[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 83 (Tuesday, May 14, 2024)]
[House]
[Pages H3195-H3197]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




          THE 70TH ANNIVERSARY OF BROWN V. BOARD OF EDUCATION

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under the Speaker's announced policy of 
January 9, 2023, the gentlewoman from Florida (Mrs. Cherfilus-
McCormick) is recognized for 60 minutes as the designee of the minority 
leader.


                             General Leave

  Mrs. CHERFILUS-McCORMICK. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that 
all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend 
their remarks and include extraneous material on the subject of this 
Special Order hour.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentlewoman from Florida?
  There was no objection.
  Mrs. CHERFILUS-McCORMICK. Mr. Speaker, it is with great honor that I 
rise today as co-anchor of this CBC Special Order hour, along with my 
distinguished colleague, Representative Jonathan Jackson.
  For the next 60 minutes, members of the CBC have an opportunity to 
discuss the importance of the 70th anniversary of Brown v. Board of 
Education, an issue of great importance to the Congressional Black 
Caucus, Congress, the constituents we represent, and all Americans.
  Today, I rise to reflect upon the 70th anniversary of one of the most 
pivotal moments in our Nation's history: the landmark Supreme Court 
case, Brown v. Board of Education. This ruling forever altered the 
course of our Nation, shattering the chains of segregation and paving 
the way for a more just and equitable society.
  Our educational institutions were marred by racial segregation, 
denying countless Black children the opportunity to receive a quality 
education simply because of the color of their skin. The Brown v. Board 
of Education decision struck down the doctrine of ``separate but 
equal,'' declaring that segregated education facilities were inherently 
unequal, and thus unconstitutional. This ruling not only dismantled the 
legal framework of segregation in schools but sent a powerful message 
that discrimination and inequality have no place in our society.
  However, the significance of Brown v. Board of Education extends far 
beyond

[[Page H3196]]

