he has done in his lifetime. A huge thank you to 
Louisiana's adopted son as he continues his fight to stand for the 
rights of equal justice.

                          ____________________