May 17, 2004 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — HOUSE H3057 to preserve their pocketbook.’’ That is only one important part of the so- OF IN what Tom Ryan said, who as I say, is called contract in a democracy. Courts president and CEO of CVS Pharmacies. can hand down the law, but the people The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a On May 6, Walgreen’s, their CEO, must be willing to abide by the law be- previous order of the House, the gen- came out and said essentially the same fore it has power. So it took some time tleman from (Mr. PALLONE) thing. Through a written statement, before school integration came to is recognized for 5 minutes. they said, ‘‘If importation is legalized, many parts of the American South. Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I rise we will actively participate in filling But the Brown decision was the first this evening to express my deep con- prescriptions for patients. It is a way powerful step in the modern-day civil cern over the persecution of Hindus in to provide some relief to those we see rights movement. It set the tone and Bangladesh. The coalition government every day in our pharmacies.’’ laid the groundwork for what was to of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party, On May 9, the Chicago Tribune edito- come. It said once and for all that seg- BNP, which came to power on October rialized and said in their headline: regation was dead. It said separate 1, 2001, has initiated a violent cam- ‘‘The Drug Import Juggernaut,’’ and could never ever be equal. paign. And since the BNP’s parliamen- they highlighted the growing momen- So it was only a matter of time be- tary victory nearly 3 years ago, a cam- tum for drug importation. They said in fore the whole system of American paign of terrorism, murder, and reli- that editorial, and I quote, ‘‘Simply re- would come to an end. But gious cleansing has been unleashed on lying on the American consumers to perhaps most important, Mr. Speaker, Hindus living in Bangladesh. I had pick up the slack is indefensible.’’ the Brown decision was an inspiration. written a letter to Bangladesh’s Prime And on May 10, a Minnesota District It gave hope to so many throughout Minister Zia in 2002 about this violent Court judge granted our State Attor- the South. It was the first time we had persecution, but I have received no re- ney General’s request to compel ever had an indication that anyone in sponse to date; and it is a fact that un- GlaxoSmithKline to produce docu- the Federal Government knew about abashed violence has continued freely. ments related to the company’s efforts the injustice we suffered, and it was Although the latest wave of violence to cut off Canadian drug imports to the the first time we had ever heard any has been ensuing since the BNP took U.S. This is a landmark decision, and it government agent agree that it was power in 2001, Hindus have been a dis- is the first time a judge has stated, and wrong. appearing minority in Bangladesh at I quote, ‘‘Not only drug importation is the hands of Bangladeshi forces that The Brown decision strengthened the illegal.’’ have employed abuses, resolve of people already involved in Mr. Speaker, the momentum con- atrocities, and ethno-religious cleans- the struggle for civil rights, and it en- tinues to grow to allow Americans to ing tools. In 1941, Hindus comprised 28 couraged hundreds and thousands of have access to world-class drugs at percent of the population; but by 1991, world-market prices. As I have said young people like me to believe a new population dwindled to a here many times with my charts, I day could come in America. And that is meager 8 percent. A large part of this think we as Americans live in a blessed why the Brown decision is so impor- decrease in the Hindu population can country. We should be willing to pay tant to remember. be attributed to the 1971 by our fair share for the prescription Many people never dreamed that the then-Muslim Party, drugs which help save our lives. But it they would ever see the end of segrega- whereby 2.5 million Hindus were mur- is really unfortunate that we are forced tion, but the Brown decision helped dered and 10 million Hindus fled to to subsidize countries around the them to see that a persistent call for India as refugees. world. I think we ought to pay our fair justice in America can bring change. Reminiscent of the Jewish Holocaust, share, but we should not be forced to That is why we cannot give in, we can- Hindu homes were marked by a yellow subsidize the starving Swiss. not give up, and we cannot give out, H, which in fact guided the pillagers to And there are several other solutions Mr. Speaker, until the promise of the their homes. Over the following 30 people have proposed; but ultimately, Brown decision is fully realized in years, thousands of Hindu temples were I, like Ronald Reagan, believe markets America. destroyed, Hindus were systematically are more powerful than armies. The We have come a long way in 50 years, disenfranchised from holding political time has come to open up those mar- but we still have a great distance to go power, and prejudicial legislation en- kets, allow Americans to have access before we lay down the burden of race sured an unstable existence for Hindus. to those drugs at world-market prices. in America. But our struggle is more In fact, Islamic extremists have rou- f than one decision, more than one vote, tinely dispossessed Hindus and, for one congressional term, or Presidential that matter, and Buddhists, BROWN V. BOARD OF EDUCATION