[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 158 (2012), Part 2]
[House]
[Pages 2587-2596]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  0910
 DIRECTING OFFICE OF HISTORIAN TO COMPILE ORAL HISTORIES FROM MEMBERS 
                INVOLVED IN ALABAMA CIVIL RIGHTS MARCHES

  Mr. DANIEL E. LUNGREN of California. Mr. Speaker, pursuant to the 
order of the House of February 29, 2012, I call up the resolution (H. 
Res. 562) directing the Office of the Historian to compile oral 
histories from current and former Members of the House of 
Representatives involved in the historic and annual Selma to 
Montgomery, Alabama, marches, as well as the civil rights movement in 
general, for the purposes of expanding or augmenting the historic 
record and for public dissemination and education, and ask for its 
immediate consideration.
  The Clerk read the title of the resolution.
  The text of the resolution is as follows:

                              H. Res. 562

       Whereas in 1965, civil rights advocates participated in 
     three marches from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama, marking a 
     watershed moment of the civil rights movement;
       Whereas the first march took place on March 7, 1965, during 
     which 600 civil rights activists, led by now-Representative 
     John Lewis and Reverend Hosea Williams, began a march to 
     protest unfair voter registration practices and the shooting 
     death of Jimmie Lee Jackson during a voter registration 
     drive;
       Whereas marchers progressed only six blocks from the Brown 
     Chapel A.M.E. Church to the Edmund Pettus Bridge, where many 
     were tear-gassed and beaten;
       Whereas two days later, on March 9, 1965, Reverend Martin 
     Luther King, Jr., led a symbolic march of 2,000 people to the 
     Edmund Pettus Bridge, all kneeling there to pray;
       Whereas, on March 21, 1965, with protection from the 
     Alabama National Guard, more than 3,000 people set out from 
     Selma again led by Rev. King, marching an average of 12 miles 
     a day along Route 80 and sleeping in farm fields;
       Whereas that group grew to 25,000 participants by the time 
     it reached Montgomery on March 25, 1965, where Rev. King 
     delivered one of his most venerated speeches;
       Whereas as a result of this historic three-week period, 
     Congress passed the Voting Rights Act of 1965, five months 
     after the third march, as a recognition of the right of all 
     United States citizens to fully participate in the electoral 
     process;
       Whereas in 1996, Congress created the 54-mile long Selma-
     to-Montgomery National Historic Trail along the route of this 
     third march, starting at the Brown Chapel A.M.E. Church in 
     Selma, crossing the Edmund Pettus Bridge, and ending at the 
     Alabama State Capitol in Montgomery;
       Whereas beginning in 1998, Members of Congress have 
     participated in an annual civil rights pilgrimage to the 
     Selma-to-Montgomery National Historic Trail, to visit the 
     historic sites, participate in fellowship, and recognize the 
     achievements of the civil rights movement;
       Whereas the Office of the Historian, first established in 
     1983, researches, preserves, and interprets the rich 
     institutional history of the House of Representatives in 
     order to share it with Members, staff, and the public, and 
     serves as the institutional memory to inspire greater 
     understanding of the House of Representatives' central role 
     in United States history;
       Whereas Members of the House of Representatives have 
     included participants in the historic 1965 marches and in the 
     annual pilgrimages thereafter; and
       Whereas the collection of oral memories of march 
     participants who have served in the House of Representatives, 
     and will continue to serve in the House of Representatives, 
     is essential to the preservation of the history of the 
     institution: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the House of Representatives directs the 
     Office of the Historian to compile oral histories from 
     current and former Members of the House of Representatives 
     involved in the historic and annual Selma to Montgomery, 
     Alabama, marches, as well as the civil rights movement in 
     general, for the purposes of expanding or augmenting the 
     historic record and for public dissemination and education.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the order of the House of 
Wednesday, February 29, 2012, the gentleman from California (Mr. Daniel 
E. Lungren) and the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Lewis) each will 
control 30 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from California.


                             General Leave

  Mr. DANIEL E. LUNGREN of California. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous 
consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and 
extend their remarks.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from California?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. DANIEL E. LUNGREN of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such 
time as I might consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of House Resolution 562, which directs 
the Office of the Historian to compile and disseminate oral histories 
from current and former Members of the House of Representatives 
involved in the historic and annual Selma-to-Montgomery, Alabama, 
marches, as well as the civil rights movement in general.
  In March of 1965, a defining 3-week period of the civil rights 
movement culminated with a historic 54-mile march from Selma to 
Montgomery. Led by the Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr., it was the 
last of three marches that resulted in the passage of the Voting Rights 
Act of 1965 recognizing the right of all Americans to participate in 
the electoral process.
  On March 7, 1965, our colleague from Georgia, Mr. John Lewis, and the 
Reverend Hosea Williams led 600 civil rights activists in the first 
march from Selma to Montgomery to protest the shooting of Jimmie Lee 
Jackson, killed just a few weeks earlier by State troopers while doing 
nothing more than registering African Americans to vote. The march 
lasted only six blocks before coming to a violent end on the Edmund 
Pettus Bridge. In what has become known as Bloody Sunday, troopers used 
tear gas and clubs to beat the protesters back from the bridge. The 
upsetting, horrifying images of peaceful marchers being brutally 
assaulted by authorities brought national attention to the plight of 
African Americans in the South and greater resolve to those seeking 
equality for all.
  Two days later, the Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr., led a second 
symbolic march where 2,000 participants returned to the Edmund Pettus 
Bridge and proceeded to kneel and pray.
  On March 21, this time with protection from Federal authorities and 
the

[[Page 2588]]

Alabama National Guard, the Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr., led a 54-
mile march to the State capitol building. Three days later, the group 
that started with 3,000 participants and grew to 25,000 strong, arrived 
in Montgomery, where Dr. King proclaimed:

       We are on the move now. Like an idea whose time has come, 
     not even the marching of mighty armies can halt us. We are 
     moving to the land of freedom.

  Mr. Speaker, the magnitude and importance of this historic event is 
undeniable, and its significance to American history must never be 
forgotten.
  To commemorate these marches, Congress in 1996 created the 54-mile-
long Selma to Montgomery National Historic Trail along the route of Dr. 
King's march, starting at the Brown Chapel AME Church in Selma and 
ending at the Alabama State Capitol in Montgomery.
  Since 1998, Members of Congress have participated in an annual civil 
rights pilgrimage on the Selma to Montgomery National Historic Trail. 
In March of 2009, I had the privilege of participating with my wife in 
this event. We marched across the Edmund Pettus Bridge, and we were 
inspired by those with firsthand experiences from the events of 1965.
  Documenting and sharing the experiences of Members who participated 
in historic and annual marches from Selma to Montgomery is critically 
important to the recognition and preservation of the achievements of 
the American civil rights movement. As I understand it, Mr. Lewis from 
Georgia and the majority leader whip, Mr. McCarthy, will lead the 2012 
congressional civil rights pilgrimage starting tomorrow. It is fitting 
that we are here today with this resolution as another group of Members 
begin their journey.
  I want to thank my colleagues from Alabama, Ms. Sewell and Mrs. Roby, 
for introducing this important resolution.
  I strongly urge all of my colleagues not only to support the 
resolution but also to take part in the annual congressional Selma to 
Montgomery march.
  I reserve the balance of my time.

                              {time}  0920

  Mr. LEWIS of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  I want to thank my colleagues, Majority Leader Eric Cantor, 
Congresswomen Terri Sewell and Martha Roby, for offering this 
resolution today.
  I am so pleased that this resolution will preserve the oral histories 
of current and former Members of Congress who participated in the civil 
rights movement, and it will also preserve the experiences of Members 
who have come on the Faith & Politics Civil Rights Pilgrimage to 
Alabama.
  Together, we have retraced the steps that were walked so many years 
ago and have spent time with some of the people who shaped the civil 
rights movement. Some of the Members who have gone on this pilgrimage 
were not even born during the civil rights movement, and they come to 
learn about our Nation's history. Many Members have come away changed 
by this experience forever.
  This resolution will help us preserve a powerful and transformative 
period in American history. Without the brave and courageous souls who 
shed blood, sweat, and tears in Alabama and throughout the South, this 
would be a very different Nation today.
  It is very important that Members of Congress understand and 
acknowledge the debt we owe to ordinary people with extraordinary 
vision, who, as Dr. Martin Luther King once said, ``injected new 
meaning into the very veins of our democracy.''
  Mr. Speaker, on March 7, 1965, 600 peaceful, nonviolent protesters 
attempted to march from Selma, Alabama, to the State capitol in 
Montgomery to dramatize to the world that people of color wanted to 
register to vote.
  We left Brown Chapel AME Church that morning on a sacred mission, 
prepared to defy the dictates of man to demonstrate the truth of a 
higher law. Ordinary citizens with extraordinary vision walked shoulder 
to shoulder, two by two, in a silent, peaceful protest against 
injustice in the American South. We were met at the foot of the Edmund 
Pettus Bridge by a sea of blue--Alabama State troopers. Some were 
mounted on horseback, but all of them were armed with guns, tear gas, 
and billy clubs, and beyond them were deputized citizens who were 
waving any weapons they could find.
  Then we heard:

       I am Major John Cloud. This is an unlawful march. You 
     cannot continue. You have 3 minutes to go home or return to 
     your church.

