[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 159 (2013), Part 6]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 7751-7752]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                        HONORING MEGAN EMILIANI

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. PETE OLSON

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                          Friday, May 24, 2013

  Mr. OLSON. Mr. Speaker, I am privileged to interact with some of the 
brightest students in the 22nd Congressional District who serve on my 
Congressional Youth Advisory Council. I have gained much by listening 
to the high school students who are the future of this great nation. 
They provide important insight into the concerns of our younger 
constituents and hopefully get a better sense of the importance of 
being an active participant in the political process. Many of the 
students have written short essays on a variety of topics and I am 
pleased to share these with my House colleagues.
  Megan Emiliani is a sophomore at Travis High School in Fort Bend 
County, Texas. Her essay topic is: Select an important event that has 
occurred in the past 50 years and explain how that event has changed 
our country.

                        Desegregation in Schools

       In 1964, the Civil Rights Act was passed. Civil rights 
     issues in our nation have a long history dating back to the 
     Civil War but this legislation came at a critical time during 
     the 1960's civil rights movement. The 1964 Civil Rights Act, 
     introduced by President Kennedy and signed by President 
     Johnson, opened the door to providing more opportunities and 
     limiting discrimination for all minorities. The legislation 
     dealt with voting rights of minorities, prohibited 
     segregation in public places, and addressed desegregation in 
     public schools. While the 1954 Supreme Court ruling on Brown 
     vs. the Board of Education had already began the process of 
     desegregating schools, the Civil Rights Act continues to 
     enforce equality in schools. It

[[Page 7752]]

     encouraged desegregation in public schools to help give 
     minorities more rights in education.
       Not long ago, schools were separated by color. Since the 
     Civil Rights Act, schools claim that race is not important 
     and should not affect the way a student is viewed. However, 
     my experience has been that students, while not separated by 
     schools, are still classified by race. When we take PSAT, 
     TAKS, or STAAR test, why do we have to check a box with our 
     race? Why is race a factor looked upon when reviewing test 
     scores? Students and their test scores are being categorized 
     by race. Additionally in our society today, there are many 
     multiracial people, including myself, but on those tests you 
     only get to choose one box. I am Mexican, Spanish, Italian, 
     Hungarian, Irish and I am sure a few other things. What box 
     should I pick? On some forms mixed is an option, but that 
     does not seem accurate either. I am the American Melting Pot.
       America is a group of immigrants and to separate us by such 
     limited race designations does not help to end segregation. 
     The purpose of the Civil Rights Act was to help create 
     equality, and every time we have to check off a box, it only 
     emphasizes the differences. I am proud of my heritage, but I 
     do not think classifying me by this really says who I am as a 
     student. I am an American.