[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 156 (2010), Part 12]
[House]
[Pages 17532-17534]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




   RECOGNIZING THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF SCHOOL DESEGREGATION BY RUBY 
                                BRIDGES

  Mr. CONYERS. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to 
the resolution (H. Res. 1713) recognizing the 50th anniversary of Ruby 
Bridges desegregating a previously all-White public elementary school.
  The Clerk read the title of the resolution.
  The text of the resolution is as follows:

                              H. Res. 1713

       Whereas, on May 17, 1954, the United States Supreme Court 
     announced in Brown v. Board of Education (347 U.S. 483) that, 
     ``in the field of education, the doctrine of `separate but 
     equal' has no place'';
       Whereas the Brown decision recognized as a matter of law 
     that the segregation of public schools deprived students of 
     the equal protection of the laws under the Fourteenth 
     Amendment to the Constitution of the United States;
       Whereas in 1960, six years after the landmark Brown v. 
     Board of Education decision, the promise of access and 
     equality within the realm of education remained unfilled in 
     New Orleans, Louisiana, and throughout much of the Nation;
       Whereas in 1960, the National Association for the 
     Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) contacted Ruby Bridges' 
     family to solicit her participation in the integration of New 
     Orleans public schools;
       Whereas six years after the Brown decision, on November 14, 
     1960, Ruby Bridges, at the age of six, was the first African-
     American child to integrate the previously all-White William 
     Frantz Elementary School;
       Whereas Ruby Bridges courageously took the first step into 
     a desegregated future made possible by the Supreme Court's 
     historic ruling in the Brown decision;
       Whereas Ruby Bridges was the only student in her class for 
     an entire year, taught by the only remaining teacher, Mrs. 
     Barbara Henry, after the other teachers and students withdrew 
     from the school in a gesture of disapproval of desegregation;
       Whereas Ruby Bridges was a pioneer in the movement for an 
     integrated public education system that afforded equal 
     educational opportunities to all, regardless of race;
       Whereas in the face of verbal abuse and unveiled bigotry, 
     Ruby Bridges exhibited the courage and equanimity of a person 
     many times her age;
       Whereas Norman Rockwell's The Problem We All Live With 
     offers a depiction of Ruby Bridges' uncanny resolve and 
     singularity of purpose in the face of adversity as she 
     attended her first day of school;
       Whereas Ruby Bridges' story is symbolic of the victorious 
     dismantling of school segregation, as well as the full and 
     equal participation in United States society to which all 
     citizens are entitled;
       Whereas the significance of Ruby Bridges' actions have been 
     acknowledged with numerous awards and recognitions, including 
     the Presidential Citizens Medal awarded by President William 
     Jefferson Clinton in 2001; and
       Whereas Ruby Bridges was among the first in a line of civil 
     rights pioneers that paved the way for the eventual 
     desegregation of all public schools in the United States: 
     Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
       (1) recognizes the 50th anniversary of Ruby Bridges 
     desegregating a previously all-White public elementary 
     school;
       (2) encourages people in the United States to recognize the 
     historical importance of the desegregation of elementary 
     schools and Ruby Bridges, who not only secured integration 
     for William Frantz Elementary School, but hundreds of 
     thousands of schools across the Nation; and
       (3) commits itself, in the wake of recent challenges, to 
     continuing the legacy of Brown v. Board of Education by 
     protecting and advancing equal educational opportunity for 
     all.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Michigan (Mr. Conyers) and the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Poe) each will 
control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Michigan.


                             General Leave

  Mr. CONYERS. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members 
have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include 
extraneous material on the resolution now under consideration.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Michigan?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. CONYERS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself as much time as I may 
consume.
  This resolution is to recognize and honor the 50th anniversary of 
Ruby Bridges, who helped desegregate a previously all-white public 
elementary school. This is the 50th anniversary, yesterday, actually, 
of the integration of the William Frantz public school located in New 
Orleans, Louisiana.
  I had the pleasure of meeting Ruby Bridges once, and she's a very 
impressive lady. On November 14, 1960, she became the first African 
American student to attend the school, and one of the first African 
American students to integrate an elementary school in the South.
  My commendation goes to our colleague, the great civil rights leader, 
John Lewis of Georgia, for offering this resolution that commemorates 
this significant occasion.
  In recognizing this civil rights and education milestone, I want to 
point out that the success of the civil rights movement itself was due 
in large part to the resolve of young people, men and women of all 
races and backgrounds, who were courageous enough to take a stand 
against racial injustice in America.
  The famous artist, Norman Rockwell, caught this in a famous painting 
of this little 6-year-old girl escorted into the school by United 
States marshals, a girl only seeking a decent and equitable education. 
Little did she probably know that she would be making history. But she 
wanted to go to school. She wanted to learn. And she had no idea that 
there were people and forces