  We were preparing to kneel and pray when the major said, ``Troopers 
advance.''
  The troopers came toward us, beating us and spraying tear gas. That 
brutal confrontation became known as Bloody Sunday.
  It produced a sense of righteous indignation around the country and 
around the world that led this Congress to pass the Voting Rights Act 
of 1965. Eight days after Bloody Sunday, President Lyndon Johnson 
addressed a joint session of Congress and made what I believe is the 
greatest statement any President has ever made on the importance of 
voting rights in America.
  He said:

       I speak tonight for the dignity of man and for the destiny 
     of democracy. At times, history and fate meet at a single 
     time, in a single place to shape a turning point in man's 
     unending search for freedom. So it was at Lexington and 
     Concord. So it was a century ago at Appomattox. So it was 
     last week in Selma, Alabama.

  During that speech, President Johnson condemned the violence in Selma 
and called on Congress to enact the Voting Rights Act. He closed his 
speech by echoing the words of the civil rights movement, saying over 
and over, ``And we shall overcome . . . And we shall overcome.''
  Congress did pass the Voting Rights Act, and on August 6, 1965, it 
was signed into law.
  This weekend, starting tomorrow, is the 12th congressional pilgrimage 
to civil rights sites in Birmingham, Montgomery, and in Selma with the 
Faith & Politics Institute. We will remember the distance we have come 
and the progress we have made. We will end our time together in Selma 
by crossing the Edmund Pettus Bridge.
  During this trip, we see ourselves not as Democrats or Republicans or 
as adversaries. We see ourselves as Americans on a journey to discover 
our history. We all come away from this pilgrimage with a deeper 
appreciation of our democracy and the power of people to make a 
difference in our society. I am so pleased that this story will be 
told.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. DANIEL E. LUNGREN of California. Mr. Speaker, it is my pleasure 
to yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Petri), a 
distinguished member of the Committees on Education and the Workforce 
and Transportation and Infrastructure.
  Mr. PETRI. I thank my colleague from California for yielding.
  I support House Resolution 562, which recognizes the importance of 
preserving the oral histories of current and former Representatives' 
personal experiences regarding the historic Selma to Montgomery, 
Alabama, marches and the civil rights movement.
  As a student during the civil rights movement, I had the opportunity 
to witness the impact the Selma to Montgomery marches had on shifting 
public opinions. An example of the influence the marches wielded is the 
fact that, 2 days after witnessing the images of the initial march in 
the media, President Johnson presented a bill to a joint session of 
Congress, which became the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
  Like so many others, I tried to play my own small part in support of 
the civil rights movement. As a member of the NAACP and as a college 
student, I participated in a boycott of a Woolworth's store in support 
of the desegregation of the chain's lunch counters in the South. During 
that time, Dr. King came to our college, and I had the honor to very 
briefly meet him.
  While my direct involvement in the civil rights movement may have 
been

[[Page 2589]]

limited, there are many former andcurrent Members who have unique and 
inspirational stories to share about the historic 1965 marches and the 
civil rights movement.
  We have the honor of serving with Representative John Lewis, for 
example, who just spoke, who is an icon of the civil rights movement. I 
have been lucky enough to hear him speak movingly to student groups and 
others about his experiences as he led the fight for racial and voter 
equality. It is important that accounts such as his be preserved in the 
historic record so that they can be shared for years to come. I believe 
it is important to keep the history and heritage of the civil rights 
movement alive by collecting and sharing these oral histories with the 
American public.
  Mr. Speaker, I support this resolution, and I urge its passage by the 
House today.
  Mr. LEWIS of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 4 minutes to 
the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. David Scott).
  Mr. DAVID SCOTT of Georgia. Thank you very much, my distinguished 
colleague, John Lewis, for inviting me to be a part of this resolution 
presentation.
  I think it is very important as we commemorate this event that we 
realize those were some dark and dangerous days and that there were 
both black and white people who gave their lives so that black people 
could have the right to vote.
  There was Ms. Viola Gregg Liuzzo from Detroit, Michigan, a white lady 
who came down to Selma to help African Americans get the right to vote. 
She was shot and killed on Highway 80 in Selma, Alabama. We need not 
forget Michael Schwerner and Andrew Goodman, along with James Chaney, 
two young white men and one black man, who were shot and killed.
  When we tell this story about the civil rights movement, it is 
important that we tell this story right so that this is a true story of 
the greatness of America. It is not just a black story. It is America's 
story. White and black people lost their lives, gave their lives for us 
to have the right to vote. This is the greatness of this.
  I just want to say what a privilege it is for us to have a man like 
John Lewis to serve with. Let us not even begin to underestimate the 
significant contribution of this young man--and I call him a young 
man--whom I serve with and you serve with. I, personally, appreciate 
John Lewis for taking me with him when I was a student, traveling 
through the South, and I saw firsthand with him what we had to go for.
  John, I want to say to you, thank you for taking me through that 
baptism of fire for it has truly made me the man I am today. I want to 
thank you for that, and the entire Nation thanks you and all of those.
  As I said, I want everybody to remember Ms. Viola Gregg Liuzzo from 
Detroit, who came down, and Michael Schwerner and Andrew Goodman, these 
people who gave their lives.

                              {time}  0930

  I want to also thank Ms. Terri Sewell, who represents the area in 
Alabama where so much of this sacrifice took place.
  This is an extraordinary pilgrimage. I was on it, have been on it, 
and I encourage everybody that can to go on this pilgrimage and see and 
experience what I call the greatness of America.
  Mr. DANIEL E. LUNGREN of California. Mr. Speaker, it is my privilege 
to yield 3 minutes to the gentlelady from Alabama (Mrs. Roby), a member 
of the Committees on Armed Services, Agriculture, Education and the 
Workforce, and she cosponsored this resolution.
  Mrs. ROBY. Thank you for yielding me time.
  Mr. Speaker, today I'm so proud to join with Terri Sewell, another 
Alabama freshman Member, to offer House Resolution 562, an initiative 
that will preserve a collection of accounts from Members involved in 
the historic and annual marches from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama.
  The oral histories preserved through this resolution will memorialize 
the symbolic events that changed the direction of the civil rights 
movement. What took place during three historic marches in Alabama over 
a 3-week period in 1965 proved to be a powerful transformation in 
American history. The courageous actions of so many moved our country 
out of an era of misguided actions.
  Participants marched towards a unified goal to provide equal voting 
rights for all Americans. The first march, on March 7, 1965, remains, 
without a doubt, one of the worst demonstrations of racial violence. 
Participants peacefully marching were met by a brutal and aggressive 
police force.
  This violence was captured by the news and broadcast to family rooms 
all over this Nation. It quickly delivered a message to a racially 
divided country of unforeseen consequences caused by segregation.
  Such shameless violent actions unleashed on nonviolent marchers 
revealed the immediate need for equal rights for citizens. Without a 
doubt, the days that racial voting laws were enforced for our country 
were among the darkest and least honorable for this Nation.
  Even today, our country is still repairing from the wrongs inflicted 
decades ago by racial segregation. If it were not for the unwavering 
courage of those marching for civil freedoms, our country would be very 
different than the way we know it today. Their brave actions will be 
forever memorialized by the Selma To Montgomery Voting Rights Trail.
  Our younger generations today did not witness firsthand the historic 
demonstrations that forged a unified Nation, myself included. 
Therefore, it is so important to record the testimonies in order to 
reveal the scope and the relevance of these civil rights events.
  I am proud to introduce this resolution with Representative Sewell to 
preserve the history of our democracy.
  The resolution instructs the Office of the Historian to compile 
testimonies from current and former Members of Congress who have 
participated in historic or commemorative civil rights movement 
actions. It will tell every generation a detailed timeline of these 
historic moments in the civil rights movement.
  Those marching for equality were among the many patriots that 
envisioned a better America, one free from racial discrimination.
  The marches proved not only to be successful in granting equal voting 
rights, but an illustrative account of citizens attaining freedom from 
harsh discrimination. Though such intolerable actions can never be 
reversed, there is still dignity knowing that the participants of these 
marches permanently changed the course of American history.
  I urge all of my colleagues to vote in support of this bicameral 
resolution.
  Mr. LEWIS of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the 
gentlewoman from California, the Democratic Leader, Nancy Pelosi.
  Ms. PELOSI. I thank the gentleman for yielding.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the legislation and commend 
Congresswoman Sewell and Congresswoman Roby for their leadership in 
bringing this to the floor and giving us the opportunity to speak about 
the heroes amongst us.
  In some of the darkest hours of our Nation's history, as we all know, 
there are stories of great courage. By preserving these stories, which 
this legislation enables us to do, we ensure that those who come after 
us will know that the cause of equality is both our Nation's heritage 
and our hope.
  Unsurpassed in courage in our midst is our colleague, the conscience 
of the Congress, Congressman John Lewis.
  On March 7, 1965, as many of us all know, Congressman John Lewis was 
the leader of 600 peaceful, orderly Americans crossing the Edmund 
Pettus Bridge. He was met by State troopers, tear gas, bullwhips, and 
nightsticks. Though he faced great prejudice and discrimination, he was 
not embittered; he was emboldened to dedicate his life to the cause of 
justice and equality.
  It is a great privilege for each of us to serve with John Lewis in 
Congress,