election. Ours is a struggle of a life- of their ancestral properties and land, The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a time, and that is why we must not get burned down their homes, and dese- previous order of the House, the gen- lost in a sea of despair, Mr. Speaker. crated and razed temples, which has re- tleman from Georgia (Mr. LEWIS) is We must not lose faith in a dream of an sulted in forcing many to flee as refu- recognized for 5 minutes. integrated society promised by the gees. Mr. LEWIS of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, Brown decision. Mr. Speaker, I have reviewed numer- I want to take a few moments to re- Here, in the United States Congress, ous reports that attest to the current member the 50th anniversary of the Su- we must hold fast to the struggle for violent persecution in Bangladesh. preme Court decision in Brown v. peace, the struggle for equality, and These reports have been written by the Board of Education. May 17, 1954, be- the struggle for justice for all, until International Federation of came a history-making day. the dream of a truly interracial democ- Bangladeshi Hindus and Friends, Am- I was 14 years old, in the ninth grade, racy is fully realized in America, until nesty International, the U.S. State De- when the Brown decision was issued. I we see the of the beloved commu- partment’s Annual Report on Inter- rode to school on a broken-down school nity, a Nation at peace with itself. national Religious Freedom, CNN, bus. I was taught in a dilapidated We cannot be satisfied, we cannot BBC, and multiple Bangladeshi news- schoolhouse. I had hand-me-down rest until that day comes, until the papers that reflect the testimonies of books and sat in an overcrowded class- true meaning of Brown is a living re- the Hindu victims. room. When the word of the Brown de- ality for all Americans. This campaign of minority cleansing cision reached me outside of Troy, Ala- in progress in Bangladesh has to be bama, I thought the very next school f stopped. Since 1971, when Bangladesh year I would be able to attend an inte- The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a was born as a secular democratic coun- grated school. But it did not happen for previous order of the House, the gen- try out of Islamic Pakistan, all minor- me. It did not happen for many African tleman from California (Mr. HUNTER) is ity populations have declined, and this American children for many years to recognized for 5 minutes. Islamization must be put to an end come. (Mr. HUNTER addressed the House. through the government’s leadership. Mr. Speaker, as you know, laws set His remarks will appear hereafter in In an effort to uphold pluralistic de- the standard in America, but that is the Extensions of Remarks.) mocracy in Bangladesh and protection

VerDate May 04 2004 03:42 May 18, 2004 Jkt 029060 PO 00000 Frm 00039 Fmt 4634 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\K17MY7.073 H17PT1 H3058 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — HOUSE May 17, 2004 of Hindus and all minorities, the fol- Mr. HINOJOSA. Mr. Speaker, today America’s young people have equal op- lowing must be implemented: marks the 50th anniversary of the Su- portunities and that the resources to achieve them are provided, no matter b 1945 preme Court’s landmark decision to end segregation as the law of the land. what the color of their skin, no matter First, restoration of secularism in This day, in short, changed everything what their ethnic background is, no the constitution of Bangladesh, as it or almost everything in the field of matter if they are poor, and no matter existed in the first constitution of race relations. This day was Monday, where they live in the United States, independent Bangladesh in 1972. May 17, 1954. whether it be in the metropolitan cit- Second, passage of Brown v. Board of Education of To- ies or rural areas. and laws that acknowledge peka was about more than Topeka, Today, the unfortunate truth is, not the minority communities of Ban- Kansas. It was, in fact, a consolidation only have we not fulfilled the dream of gladesh. of five cases challenging segregation in equal educational opportunities, but Third, production of a white paper on public schools in the United States of also many of our young people are not atrocities against the minorities over America. The five cases had been heard even in ‘‘separate but unequal the years, and assurance that the per- by lower courts and had been appealed schools.’’ Many are completely sepa- petrators of the ongoing are to the United States Supreme Court by rated from school altogether. brought to justice. attorneys representing black school The graduation rate for African American and Hispanic students hovers Fourth, repatriation of the refugees, children in South Carolina, Wash- at 50 percent. The Manhattan Institute displaced people, with full compensa- ington, D.C., Delaware, Virginia, and reports that only 20 percent of the Afri- tion to the victims. Topeka. can American students and only 16 per- Fifth, ending of of jour- Today, we celebrate the fortitude, cent of Hispanic students leave high nalists and writers who report minor- the integrity, and the conscience of school prepared for college. The high ity and human rights violations. those who stood up for American val- school diploma is the minimum entry Six, termination of the illegal tor- ues, from the 1930s and 1940s with the ture in custody of members of secular requirement for postsecondary edu- Mexican neighbors in Lemon Grove and cation and being able to compete in the