the realm of education. It laid the groundwork for a more inclusive and 
equitable society, one in which every individual is afforded the same 
rights and opportunities regardless of race, creed, or background.
  It ignited a spark of change that reverberated throughout the Nation, 
catalyzing the civil rights movement, and inspiring generations of 
activists to fight for equality and justice. It emboldened individuals 
to challenge institutionalized racism and discrimination in all of its 
forms, paving the way for monumental legislative victories, such as the 
Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
  Today, we can see the impact of Brown v. Board of Education in every 
corner of our Nation. It has transformed our economy, unleashing the 
untapped potential of millions of African Americans who now have the 
opportunity to pursue their dreams and contribute to the prosperity of 
our country.
  It has strengthened our social fabric, fostering greater 
understanding and empathy among people of different races and 
backgrounds. It has reaffirmed our commitment to the principles of 
justice and equality that lie at the heart of our democracy, but our 
work is far from over.
  Despite the progress we have made, we still face inequalities that 
divide our society. The legacy of Brown v. Board of Education reminds 
us that the fight for civil rights is ongoing and that we must remain 
vigilant in our pursuit of a more perfect Union.
  So let us honor this legacy by redirecting ourselves to the cause of 
justice and equality. Let us continue to strive for a future where 
every child, regardless of their race or background, has the 
opportunity to succeed and thrive. Let us never forget the power of our 
collective voices to bring about meaningful change in our communities 
and in our Nation.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield now to the gentleman from Illinois, 
Representative Jonathan Jackson, my co-anchor.
  Mr. JACKSON of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I thank the honorable 
Congresswoman Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick from Florida and the co-anchor 
of this Special Order hour for yielding.
  Mr. Speaker, tonight just a few of my colleagues and I gather in this 
place and at this time to remind the Members of this body and the 
American people of the cost of progress in this country. I submit to 
you that there are too many people who have come to believe that 
progress is inevitable, that history is slanted upward, and that if 
left to its own devices, this country will magically always do the 
right thing.
  It is not ironic that those are usually also the same people who 
believe that marches and demonstrations are untimely and excessive. In 
a very real sense, these are the people who said that Reverend Martin 
Luther King was a rabble-rouser; that Thurgood Marshall was delusional; 
that college protests are inconveniences and not to be taken seriously; 
that the preservation of the status quo is of more social value than is 
the expansion of opportunity and liberty.
  They do further believe that public demonstrations of discontent are 
more about law and order than about the irrepressible yearning in every 
human being to unapologetically be free.
  What they miss is that all of us want and deserve to be treated with 
respect and have our dignity intact. What they fail to realize is that 
all of us want to see our children live in communities where they are 
safe and valued and have opportunity. Regrettably not all of us have 
access to the things that make for peace.
  In the words of Reverend Martin Luther King, peace is not the absence 
of noise, but it is the presence of justice. Not all of us are judged 
by the content of our character nor simply the color of our skin. As 
long as a child in Brooklyn cannot read and a child in Atlanta and 
Appalachia may not have a desire to learn, we cannot be complacent in a 
Nation of great wealth.
  What the purveyors of inevitability fail to understand is that 
freedom and justice have never come to those who waited for someone 
else to decide it was time for them to be free. Even in this body, 
there are far too many individuals under the impression that this 
Nation will become a more perfect Union if we just leave things alone, 
but nothing could be further from the truth.
  Today, and this week, we commemorate the 70th anniversary of Brown v. 
Board of Education. What made this a landmark decision was not just 
that it undermined the fallacious reasoning that made segregation 
possible in this country, but also the fact that the decision itself 
was the result of generations of American citizens working diligently 
in the shadows of American history to push this Nation forward.
  Brown v. Board of Education didn't just happen 70 years ago. An 
entire movement made it possible for the Supreme Court not to ignore 
the arrival of an idea whose time had come. We are only able to have 
this commemoration because Black people and honorable White people in 
this country refused to wait another generation before we could enjoy 
some of the promises of America.
  What happened in that courtroom in 1954 in Arkansas cannot be 
understood apart from what is happening in the streets of America 
today.
  Progress in America is a fact that cannot be denied, but it did not 
happen because America wanted to change. This Nation is not a better 
place to live in because southern segregationists changed their minds. 
Change happened in America because, though the wheels of God grind 
slow, they grind exceedingly small but go forward.
  That is to say it was nothing but the righteous indignation of 
ordinary people doing extraordinary things that made justice roll down 
like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream.
  Just the other day, not far from here in the Capitol in Statuary 
Hall, we celebrated the statue of Daisy Bates taking her rightful place 
in Statuary Hall.
  As a child, I grew up in Chicago and Mrs. Bates oftentimes came and 
shared the holidays with my family. It was indeed an honor to be a 
Member of the 118th Congress and to see the unveiling of her statue, an 
African-American woman, who at the age of 8, had lost her mother to men 
that had raped her and killed her and put her in a mill pond in 
Arkansas never having faced justice, but then to see President Bill 
Clinton and Governor Mike Huckabee unveil a statue and a highway, a 
road in her honor, was truly an honor in 1998.

                              {time}  2030

  As we celebrated the valorization and veneration of her likeness, I 
would remind us of how many different kinds of people it takes to move 
a nation forward in the direction of its principles on paper.
  Daisy Bates was a publisher and an activist who gave counsel to the 
Little Rock Nine, nine children who were denied access to a public 
education under Governor Orval Faubus of Arkansas.
  She was someone instrumental in the effort to undermine the Nation's 
separate but equal law, a Jim Crow-era law that still remained. She 
didn't come out of her mother's womb wanting to be an activist, but she 
lived in a country where activism was as much a necessity as breathing. 
When our young children are gathering up on the campuses today, they 
yearn for freedom.
  She did what she had to do for herself and her progeny. This Nation 
owes her our deepest gratitude for laying such a costly sacrifice upon 
the altars of equity and equality in America.
  To each and all of the remarkable trailblazers who dedicated their 
lives to the possibility of unbridled opportunity in this country, we 
owe you and Miss Daisy Bates our devotion, and we owe our children 
common sense.
  Do not be deceived. We still need people who are willing to do 
extraordinary things in the cause of freedom and justice because when a 
Black United States airman can be murdered in his house for expressing 
his Second Amendment right to bear arms while Kyle Rittenhouse can 
shoot three people and walk down the streets with an AR-15 in his hands 
and nobody even asks him a question, clearly there is work that still 
needs to be done in our country.
  Be not deceived. As long as women do not get equal pay for equal 
work, we have work to do. As long as anti-Semitism is taking on a life 
of its own while anti-Blackness has never truly subsided, there is 
still work that must be done, and we are the ones to do it.
  Let us continue the work. Let us continue to fight for what is right.