[[Page 2590]]

an honor to call him colleague. I want to speak about his leadership in 
taking so many Members of Congress and their families and friends 
across the Edmund Pettus Bridge in recent years.
  I had the privilege to join him in the year 2001. After the visit, I 
said to him, of the 3 days we were in your district, Congresswoman 
Roby, in Montgomery, Selma, and in Birmingham, and the course of the 
weekend, that the experience was one that every schoolchild in America 
should experience. We talked about Washington, DC; Philadelphia and 
Independence Hall; Baltimore and Fort McHenry; Boston with all of that 
history; New York and the rest, but this is a very important part of 
who we are as a country. If you want to learn about America, it's 
important to visit these sites to see the courage, to see the 
commitment to the values of our Founders that were so courageously 
defended and advocated for.
  At this sad time, and for many of us it was in our lifetimes that 
this disaster was happening in our country, this ongoing disaster, the 
culmination of it took so many people a longer time to see. We always 
talk about the inevitable in the minds of some and the inconceivable in 
the minds of others, and how our work is to shorten the distance 
between the inevitable and the inconceivable. Well, it took some people 
a much longer time to understand what was inevitable for America, that 
we would be moving, gravitating toward a more perfect union. That would 
not have been possible without the leadership of people like John 
Lewis. There aren't many people like John Lewis, but who followed his 
lead.
  There are other Members of Congress who also were leaders in the 
Nation's civil rights movement, and we honor all of them today. They 
include Assistant Leader Jim Clyburn, who was arrested several times 
for his civil disobedience on behalf of civil rights; Congressman 
Barney Frank and Congressman John Conyers, who both volunteered during 
the Freedom Summer; Congressman Bob Filner, who spent several months in 
jail after his efforts as a Freedom Rider, and he takes great pride in 
being invited back to the reunion of the Freedom Riders; Congresswoman 
Eleanor Holmes Norton, who was an organizer of the Student Nonviolent 
Coordinating Committee; and Congresswoman Terri Sewell, who, along with 
Congresswoman Roby, is a cosponsor of this legislation. Congresswoman 
Sewell is from Selma, and her family opened their home to travelers on 
the 1965 march from Selma to Montgomery.
  I am sure there are more, but all of these people played a role. John 
Lewis, of course, an icon in our country for his leadership at that 
time.

                              {time}  0940

  These American heroes made history. They also made progress for our 
country. I urge my colleagues to join in supporting this legislation to 
ensure that our history and the heroes of it, that that history lives 
on long after we are gone.
  Mr. DANIEL E. LUNGREN of California. Mr. Speaker, at this time it is 
my pleasure to yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. 
Pence), a member of the Foreign Affairs and Judiciary Committees.
  Mr. PENCE. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding.
  I rise in support of this important legislation and commend Ms. 
Sewell and Mrs. Roby for their leadership in chronicling an 
extraordinary time in our march toward a more perfect Union. It seems 
altogether fitting, on the eve of the anniversary march commemorating 
what history records as Bloody Sunday and at the end of Black History 
Month, that we consider this resolution which will create a process for 
preserving the valuable oral history of those Members of Congress who 
were early leaders in the American civil rights movement.
  There are very few giants these days in public life, but John Lewis 
is among them. Let me say what a privilege it has been for me these 
last 11 years to serve and to befriend my colleague, Congressman John 
Lewis, and I thank you for your leadership on this resolution.
  There's also an effort in this resolution to give Members of Congress 
who have participated in the annual pilgrimage to Selma and Montgomery 
to reflect on their experiences, and I'll be very humbled to be a small 
part of that. I was honored to serve as the coleader of the 10th 
Congressional Civil Rights Pilgrimage sponsored by the Faith & Politics 
Institute in March of 2010, and I can say, as my colleague Mr. Lewis 
knows, it was a life-changing experience for my wife, Karen, and our 
three teenaged-children, and I'll forever be grateful for the 
experience.
  We started the weekend at the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church in 
Montgomery, the home church of Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. We 
sat in the pews as we heard Dorothy Cotton and others talk about their 
years in that church and how their faith in Christ sustained the cause 
of liberty and the cause of civil rights.
  We made our way to the Civil Rights Memorial to honor and remember 
those who had lost their lives in the struggle for equality. But the 
next day, traveling with my colleague, John Lewis, to Selma to mark the 
anniversary of a day that changed his life and changed his Nation, 
March 7, 1965, known as Bloody Sunday, we will always remember.
  The night before, John had recounted that momentous day. He told how 
he and several hundred courageous activists had crossed the Edmund 
Pettus Bridge in Selma. But it was actually being a part of the 
reenactment that most touched our hearts as a family. We had gathered 
at the Brown Chapel in Selma before we made the march, and then, along 
with thousands, we made our way the few short miles to the Edmund 
Pettus Bridge. For my part, John and I walked with Dr. F.D. Reese, 
pastor of the Ebenezer Baptist Church in Selma at the time.
  As we strolled that historic route, I was enthralled as Dr. Reese, 
80-some-odd years young, recounted the day as if it had been the day 
before. He told me how the Edmund Pettus Bridge crests at the middle, 
so it was not until you all reached the top of the bridge that you knew 
what was waiting on the other side. And he described to me what they 
saw. He said, ``All you saw was a sea of blue'' when they crested the 
bridge.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The time of the gentleman has expired.
  Mr. DANIEL E. LUNGREN of California. I yield an additional 1 minute 
to the gentleman.
  Mr. PENCE. I thank the gentleman.
  I turned to Dr. Reese, and I said to him, ``Did you think about 
turning back?''
  He said, ``No. We had prayed at the Brown Chapel, and we decided to 
go on regardless.''
  And so you did.
  It's just extraordinary to think of the beatings that took place that 
day. Our own colleague experienced a notorious beating at the time. But 
as the march that day, the reenactment came to an end, I extended my 
hand to Dr. Reese and I thanked him for not only what he had done for 
the civil rights movement, for what John Lewis had done for the civil 
rights movement, but for what they all had done for America. And he put 
his hand on my shoulder, Dr. Reese did, and he said, ``Mike, God did 
something here.''
  And so He did.
  Through these extraordinary and courageous Americans, we forged a 
more perfect Union.
  And so I rise in support of this resolution, commend my colleagues 
who will participate this weekend in Montgomery and Selma in this 
historic reenactment. I commend Congressman John Lewis, Dorothy Cotton, 
F.D. Reese, and all of those great Americans who on that day made the 
sacrifices necessary to further perfect this last best hope of Earth.
  We should always safeguard this history, cherish it, and emulate 
their courage and bravery, so help us God.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H. Res. 562, offered 
by Ms. Sewell of Alabama. I wish to extend my deep appreciation to Ms. 
Sewell, a native of Selma, Alabama, for introducing this timely 
resolution.
  As we close Black History Month and near the anniversary of ``Bloody 
Sunday'' and the Selma to Montgomery, Alabama civil rights marches, 
it's important to remember the sacrifice of those who went before us 
nearly half