[[Page 17533]]

that would stand in her way and do everything in their power to make 
sure that her simple personal objective would not be accomplished.
  And so the incredible thing that is the reaction against this attempt 
of a first grader was so complete that she was the only member in her 
class that semester. And by the time she got to the sixth grade, this 
elementary school was finally integrated.
  Now, this realized the promise of the 1954 case that we're all 
familiar with, Brown v. The Board of Education, and the separate but 
equal realm of education. And it's worth observing, and to have our 
history brought back to us by this great colleague of Dr. Martin Luther 
King, John Lewis, whose heroic courage as a young man himself is yet 
another chapter in this remarkable history of America turning around a 
long history of segregated practices in America.
  The success of the Montgomery bus boycott, led by my dear friend, 
Rosa Parks, and the late Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was the foundation 
upon which Ruby Bridges could begin school at William Frantz 
Elementary. And her actions on November 14, 1960, served as the 
foundation for even further achievements yet to come.
  And so following her first day of the first grade, the 1960 sit-in 
movement and the civil rights activity that followed called attention 
to segregated lunch counters and public facilities, not only in the 
South, but throughout the country. And so later that year, during the 
freedom rides, segregated restaurants and waiting areas in interstate 
bus terminals were successfully challenged.
  And so this all culminated into what?
  Well, the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965, 
and the Fair Housing Act of 1968.
  And so Ruby Bridges continues her struggle today. She's working to 
ensure that the school she integrated is an institution that affords 
children of all races a quality education.
  And the struggle of John Lewis continues today as now, at the Federal 
level. He helps create and implement the laws that started not so many 
years ago when this 6-year-old began her quest for a fair and just and 
equal society, not only in the realm of education, but in all America 
to make it a real democracy.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. POE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself as much time as I may 
consume.
  I want to thank Representative John Lewis, the gentleman from 
Georgia, for authoring this legislation and for his long, long work, 
many years in the civil rights movement, along with the chairman, for 
bringing this legislation to the House floor and his work in the civil 
rights movement.
  This resolution recognizes and honors the 50th anniversary of Ruby 
Bridges. Now, unlike the chairman, I think 50 years was a long time 
ago, but maybe it wasn't. But it was 50 years any way you look at it 
since Ruby Bridges played a role in desegregating a previously all-
white public elementary school in the South.

                              {time}  1540

  I was in elementary school at the same time she was, but not the same 
school having been in Texas and going to school there.
  In 1954, this all started when the United States Supreme Court made 
possible desegregation of American schools in Brown v. Board of 
Education. Six years later, Ruby Bridges, an African American child, a 
first grader, would help further the goal of the Court's decision in 
Brown v. Board of Education.
  Sometimes we have to leave it up to the kids to get things done. In 
this case, it was a first grader, a 6-year-old in elementary school who 
just wanted to go to school, and she was determined to get an 
education.
  In 1960, she had started to attend William Frantz Elementary School. 
It was an all-white school in New Orleans, Louisiana, in the New 
Orleans school system. She endured hateful crowds and threats to her 
physical safety. White parents initially pulled their kids out of the 
school, and only one teacher taught Bridges for more than a year.
  Robert Coles, a child psychiatrist who provided counseling to this 
young girl, later wrote a book, a children's book called ``The Story of 
Ruby Bridges,'' to educate other children about this child's role in 
desegregating not just one school but really, in essence, all the 
schools in the United States both in the South and the North.
  The courage demonstrated by Bridges and her parents continues to 
serve as an inspiration for children and adults. After 50 years, her 
example still encourages us to uphold the principles of equality and 
respect in our own lives and in our own culture. I urge my colleagues 
to join me in supporting this resolution.
  I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. CONYERS. Mr. Speaker, I would like to remind Judge Poe that if he 
had been around during the Hayes-Tilden episode, 50 years wouldn't seem 
so long to him, either.
  I now turn to John Lewis and yield him such time as he may consume.
  Mr. LEWIS of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my friend, the 
chairman, Mr. Conyers, for bringing this resolution to the floor, and I 
want to thank Mr. Poe for his support for this resolution. The two 
gentlemen are right.
  Fifty years ago today, a brave African American, a 6-year-old girl, 
young Ruby Bridges, walked bravely to the doors of the previously all-
white William Frantz Elementary School in New Orleans, Louisiana.
  It was not your typical first day of school. This little girl walked 
to her new school with her mother and armed Federal agents. She was not 
met with the smiles of schoolyard friends. She was met with screaming, 
angry mobs of people who did not want her to be there. In protest, 
parents withdrew every other student from her class. The only remaining 
teacher, Mrs. Barbara Henry, attended school each and every day to 
teach young Ruby.
  Ruby Bridges was born the year that the United States Supreme Court 
handed down the historic Brown v. Board of Education decision. They 
struck down the doctrine of ``separate but equal'' schools. Yet, 6 
years after that historic decision, Louisiana and much of the South had 
yet to make Brown's promise of equality a reality. It took courage, 
nothing but the raw courage of a little girl, to integrate the schools 
in Louisiana. In the face of verbal abuse, threats, and unveiled 
hatred, Ruby Bridges learned to drown out the shouts with her prayers.
  Little did she know on that first day of school 50 years ago that her 
image, immortalized in the painting of Norman Rockwell, would symbolize 
the end of segregation in schools.
  Her story is the story of our Nation. She paved the way for 
integrated public schools all across the United States.
  Today, Mr. Speaker, I ask all of my colleagues to pause and recognize 
the 50th anniversary of Ruby Bridges' courageous walk to school. I 
encourage all of my colleagues and all Americans to reflect on the 
historic Brown decision and importance of desegregating of schools. I 
ask all of my colleagues to support this resolution and recommit 
ourselves to equality in education for all Americans.
  Mr. POE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman 
from Louisiana (Mr. Cao), who not only is from Louisiana, he is from 
New Orleans, Louisiana.
  Mr. CAO. Mr. Speaker, today I rise in support of this important 
resolution. I also congratulate my friend and colleague, Mr. Lewis, for 
his leadership in bringing this to the floor today. I have the greatest 
pleasure of standing by Mr. Lewis, and I value his friendship greatly.
  In 1956, at a time when race relations were stressed in the South, 
the Orleans Parish School Board was ordered to develop a plan to 
desegregate its schools. After a 4-year delay, a plan designed by the 
United States Eastern District Court of Louisiana was ordered to be 
carried out.
  It was at that moment that a young girl by the name of Ruby Bridges 
became one of the first black children to attend an integrated school.