parties. the Mendez family in Orange County, And seventh, allowance of an inde- 21st century workplace. Yet half of our California, to the 1950s with the stu- poor and minority students are being pendent commission to investigate the dents of Robert Moton High School in atrocities perpetrated against the mi- denied the basic ticket to a productive Virginia, parents in Washington, D.C., future. The spirit of Brown demands nority groups. Summerton, South Carolina, Delaware, Mr. Speaker, I hope that these goals that we take immediate action to im- and, yes, the Brown family of Topeka, prove high schools and graduation can be achieved and the Government of Kansas. rates. Bangladesh can take the necessary In communities across the Nation, We must focus on fundamentals. We must steps to international human and civil minority families united to make work to improve the basic literacy skills of our rights. America’s promise of equality apply to secondary school students. f their children, too. Brown was a turn- We must support reforms, which have prov- The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. ing point in the battle for equal edu- en effective in improving educational out- BARRETT of South Carolina). Under a cational opportunities for all, but there comes at the secondary school level. More im- previous order of the House, the gen- is still a long way to go before we can portantly, we must adequately fund these pro- tleman from California (Mr. GEORGE declare victory. grams instead of penalizing schools that des- MILLER) is recognized for 5 minutes. Although the Supreme Court handed perately need our help. (Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California down its decision 50 years ago, we must Finally, we must hold ourselves accountable addressed the House. His remarks will not forget that Brown is not only a his- for high school graduation rates. Representa- appear hereafter in the Extensions of torical moment, but it is living law. We tive SUSAN DAVIS and I have introduced H.R. Remarks.) must rededicate ourselves to keeping 3085, the Graduation for All Act, and Senator f the spirit of Brown alive in every PATTY MURRAY has introduced S. 1554, the Pathways for All Students to Succeed Act to The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a State, every school district, and every support these kinds of reforms. previous order of the House, the gen- school building in the country. More than 40 percent of the 1.8 million His- A coordinated national campaign to improve tleman from Ohio (Mr. BROWN) is rec- panic students in Texas attend schools secondary schools is desperately needed. ognized for 5 minutes. This campaign must leverage resources from (Mr. BROWN of Ohio addressed the where they are the overwhelming ma- jority. Texas is not the only State see- all stakeholders: school districts, local govern- House. His remarks will appear here- ments, states, philanthropic organizations, cor- after in the Extensions of Remarks.) ing this trend. Across the United States, commu- poration, community-based organizations, and f nities are increasingly isolated by race, the federal government. Together we will turn The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a ethnicity and socioeconomic status. this around. Together we will make the prom- previous order of the House, the gen- Our schools reflect this isolation. ise of the Brown decision a reality for all of our tleman from Illinois (Mr. EMANUEL) is Today, in 2004, Hispanic students at- young people. Our future depends on our suc- recognized for 5 minutes. tend the most segregated schools in the cess in achieving equal educational opportuni- Mr. EMANUEL addressed the House. Nation. ties for all. The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a His remarks will appear hereafter in Wealth is concentrated in certain previous order of the House, the gen- the Extensions of Remarks.) communities and because of our sys- tleman from New York (Mr. MEEKS) is f tem of funding schools with local prop- recognized for 5 minutes. The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a erty taxes, that wealth is also con- (Mr. MEEKS of New York addressed previous order of the House, the gen- centrated in certain schools. Nearly the House. His remarks will appear tleman from Oregon (Mr. DEFAZIO) is every State in the Union is engaged in hereafter in the Extensions of Re- recognized for 5 minutes. court battles over school finance. It marks.) (Mr. DEFAZIO addressed the House. seems to me that equal opportunities The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a His remarks will appear hereafter in and equal resources go hand in hand; previous order of the House, the gentle- the Extensions of Remarks.) do you not agree? woman from California (Ms. WATSON) is f It is no coincidence that the Texas recognized for 5 minutes. miracle in education followed the im- (Ms. WATSON addressed the House. REFLECTIONS ON BROWN V. plementation of the so-called Robin Her remarks will appear hereafter in BOARD OF EDUCATION Hood system of funding schools that the Extensions of Remarks.) The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a moved resources from wealthier school The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the gen- districts to poorer ones. previous order of the House, the gentle- tleman from Texas (Mr. HINOJOSA) is In staying true to the spirit of the woman from Texas (Ms. JACKSON-LEE) recognized for 5 minutes. Brown decision, we must ensure that is recognized for 5 minutes.

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