[[Page 2591]]

a century ago and shed blood so that freedom could continue its march 
in the hearts and minds of so many Americans.
  To that end, thanks to a resolution offered by Congresswoman Terri 
Sewell from Alabama, the U.S. House of Representatives is acting to 
preserve the valuable oral history of those Members of Congress who 
were early leaders in the American civil rights movement. The 
resolution will also document the experiences of many Congressmen and 
Congresswomen who have participated in the annual pilgrimage from Selma 
to Montgomery. It is a fitting honor of that momentous day in 1965 when 
my friend and colleague, Congressman John Lewis, the legendary civil 
rights leader, along with Hosea Williams, led 600 brave souls across 
the Edmund Pettus Bridge.
  I was deeply honored and humbled to serve as the co-leader of the 
10th Congressional Civil Rights Pilgrimage sponsored by the Faith and 
Politics Institute in March of 2010. My family and I will never forget 
that experience.
  We started the weekend at the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church in 
Montgomery, the home church of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. 
Sitting in the front pew we heard from Dorothy Cotton about her years 
working with Dr. King. She spoke of the faith that sustained their work 
and the historic importance of music and singing to the movement.
  We then made our way to the Civil Rights Memorial to honor and 
remember those who had lost their lives in the struggle for equality. 
The nearby museum tells the personal stories of segregation by those 
who lived it and peacefully fought against it. Hearing firsthand 
accounts of how African Americans in the South were systematically 
denied the right to vote, intimidated, beaten and even killed fighting 
for that right will never leave us.
  The next day we traveled with John Lewis to Selma to mark the 
anniversary of a day that changed his life and America: March 7, 1965, 
also known as ``Bloody Sunday.'' John was personally recruited by Dr. 
King as a college student and his courage and moral authority continue 
to inspire millions.
  As John recounted that momentous day, he told of how he and several 
hundred courageous activists crossed the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma 
during a march on the state capitol and were beaten by state police 
waiting on the far side of the bridge. The images of that day were 
transmitted around the world and would sear the conscience of the 
Nation. It set the stage for more protests and was the catalyst for 
Congress to enact the Voting Rights Act later that year.
  We gathered for worship at Brown Chapel in Selma, and after a rousing 
service, we left the church to walk to the Edmund Pettus Bridge. I had 
the privilege to walk the entire way alongside John Lewis and Dr. F.D. 
Reese, pastor of the Ebenezer Baptist Church in Selma.
  As we strolled the historic route, surrounded by thousands, I was 
enthralled by Dr. Reese's description of that fateful day. He said that 
when they reached the crest of the bridge and could see the other side 
of the river, the first thing they saw was the state police waiting to 
stop the march. He said, ``All you saw was a sea of blue.'' But still 
they marched.
  I asked if they thought of turning back when they say the array of 
police. He smiled and said, ``No, we had prayed at the Brown Chapel and 
decided we would go on regardless.'' And so they did.
  After pausing at the base of the bridge for prayer, he told me how 
the tear gas and the beatings with nightsticks overtook the crowd. My 
friend John Lewis was among those most severely beaten.
  As our march came to an end, I extended my hand to Dr. Reese and 
thanked him not only for what he had done for the civil rights 
movement, but also for what he, John Lewis and others had done for 
America that day. Dr. Reese replied humbly, ``God did something here.'' 
And through these brave Americans, I believe that with all my heart.
  Every American should know the story of Montgomery and Selma. Thanks 
to courageous Americans like Dr. King, Congressman John Lewis, Dorothy 
Cotton and F.D. Reese, these cities have become an integral part of the 
American story in our nation's unrelenting march toward a more perfect 
union.
  Today's resolution further safeguards this valuable history so that 
it may endure throughout future generations, and I urge my colleagues 
to support it.
  Mr. LEWIS of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I'm pleased to yield such time as 
she may consume to the gentlewoman from Alabama (Ms. Sewell).
  Ms. SEWELL. Mr. Speaker, as the Representative of Alabama's Seventh 
Congressional District and a Selma native, I am proud and humbled that 
I could introduce this bipartisan resolution with my colleague, friend, 
and fellow Alabamian, Representative Martha Roby. Acknowledging the 
historic significance of the Selma to Montgomery marches by adding the 
voices of Members of Congress, current and former, to the history of 
the civil rights movement, we are preserving an important part of the 
legacy that is the civil rights movement, a legacy that is important 
not only to black history but to American history and, thus, to world 
history.
  It is truly a full circle moment for me. Personally, I stand here 
today before this august congressional body as a Member of Congress and 
a native of Selma, Alabama. I ask my colleagues to support House 
Resolution 562. I am humbled because I know that my election last year 
would not have been possible had it not been for the courage of Members 
of Congress, present and former, like Congressman John Lewis. For that, 
I say thank you.
  This resolution directs the House Office of Historian to compile oral 
histories from current and former Members of Congress involved in the 
monumental Selma to Montgomery marches as well as the civil rights 
movement. These documents will be used for the purpose of extending and 
augmenting the historical record for public dissemination and 
education. The historical accounts of current and former Members of 
Congress are living history. They offer an important perspective on the 
events of the 1960s.
  The State of Alabama played a critical role and an integral part of 
the fabric of the civil rights movement and American history. It is a 
painful part of Alabama's history. But today, we stand, opening arms 
and welcoming the commemoration of those events, because without those 
events and the brave men and women who traveled all across this Nation 
to come to the State of Alabama during the 1960s to bring about the 
change that we all enjoy, black men and white men, Jews and gentiles, 
coming together in order to make sure that we had a more perfect Union 
and that America lived up to its ideals of democracy and civil 
liberties.
  I can't imagine what it was like to be Congressman John Lewis as he 
walked across the Edmund Pettus Bridge. I grew up in Selma. I lived my 
life in Selma, Alabama. My mom and dad are still in Selma, Alabama. I 
cross the Edmund Pettus Bridge every time I go home to visit them. It 
stands as a symbol for the world of what's possible when brave white 
men and black men, women, and children decide to change the fate of 
history and, in doing so, bring about significant changes for this 
country.
  I'm proud to represent Selma, Alabama; Birmingham, Alabama; 
Tuscaloosa, Alabama; the State of Alabama in this Congress. I do so 
humbly because of the courage and bravery of former and current Members 
of Congress who did the unthinkable.

                              {time}  0950

  I can't imagine being Congressman John Dingell from Michigan who 
first took office in 1955. He sat in this very Chamber and voted for 
the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act 
of 1965 against amazing opposition from his own constituents in 
Michigan. He did the brave thing about voting in favor of these 
historic legislations.
  He was not the only one sitting in this Chamber in 1965. 
Representative John Conyers, a black Congressman who was elected in 
1965 and who still serves in this Chamber, was in this room and cast 
that vote for the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
  We need to remember and record the history of Congressman Lewis, 
Congressman Dingell, and Congressman Conyers, and so many Members of 
Congress, current and past, who are alive today and preserve that 
history for future generations to come.
  Over the next 3 years, Congressman Lewis, we will celebrate the 50th 
anniversary of so many of those events of the 1960s. In fact, the mayor 
of the city of Birmingham is declaring 2013 the Year of Birmingham 
because we will be celebrating 50 years since the bombing of 16th 
Street Baptist Church when four little black girls gave their lives so 
that I could enjoy the freedoms I enjoy today, so that we all can enjoy 
the freedoms that we enjoy today.

[[Page 2592]]