[[Page 17534]]

  Upon her arrival, every white parent came to remove their child from 
the elementary school Ms. Bridges was attending. All but one white 
teacher refused to teach, and it was that teacher who instructed Ruby 
in a room by herself for a full year.
  This experience did not deter Ruby who not only completed her 
education, but went on to found the Ruby Bridges Foundation, which has 
a clear and profound message: To promote the value of tolerance, 
respect, and appreciation of all differences.
  I was honored to meet Ms. Bridges in my New Orleans office last 
October. She is truly an extraordinary woman who has dedicated her life 
to service. At a time when my district is still fighting to rebuild its 
schools and provide for a stable and safe environment for our children, 
I am thankful to have her as an inspiration for all in rebuilding our 
communities today, tomorrow, and beyond.
  I am proud to note that as we reflect on a turning point in our 
Nation's history, it was the bravery of one New Orleanean who helped 
make it happen.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this resolution honoring 
the 50th anniversary of Ruby Bridges.
  Mr. CONYERS. I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. POE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the chairman for 
bringing not just this legislation, but all the legislation that has 
been brought up today to the House floor, and to emphasize the point 
that he made: Good legislation, most important legislation, is 
bipartisan legislation. What most Americans don't realize, most 
legislation is bipartisan that is passed through this House, and it 
will continue to be so.
  I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. CONYERS. Mr. Speaker, I am so glad that we were able to reveal 
this important part of American history, not just through our 
colleagues but through our countrymen. I share the spirit of the 
remarks of my friend on the Judiciary Committee, Judge Poe.
  Ms. JACKSON LEE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support 
of H. Res. 1713, ``Recognizing and Honoring the 50th Anniversary of 
Ruby Bridges Desegregation of a Previously All-White Elementary 
School.'' Let me begin by thanking my colleague, Representative John 
Lewis, for introducing this legislation into the House of 
Representatives as it is important that we recognize the great strides 
of the minority citizens of this country.
  In so doing, we remind America that she must never serve on her 
citizens the atrocities that occurred to the African-American under her 
watchful legal eye. This legislation celebrates the life of Ruby 
Bridges, born in Mississippi during a very turbulent era. It 
acknowledges a citizen's courageousness in holding America to the 
language of her landmark ruling--Brown v. Board of Education.
  Ruby Bridges acknowledges that growing up for her presented a very 
hard life. Having heard there were better opportunities in the city, 
Bridges moved along with her family, to New Orleans. While in New 
Orleans, the public schools were finally forced, under federal court 
order, to desegregate.
  In the spring of 1960, Bridges took a test, along with other black 
kindergarteners in the city, to see if she would go to an integrated 
school come September. That summer she and her parents learned she 
passed the test and had been selected to start first grade at William 
Frantz Public School.
  On the morning of November 14 federal marshals drove her and her 
mother the five blocks to William Frantz.
  We applaud Ruby Bridges for her stalwart tenacity and her courage, at 
such a young age, to be an advocate for change in America.
  Mr. CONYERS. I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Conyers) that the House suspend the rules 
and agree to the resolution, H. Res. 1713.
  The question was taken.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds 
being in the affirmative, the ayes have it.
  Mr. CONYERS. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
  The yeas and nays were ordered.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX and the 
Chair's prior announcement, further proceedings on this motion will be 
postponed.

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