[[Page H3197]]

  Let us challenge our friends to do more, our enemies to do better, 
and ourselves to never give up. God bless the memory of all of those 
who kept America strong and made America better.
  We commemorate this day for Miss Daisy Bates, the children of Little 
Rock, and those who brought in a new era of desegregation.
  Mrs. CHERFILUS-McCORMICK. Mr. Speaker, the landmark ruling in Brown 
v. Board of Education not only shattered the doctrine of separate but 
equal but firmly established that racial segregation is abhorrent to 
the principles enshrined in our Constitution. It affirmed unequivocally 
that every child in America, regardless of race, deserves equal 
protection and opportunity under law.
  Today, as we reflect on this pivotal moment, we are reminded of its 
profound impact on our journey toward civil rights and educational 
equity. Yet, despite the progress we have made, we must confront the 
realities that still persist--inequalities that continue to hold back 
our youth from reaching their full potential, especially in 
marginalized communities.
  Innovation in education has been monumental but not uniformly felt. 
As we grapple with the challenges of economic disparities and systemic 
barriers, we are called to what Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., described 
as the fierce urgency of now.
  The fight for educational opportunity and the quest for civil rights 
are inextricably intertwined. Focusing on education as a civil rights 
issue changes the cadence of our conversation. We must ensure that the 
promise of Brown v. Board of Education extends beyond our history and 
into the lived experiences of every student.
  Let us champion policies that foster innovation and collaboration 
across all sectors to create holistic solutions that uplift every 
child. We must secure the necessary investments to revitalize our 
educational system and affirm our unwavering commitment to the next 
generation. This is not just an educational mandate; it is a moral 
imperative.
  In addition, the economic significance of Brown v. Board of Education 
cannot be overstated. By dismantling the legal framework of segregation 
in education, it opened up doors that had long been closed to Black 
Americans. Education is not just a means of imparting knowledge; it is 
the key to economic opportunity, the gateway to prosperity.
  Prior to this ruling, Black students were assigned to underfunded, 
substandard schools, deprived of the resources and opportunities 
afforded to their White counterparts. This perpetuated a cycle of 
poverty and limited upward mobility for generations of Black Americans. 
With the desegregation of schools mandated by Brown v. Board of 
Education, Black students gained access to better funded schools, 
qualified teachers, and educational opportunities previously denied to 
them. This led to a burgeoning Black middle class and contributed to 
the overall economic growth and prosperity of our entire Nation.
  Yet, despite the gains made since Brown, racial disparities persist 
in our educational system and in our economy. These disparities have 
far-reaching economic consequences.
  For example, a recent report from the National Urban League finds 
that the racial income gap has been stagnant for over 20 years, with 
Black Americans earning an average of 64 percent of the income of White 
Americans.
  As we commemorate Brown v. Board of Education, let us recommit 
ourselves to the unfinished work of achieving true equality in 
education and economic opportunity for all.
  Mr. Speaker, you have heard from my distinguished colleagues about 
the 70th anniversary of Brown v. Board of Education, issues of great 
importance to the Congressional Black Caucus, our constituents, 
Congress, and all Americans tonight.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

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