  Over the next 3 years, it will be 50 years for a lot of significant 
1960 events, and I am honored to join with my colleague, Martha Roby, 
who represents Montgomery and is a native of Montgomery. Alabama has 
two women Members of the congressional delegation for the first time 
ever. Our elections in 2011 were only made possible because of the 
courage of so many people who sat in this body and made tough votes. To 
the people of this Chamber who decided that it was time to make a 
difference in America, I'm honored to share the cosponsorship of this 
legislation with Martha Roby. We share a common history as proud 
Alabamians, a history that should be recorded for posterity.
  Now, this weekend, I get the opportunity, as well as Congresswoman 
Martha Roby and Congressman Spencer Bachus, to co-host with Congressman 
John Lewis the Faith & Politics Institute's annual pilgrimage back to 
Alabama. We will start this coming Friday, tomorrow, in Birmingham. We 
will visit the historic site of the 16th Street Baptist Church. We will 
walk in Kelly Ingram Park with Congressman John Lewis and walk in his 
footsteps. We will visit the Civil Rights Institute in Birmingham, 
Alabama, and then we will travel on Saturday to Montgomery, Alabama, 
and we will see Dexter Avenue Baptist Church where Martin Luther King 
was a young pastor.
  We will also enjoy in the evening a dinner, a dinner in the State 
capitol, Montgomery, Alabama, in the State capitol. Could you imagine 
that almost 50 years from 1965 that white Members of Congress and black 
Members of Congress would be able to sit and break bread with the 
Governor of the State of Alabama? We will do that on Saturday. And on 
Sunday, I get to welcome a delegation to my hometown, Selma, Alabama; 
and we will reenact that great march.
  We will go to my home church, Brown Chapel A.M.E. Church, where I 
have been a member for 30 years, where my mother is on the board of 
trustees. We will sit in that church. We will partake and experience 
that which people did 50 years ago. Then we will march hand in hand 
across the Edmund Pettus Bridge.
  I know that I would not be here if it weren't for the fact that 
people marched, people died, and people prayed for the opportunity that 
we enjoy today. I could not imagine as a little black girl from Selma, 
Alabama, that I would be the first black Congresswoman from the State 
of Alabama. But I can because they marched. I can because they died. I 
can because people prayed.
  I ask my colleagues to join me, Congresswoman Martha Roby, 
Congressman John Lewis, and so many others in supporting this House 
resolution today.
  Mr. DANIEL E. LUNGREN of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such 
time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, although obviously the efforts in the civil rights 
movement were the culmination of efforts by people of all faiths, I 
find it instructive that this march takes place during the period of 
Lent, that in the Christian faith is a period of reflection and 
sacrifice as we prepare for Easter Sunday.
  Last Sunday, in my home parish out in California, I recall the 
readings at the first Sunday of Lent were about the temptations of 
Christ in the desert. And we received a remarkable sermon at our church 
in which the theme was expressed with the words ``the crown without the 
cross,'' that the essence of the temptation of Christ was whether He, 
as God-made man, was able to make the decision or was tempted to make 
the decision to accept the crown without accepting the cross, that is, 
to accept the kingship as Godhead without going through the demands, 
the terror, and the death of the cross.
  I'm reminded of that today because I think of that question that John 
Lewis and others had as they crossed that bridge, as they reached the 
crest and they saw the troopers at the other side: Do you turn back and 
do you not accept the cross that is coming in order to achieve that 
which needs to be done to redeem this country and its promise of 
equality of all as contained in the Constitution and the Declaration of 
Independence?
  I would say that I was inspired as I was there with my wife and 
others on the march several years ago, Steny Hoyer leading those on the 
Democratic side and John Lewis, of course, being a regular Member. And 
he wrote to those of us who reflected on that period that perhaps the 
most magnificent piece of literature that came out of the civil rights 
movement, in my judgment, is the ``Letter From the Birmingham Jail'' by 
Dr. King. I would commend to my colleagues and to others who might hear 
our words that they go back and take time to read those words.
  Dr. King, sitting in jail, without access to any texts, wrote a 
magnificent epistle of his generation and our generation to the 
conscience of the American people. And he found no difficulty 
whatsoever in utilizing his heartfelt religious values and principles 
in extending the promise of that Christian message and the religious 
values that are found in our Judeo-Christian tradition to the 
underpinnings of our Constitution and challenged us to understand the 
difference between just and unjust laws and our responsibility to 
``render unto Caesar the things which are Caesar's, and unto God the 
things that are God's.''
  It is an inspiration to me now, and it has been an inspiration to me 
my entire life.

                              {time}  1000

  I would say to anyone who wants to understand the civil rights 
movement, to understand the promise of America that was not fulfilled 
and will never perfectly be fulfilled but is certainly in a better 
state today than it was prior to the civil rights revolution, they 
should read those words of Dr. King and understand how that animated 
the civil rights movement and gave us heroes such as our colleague from 
Georgia, John Lewis.
  And with that, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. LEWIS of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I'm pleased to yield 5 minutes to 
the gentleman from Maryland, the Democratic whip, Mr. Hoyer.
  Mr. HOYER. I thank my friend John Lewis for yielding.
  I thank John Lewis for his service to our country, to its principles, 
to its values, to its people. I thank John Lewis for being my friend, 
and I thank John Lewis for allowing me for the ninth time to walk with 
him across that bridge. As I do, I will be holding the hand of John 
Lewis and holding in my other hand the hand of my 10-year-old 
granddaughter Alexa.
  This coming week marks the 47th anniversary of the fateful Bloody 
Sunday march for civil rights. I want to say to Dan Lungren, my friend, 
I thank him for the remarks he just gave. They were heartfelt and on 
target, and the letter from the Birmingham jail to which he referred is 
certainly one of the great epistles, as he referred to it, to the 
American people, to people of conscience, to the fierce urgency of now, 
which he referenced in that letter.
  On March 7, 1965, our friend and esteemed colleague from Georgia, 
John Lewis, was among the leaders of that march. It says he was among 
the leaders. He was the leader, he and Hosea Williams. Two-by-two they 
walked, some 600, with John and Hosea at the front of the line. That 
day, in an extraordinary practice of nonviolence, he and other marchers 
were brutally beaten while trying to cross the Edmund Pettus Bridge in 
Selma, Alabama. They were on their way to Montgomery, the State 
capital, to protest the murder of a young man, Jimmie Lee Jackson, who 
had been shot and killed while protecting his mother during a voting 
rights drive. They were marching to Montgomery to say, in a nonviolent 
way, every American deserves the right to be able to register and to 
vote.
  Every moment has its darkest hours when the exuberance of hope yields 
to the reality of difficult and painful struggle. Selma brought that 
reality into homes across the country. News of that Bloody Sunday 
awakened millions of Americans to the horrors of Jim Crow. It opened 
their eyes to the injustice that had cut off so many of our people from 
participation in their government. It made clear that while we

[[Page 2593]]

said in our Declaration of Independence that we believed in equality, 
that we believed that all men, and hopefully we would now say of course 
all women, all people, are endowed by God with certain unalienable 
rights.
  We were not doing that in this country. That's what that epistle from 
Birmingham jail was about. That's what this march was about. That march 
led to another march 2 weeks later that could not be stopped, one that 
saw 8,000 Americans from a diversity of backgrounds join together in 
solidarity and with a faith in the enduring promise that America 
provided.
  John Lewis, our colleague, our friend, our brother, was one of the 
compelling figures of that time and of this. I've been blessed with the 
privilege of traveling to Selma, as I said, nine times with John Lewis, 
to worshipping in Terri's church. The visit this weekend will be, I 
know, another instructive lesson for me and for others on how we need 
to be continually aware of the discrimination and prejudice that exist 
today; the attempts at exclusion that exist today; frankly, the 
attempts to not empower people to vote even today.
  What happened in Selma 47 years ago ought to be remembered as a 
moment when America chose to fight hatred with love and put their faith 
in the values of our Constitution. In his memoir, which I hope all of 
you have read, ``Walking with the Wind,'' John Lewis explains:

       If you want to create an open society, your means of doing 
     so must also be consistent with the society you want to 
     create. Violence begets violence. Hatred begets hatred. Anger 
     begets anger, every minute of the day, in the smallest of 
     moments as well as the largest.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Bishop of Utah). The time of the 
gentleman has expired.
  Mr. LEWIS of Georgia. I yield the gentleman an additional 30 seconds.
  Mr. HOYER. I thank the gentleman.
  Ladies and gentlemen, we remember the difficult path we trod as a 
Nation to ensure the participation of all, and we ought to do 
everything we can to preserve it in our own day. It is not just history 
that we want to learn; it is the lesson for today that we must remember 
and learn.
  I thank John Lewis for his leadership. I thank the thousands, black 
and white, young and old, rich and poor, who joined together to make 
America a better place.
  Mr. DANIEL E. LUNGREN of California. At this time, it's my pleasure 
to yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Virginia, the majority leader, 
Mr. Cantor.
  Mr. CANTOR. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from California.
  Mr. Speaker, on March 7, 1965, in Selma, Alabama, now-Congressman 
John Lewis, our colleague, led 600 brave Americans in a march to 
protest for their equal right to vote like any other American, and they 
encountered horrific and despicable violence, preventing them from 
reaching their destination, the capital in Montgomery.
  That day, now known as Bloody Sunday, set the stage for the landmark 
march to Montgomery led by Reverend Martin Luther King and bolstered by 
faith and prayer. This act of leadership, courage, and bravery 
culminated with Congress passing the Voting Rights Act of 1965, 
recognizing the right of every American to participate in our electoral 
process.
  At that time, there were just six black Members of Congress. Today, I 
am proud to serve with 44 black colleagues. As Reverend King said:

       The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward 
     justice.

  Mr. Speaker, today we will pass a resolution that will add the 
testimonies of Members of Congress, current and past, who participated 
in the civil rights movement and commemorative events to the historic 
record of the House. Their stories are an important part of our 
Nation's heritage and will serve as a reminder to every American of the 
determination and sacrifice that shaped the stronger democracy we live 
in today.
  I would like to thank Representative Terri Sewell, who represents 
Selma, and Representative Martha Roby, who represents Montgomery, for 
offering this resolution to preserve a powerful and transformative 
period in American history. Mr. Speaker, I am extremely honored to work 
with Congressman Lewis to ensure that these stories will never be 
forgotten.
  Mr. LEWIS of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, may I inquire about how much time 
remains.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman from Georgia has 4\1/2\ 
minutes remaining. The gentleman from California has 11\1/2\ minutes 
remaining.
  Mr. LEWIS of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 3 minutes to 
the gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. Cohen).
  Mr. COHEN. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank also Representatives Sewell 
and Roby for sponsoring this resolution and Congressman Lewis for his 
life.
  This is a historic resolution, for the work and the memories need to 
be preserved. I, like Congressman Sewell, am here because of the work 
of Congressman Lewis and other civil rights leaders, making this for a 
better America.
  I didn't think I needed to go on the pilgrimage because I'm from 
Memphis and I've been to the Mason Temple where Dr. King made his last 
speech; and been to Lorraine Motel, the national civil rights museum, 
on many occasions; and AFSCME hall where he rallied workers, now named 
for Jerry Wurf.

                              {time}  1010

  But when I went to Birmingham, when I went to Montgomery, when I went 
to Selma, I realized that there was much more history that I needed to 
know, and there was a way to be filled with the spirit of the civil 
rights movement, which one is when one goes to the Rosa Parks Museum, 
the Dexter Street Church, the 16th Street Church, the Civil Rights 
Institute, and the bridge.
  It's hard to fathom the way the world was in 1965, but that was only 
a short number of years ago. This country started with a history of 
slavery, and it was accepted by the Founding Fathers and others as the 
way things were. The Founding Fathers were great men, and they wrote 
words that were great, but they were without absolute meaning because 
they accepted, as a given, that African Americans should be slaves and 
women shouldn't have equality. It took a civil war to change some of 
that, and then it took John Lewis and civil rights workers to change 
the Jim Crow laws that followed up, that didn't accept the outcome of 
the war and continued a segregated society that said African Americans 
weren't equal, couldn't go in public places and public accommodations 
and public restaurants and transit, just like others.
  Well, that changed, and the people who changed that, the civil rights 
workers, the marchers, the sit-ins, the Freedom Riders--Bob Filner was 
a Freedom Rider and was arrested, a Congressperson--those people made 
the promise that was given fulfilled.
  It's still a work. I introduced and this House passed in 2007 an 
apology for slavery and Jim Crow. It took till 2007 for this House to 
pass it, and I appreciate the fact that when I did introduce it and it 
passed, that there were two Republican sponsors, but there were just 
two Republican sponsors.
  This year, I have H.R. 3866, which recognizes all civil rights 
workers with a Congressional Gold Medal. I'm sorry to say that, to this 
date, there's not a single Republican sponsor. There should be. Civil 
rights is as Republican as it is Democrat. The party of Lincoln, as did 
the party of Kennedy, provided civil rights. And in 1965, when that 
Voting Rights Act passed, there were people like Everett Dirksen who 
cast important votes.
  I urge my Republican colleagues to support this resolution, to 
support H.R. 3688, and honor the civil rights workers who had to fight 
their country for their rights and privileges.
  Mr. DANIEL E. LUNGREN of California. May I make an inquiry as to 
whether the gentleman on the other side, Mr. Lewis, has additional 
speakers?
  Mr. LEWIS of Georgia. We don't have any additional speakers.
  Mr. DANIEL E. LUNGREN of California. And how much time do we have?

[[Page 2594]]

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman from California has 11\1/2\ 
minutes. The gentleman from Georgia has 1\1/2\ minutes.
  Mr. DANIEL E. LUNGREN of California. I reserve the balance of my 
time.
  Mr. LEWIS of Georgia. I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my friend and my colleague from 
California for his commitment, for his dedication, with all of his kind 
words today.
  I think this resolution is saying to all of us that we have come a 
distance. We've made a lot of progress, and the Members of Congress 
participated in helping to bring about what I like to call a nonviolent 
revolution in America, a revolution of values, a revolution of ideas.
  It is unreal, it is unbelievable. Just think, a few short years ago, 
in a place like Selma, Alabama, or Lowndes County, Alabama, between 
Selma and Montgomery, Lowndes County was more than 80 percent African 
American. There was not a single registered African American voter in 
the county. Today there's a biracial county government.
  That in a city like Selma, in 1965, only 2.1 percent of African 
Americans were registered to vote. Today there is a biracial city 
government.
  Or in a State like the State of Mississippi, in 1965, the State had 
an African American population, voting age population, of more than 
450,000, and only about 16,000 were registered to vote. Because of the 
action of Presidents and Members of Congress, we have changed, and it's 
my hope and my prayer that every Member of Congress will vote to pass 
this resolution.
  With that, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. DANIEL E. LUNGREN of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such 
time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I just want to echo the words of my friend, Mr. Lewis. 
Let us have all Members vote for this resolution. It is a recognition, 
a simple, straightforward, symbolic resolution recognizing the efforts 
of so many, as embodied in the gentleman, Mr. Lewis, and others who 
worked so hard to change this country for the better.
  I'm honored to be here on the floor with Mr. Lewis today. I 
appreciate the chance I had to be with him in this march several years 
ago.
  I encourage all Members to take part in that, either this year or in 
the future, and I ask all Members to support this.
  With that, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mrs. ROBY. Mr. Speaker, today, I am proud to join with Terri Sewell, 
another Alabama Freshman Member, to offer House Resolution 562, an 
initiative that will preserve a collection of accounts from Members 
involved in the historic and annual marches from Selma to Montgomery, 
Alabama. It is a great honor to today stand on the House floor with my 
colleague, Representative John Lewis, who himself played such an 
important role in the Selma march.
  The oral histories preserved through this resolution will memorialize 
the symbolic events that changed the direction of the Civil Rights 
Movement.
   What took place during three historic marches in Alabama over a 
three-week period in 1965 proved to be a powerful transformation in 
American history. The courageous actions of so many moved our country 
out of an era of misguided actions.
   Participants marched towards a unified goal--to provide equal voting 
rights for all Americans. The first march on March 7, 1965, remains, 
without a doubt, one of the worst demonstrations of racial violence. 
Participants peacefully marching were met by a brutal and aggressive 
police force. This violence was captured by the news and broadcast to 
family rooms all over the nation. It quickly delivered a message to a 
racially divided country of the unforeseen consequences caused by 
segregation.
   Such shameless violent actions unleashed on nonviolent marchers 
revealed the immediate need for equal rights for citizens. Without a 
doubt, the days that racial voting laws were enforced by our country 
were among the darkest and least honorable for this nation. Even today, 
our country is still repairing from the wrongs inflicted decades ago 
from racial segregation.
   If it were not for the unwavering courage of those marching for 
civil freedoms, our country would be very different then the way we 
know it today. Their brave actions will be forever memorialized by the 
Selma to Montgomery Voting Rights Trail.
   Our younger generations today did not witness first-hand the 
historic demonstrations that forged a unified nation. Therefore, it is 
important to record the testimonies in order to reveal the scope and 
relevance of these civil rights events.
   I am proud to introduce this resolution with Representative Sewell 
to preserve the history of our democracy. The resolution instructs the 
Office of the Historian to compile testimonies from current and former 
Members of Congress who have participated in historic or commemorative 
Civil Rights Movement actions. It will tell every generation a detailed 
timeline of these historic moments in the American Civil Rights 
Movement.
   Those marching for equality were among the first patriots to 
envision a better America--one free from racial discrimination. The 
marches proved not only to be successful in granting equal voting 
rights, but an illustrative account of citizens attaining freedom from 
harsh discrimination.
   Though such intolerable actions can never be reversed, there is 
still dignity knowing that the participants of these marches 
permanently changed the course of American history. I urge all of my 
colleagues to vote in support of this bicameral resolution.
  Mr. BACA. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to voice my strong support for H. 
Res. 562, which directs the Office of the Historian to compile oral 
histories for both the historic and annual Selma-to-Montgomery marches 
in Alabama.
  I thank my colleagues, Representatives Sewell and Roby, for 
sponsoring this vitally important resolution.
  They say those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it.
  I can think of no lesson more valuable for all Americans to learn 
than the courage, justice, perseverance, and non-violence exemplified 
by those individuals who participated in the historic Alabama marches 
of 1965.
  The character shown by leaders such as Dr. Martin Luther King, 
Reverend Hosea Williams, and our very own John Lewis, was truly 
remarkable.
  Since 1998, Members of Congress have had the opportunity to 
participate in the annual civil rights pilgrimage to the Selma-to-
Montgomery National Historic Trail.
  It is fitting that the Office of the Historian of the House compiles 
oral histories from those who have participated in these historic 
events.
  I urge my colleagues to join me in recognizing those who fought for 
the civil rights we enjoy today. Let us pass H. Res. 562, so that we 
may never forget the lessons they have taught us.
  Mr. PASCRELL. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to express my strong support 
for H. Res. 562, which will instruct the House Historian to collect 
oral histories from Members of Congress involved in the marches from 
Selma to Montgomery, Alabama as well as the wider civil rights 
movement. This effort will preserve for generations to come the 
experiences of all those who had to fight to bring the realities of our 
nation in line with our ideals of freedom and equality. I am glad that 
we can all come together in a bipartisan fashion to support this 
important initiative.
  During the historic marches from Selma to Montgomery in 1965, led by 
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and my colleague Representative John Lewis, 
many brave protesters were brutally beaten and tear-gassed by 
authorities for non-violently standing up for their rights. The images 
of these events embodied the viciousness of racism and segregation, and 
raised awareness and support for the civil rights movement across the 
nation. This momentum resulted in increasing desegregation and the 
passage of the Voting Rights Act by Congress in 1965, which reaffirmed 
the rights of all Americans to participate in our democratic political 
process, regardless of race or identity. Starting in 1998, Members of 
Congress, led once again by Congressman Lewis, have been participating 
in an annual march from Selma to Montgomery to commemorate these events 
and to underscore the immense positive impact that the participants in 
those marches had on the history of our nation.
  Please join me in supporting this legislation and in recognizing my 
friend Representative Lewis for his invaluable contributions to the 
civil rights movement. It is my hope that the histories to be compiled 
by this project will inspire the leaders of the future, who are 
following the example set by Representative Lewis and other civil 
leaders. They are truly striving to make our country a more perfect 
reflection of the vision of our founders.
  Ms. JACKSON LEE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H. 
Res. 562, ``Directing the Office of the Historian to compile oral

[[Page 2595]]

histories from Members of the House of Representatives involved in the 
historic and annual Selma to Montgomery, Alabama, marches, as well as 
the civil rights movement in general, for the purposes of expanding or 
augmenting the historic record for public dissemination and 
education.''
  What happened in Selma 45 years ago, is an opportunity to remember 
and embrace our history and its evolution. A single day in 1965 would 
become known as Bloody Sunday. I am proud to serve with Mr. John Lewis 
who led 600 brave Americans on that day, on a peaceful march for their 
equal rights to vote. They were met with unspeakable violence and put 
their lives on the line for the right to vote. This resolution will 
ensure that future Americans will not forget the sacrifices made by 
brave, courageous, Americans seeking only to have full participation in 
our fine Democracy.
  I have had the honor of participating in the Congressional Civil 
Rights Pilgrimage with Mr. Lewis. I had the opportunity to see history 
come alive during my pilgrimage to Birmingham, Montgomery and Selma. I 
left with further appreciation for all the efforts that African-
Americans have accomplished over the years.
  The events that took place in Alabama were pivotal in our nation's 
civil rights movement. Dr. King's ``Letter from a Birmingham Jail,'' 
the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing and the Bloody Sunday march were 
crucial experiences to America's collective psyche.
  Two weeks after Bloody Sunday, under the protection of the Alabama 
National Guard, Dr. King was able to lead the march successfully, and 
in August of that same year President Johnson signed into law the 
Voting Rights Act of 1965. Dr. King and his committed supporters forced 
our nation to acknowledge the injustices committed against African-
Americans.
  This legislation will ensure the 54 mile route, beginning at the 
Brown Chapel A.M.E. Church in Selma and ending at the State Capitol 
Building in Montgomery, is never forgotten.
  With the support of this body, generations to come can know and 
appreciate those early steps in the civil rights movement that began 
the road to making the Constitution of this country extend its rights 
and protections to all of its citizens.
  The painful lessons learned in Montgomery, Birmingham and Selma 
continue to be experienced by minority populations all over the United 
States. The struggle for political recognition and participation 
continues not only in the African-American populations, but now in the 
fast-growing Latino community. In addition, many of the gains that can 
be traced back to the civil rights era are currently being targeted. We 
must be ever vigilant to ensure that we do not turn back the clock and 
instead keep moving forward to protect the rights of minorities in this 
country.
  A long, bitter, and bloody struggle was fought for the Voting Rights 
Act of 1965 so that all Americans could enjoy the right to vote, 
regardless of race, ethnicity, or national origin. Americans died in 
that fight so that others could achieve what they had been forcefully 
deprived of for centuries--the ability to walk freely and without fear 
into the polling place and cast a voting ballot.
  Efforts to keep minorities from fully exercising that franchise, 
however, continue. Indeed, in the past thirty years, we have witnessed 
a pattern of efforts to intimidate and harass minority voters including 
efforts that were deemed ``Ballot Security'' programs that include the 
mailing of threatening notices to African-American voters, the carrying 
of video cameras to monitor polls, the systematic challenging of 
minority voters at the polls on unlawful grounds, and the hiring of 
guards and off-duty police officers to intimidate and frighten voters 
at the polls.
  Most Americans take the right to vote for granted. We assume that we 
can register and vote if we are over 18 and are citizens. Most of us 
learned in school that discrimination based on race, creed or national 
origin has been barred by the Constitution since the end of the Civil 
War.
  Before the 1965 Voting Rights Act, however, the right to vote did not 
exist in practice for most African Americans. And, until 1975, most 
American citizens who were not proficient in English faced significant 
obstacles to voting, because they could not understand the ballot.
  Even though the Indian Citizenship Act gave Native Americans the 
right to vote in 1924, state law determined who could actually vote, 
which effectively excluded many Native Americans from political 
participation for decades.
  Asian Americans and Asian immigrants also have suffered systematic 
exclusion from the political process and it has taken a series of 
reforms, including repeal of the Chinese Exclusion Act in 1943, and 
passage of amendments strengthening the Voting Rights Act three decades 
later, to fully extend the franchise to Asian Americans. It was with 
this history in mind that the Voting Rights Act of 1965 was designed to 
make the right to vote a reality for all Americans.
  And the Voting Rights Act has made giant strides toward that goal. 
Without exaggeration, it has been one of the most effective civil 
rights laws passed by Congress.
  In 1964, there were only approximately 300 African-Americans in 
public office, including just three in Congress. Few, if any, black 
elected officials were elected anywhere in the South.
  Today there are more than 9,100 black elected officials, including 43 
Members of Congress, the largest number ever. The Act has opened the 
political process for many of the approximately 6,000 Latino public 
officials that have been elected and appointed nationwide, including 
263 at the State or Federal level, 27 of whom serve in Congress. And 
Native Americans, Asians and others who have historically encountered 
harsh barriers to full political participation also have benefited 
greatly.
  We must not forget the importance of protecting this hard earned 
right. Preserving our past and honoring those who put their lives on 
the line for change is the right step toward ensuring that history does 
not repeat itself.
  Again, I thank Mr. Lewis for his leadership. I thank him for having 
the courage both 45 years ago and today to be a champion of change.
  Ms. FUDGE. Mr. Speaker, forty-seven years ago, 600 civil rights 
protesters en route from Selma to Montgomery were stopped at the Edmund 
Pettus Bridge where state and local policemen attacked them with billy 
clubs and tear gas, driving them back to Selma. I was honored to vote 
for a resolution on March 1, 2012, calling on Congress to collect oral 
histories from current and former members of the House who lived 
through that chilling day known as Bloody Sunday. We must not forget 
the courage of my esteemed colleague, Congressman John Lewis, and 
others during the march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama in March 
1965. Non-violent marchers led by Lewis and Hosea Williams were 
brutally beaten, opening the eyes of the Nation to the struggle of 
African Americans to win the right to vote. Let us resolve to protect 
the voting rights for which participants of that march suffered such 
brutality, and honor them for their commitment to non-violence. They 
are an inspiration for all Americans.
  Mrs. MALONEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise, with so many others today, to note 
the upcoming anniversary of the infamous ``Bloody Sunday'' on March 7, 
1965--the civil rights march in Selma, Alabama, where over 500 
demonstrators were met with violence--billyclubs, tear gas, and 
horses--by the local sheriff deputies and state troopers at the Edmund 
Pettus Bridge.
  Speaking from this distance, 47 years later, it's hard to imagine the 
day-to-day reality of Selma, the seat of Dallas County, Alabama, where 
the 1960 census showed that the population was 57% black, over 80% of 
them living in poverty. With 15,000 voting-age blacks in the County, 
only 130 were registered to vote.
  Against that backdrop, civil rights organizers--including our own 
beloved colleague John Lewis--had been attempting to register more 
blacks to vote.
  On July 2, 1964, President Lyndon Johnson signed the Civil Rights act 
of 1964 declaring segregation illegal.
  On July 6, 1964, John Lewis led 50 black residents to the Dallas 
County Courthouse--on one of the two days per month that registration 
was allowed. The county sheriff arrested those fifty people rather than 
allow them to register.
  And on July 9, 1964, a local judge issued an injunction which forbid 
any gathering of three or more people under the sponsorship of civil 
rights organizations, and made it illegal to even talk to more than two 
people at a time about civil rights or voter registration in Selma.
  On January 2, 1965, the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King defied that 
injunction, speaking to a mass meeting in the Brown Chapel, launching 
the Selma Voting Rights Movement.
  Mr. Speaker, the Selma Marches--``Bloody Sunday'' was the first of 
three--shifted American public opinion on the Civil Rights Movement.
  President Johnson presented what would become the Voting Rights Act 
in this chamber in March, 1965, speaking to a Joint Session of 
Congress. And after the Voting Rights Act was passed and signed into 
law that August, more than 7,000 blacks were added to the voter rolls 
in Selma--and millions more across the United States in the decades 
since.
  So it is only right that we mark this anniversary today. I will be in 
Selma this weekend to help commemorate the brave men and women who took 
a stand against bigotry then, and am especially proud to serve in this 
body today.

[[Page 2596]]

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. All time for debate has expired.
  Pursuant to the order of the House of Wednesday, February 29, 2012, 
the resolution is considered read and the previous question is ordered 
on the resolution and on the preamble.
  The question is on the resolution.
  The question was taken; and the Speaker pro tempore announced that 
the ayes appeared to have it.
  Mr. LEWIS of Georgia. 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, this 15-
minute vote on adoption of House Resolution 562 will be followed by 5-
minute votes on motions to suspend the rules on S. 1134 and House 
Resolution 556.
  The vote was taken by electronic device, and there were--yeas 418, 
nays 0, not voting 15, as follows:

                             [Roll No. 92]

                               YEAS--418

     Ackerman
     Adams
     Aderholt
     Akin
     Alexander
     Altmire
     Amash
     Amodei
     Andrews
     Austria
     Baca
     Bachmann
     Bachus
     Baldwin
     Barletta
     Barrow
     Bartlett
     Barton (TX)
     Bass (CA)
     Bass (NH)
     Becerra
     Benishek
     Berg
     Berkley
     Berman
     Biggert
     Bilbray
     Bilirakis
     Bishop (GA)
     Bishop (NY)
     Bishop (UT)
     Black
     Blackburn
     Blumenauer
     Bonamici
     Bonner
     Bono Mack
     Boren
     Boswell
     Boustany
     Brady (PA)
     Brady (TX)
     Braley (IA)
     Brooks
     Broun (GA)
     Brown (FL)
     Buchanan
     Bucshon
     Buerkle
     Burgess
     Burton (IN)
     Butterfield
     Calvert
     Camp
     Canseco
     Cantor
     Capito
     Capps
     Capuano
     Carnahan
     Carney
     Carson (IN)
     Carter
     Cassidy
     Castor (FL)
     Chabot
     Chaffetz
     Chandler
     Chu
     Cicilline
     Clarke (MI)
     Clarke (NY)
     Clay
     Clyburn
     Coble
     Coffman (CO)
     Cohen
     Cole
     Conaway
     Connolly (VA)
     Conyers
     Cooper
     Costa
     Costello
     Courtney
     Cravaack
     Crawford
     Crenshaw
     Critz
     Crowley
     Cuellar
     Culberson
     Cummings
     Davis (CA)
     Davis (IL)
     Davis (KY)
     DeFazio
     DeGette
     DeLauro
     Denham
     Dent
     DesJarlais
     Deutch
     Diaz-Balart
     Dicks
     Dingell
     Doggett
     Dold
     Donnelly (IN)
     Doyle
     Dreier
     Duffy
     Duncan (SC)
     Duncan (TN)
     Edwards
     Ellison
     Ellmers
     Emerson
     Engel
     Eshoo
     Farenthold
     Farr
     Fattah
     Filner
     Fincher
     Fitzpatrick
     Flake
     Fleischmann
     Fleming
     Flores
     Forbes
     Fortenberry
     Foxx
     Frank (MA)
     Frelinghuysen
     Fudge
     Gallegly
     Garamendi
     Gardner
     Garrett
     Gerlach
     Gibbs
     Gibson
     Gingrey (GA)
     Gohmert
     Gonzalez
     Gosar
     Gowdy
     Granger
     Graves (GA)
     Graves (MO)
     Green, Al
     Green, Gene
     Griffin (AR)
     Griffith (VA)
     Grijalva
     Grimm
     Guinta
     Guthrie
     Gutierrez
     Hahn
     Hall
     Hanabusa
     Hanna
     Harper
     Harris
     Hartzler
     Hastings (FL)
     Hastings (WA)
     Hayworth
     Heck
     Heinrich
     Hensarling
     Herger
     Herrera Beutler
     Higgins
     Himes
     Hinchey
     Hinojosa
     Hirono
     Hochul
     Holden
     Holt
     Honda
     Hoyer
     Huelskamp
     Huizenga (MI)
     Hultgren
     Hunter
     Hurt
     Inslee
     Israel
     Issa
     Jackson (IL)
     Jackson Lee (TX)
     Jenkins
     Johnson (GA)
     Johnson (IL)
     Johnson (OH)
     Johnson, E. B.
     Johnson, Sam
     Jones
     Jordan
     Keating
     Kelly
     Kildee
     Kind
     King (IA)
     King (NY)
     Kingston
     Kinzinger (IL)
     Kissell
     Kline
     Kucinich
     Labrador
     Lamborn
     Lance
     Landry
     Langevin
     Lankford
     Larsen (WA)
     Larson (CT)
     Latham
     LaTourette
     Latta
     Lee (CA)
     Levin
     Lewis (CA)
     Lewis (GA)
     Lipinski
     LoBiondo
     Loebsack
     Lofgren, Zoe
     Long
     Lowey
     Lucas
     Luetkemeyer
     Lujan
     Lummis
     Lungren, Daniel E.
     Lynch
     Mack
     Maloney
     Manzullo
     Marchant
     Marino
     Markey
     Matheson
     Matsui
     McCarthy (CA)
     McCarthy (NY)
     McCaul
     McClintock
     McCollum
     McCotter
     McDermott
     McGovern
     McHenry
     McIntyre
     McKeon
     McKinley
     McNerney
     Meehan
     Mica
     Michaud
     Miller (FL)
     Miller (MI)
     Miller (NC)
     Miller, Gary
     Miller, George
     Moore
     Moran
     Mulvaney
     Murphy (CT)
     Murphy (PA)
     Myrick
     Napolitano
     Neal
     Neugebauer
     Noem
     Nugent
     Nunes
     Nunnelee
     Olson
     Owens
     Palazzo
     Pallone
     Pascrell
     Pastor (AZ)
     Paulsen
     Pearce
     Pelosi
     Pence
     Perlmutter
     Peters
     Peterson
     Petri
     Pingree (ME)
     Pitts
     Platts
     Poe (TX)
     Polis
     Pompeo
     Posey
     Price (GA)
     Price (NC)
     Quayle
     Quigley
     Rahall
     Reed
     Rehberg
     Reichert
     Renacci
     Reyes
     Ribble
     Richardson
     Richmond
     Rigell
     Rivera
     Roby
     Roe (TN)
     Rogers (AL)
     Rogers (KY)
     Rogers (MI)
     Rohrabacher
     Rokita
     Rooney
     Ros-Lehtinen
     Roskam
     Ross (AR)
     Ross (FL)
     Rothman (NJ)
     Roybal-Allard
     Royce
     Runyan
     Ruppersberger
     Rush
     Ryan (OH)
     Ryan (WI)
     Sanchez, Loretta
     Sarbanes
     Scalise
     Schakowsky
     Schiff
     Schilling
     Schmidt
     Schock
     Schrader
     Schwartz
     Schweikert
     Scott (SC)
     Scott (VA)
     Scott, Austin
     Scott, David
     Sensenbrenner
     Serrano
     Sessions
     Sewell
     Sherman
     Shuler
     Shuster
     Simpson
     Sires
     Slaughter
     Smith (NE)
     Smith (NJ)
     Smith (TX)
     Smith (WA)
     Southerland
     Speier
     Stark
     Stearns
     Stivers
     Stutzman
     Sullivan
     Sutton
     Terry
     Thompson (CA)
     Thompson (MS)
     Thompson (PA)
     Thornberry
     Tiberi
     Tierney
     Tipton
     Tonko
     Towns
     Tsongas
     Turner (NY)
     Turner (OH)
     Upton
     Van Hollen
     Velazquez
     Visclosky
     Walberg
     Walden
     Walsh (IL)
     Walz (MN)
     Wasserman Schultz
     Waters
     Watt
     Waxman
     Webster
     Welch
     West
     Westmoreland
     Whitfield
     Wilson (FL)
     Wilson (SC)
     Wittman
     Wolf
     Womack
     Woodall
     Woolsey
     Yarmuth
     Yoder
     Young (AK)
     Young (FL)
     Young (IN)

                             NOT VOTING--15

     Campbell
     Cardoza
     Cleaver
     Franks (AZ)
     Goodlatte
     Kaptur
     McMorris Rodgers
     Meeks
     Nadler
     Olver
     Paul
     Payne
     Rangel
     Sanchez, Linda T.
     Shimkus

                              {time}  1043

  So the resolution was agreed to.
  The result of the vote was announced as above recorded.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.
  Stated for:
  Mr. FRANKS of Arizona. Mr. Speaker, on rollcall No. 92 I was in TS 
briefing. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yea.''

                          ____________________