S5598 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE May 18, 2004 below the budget request for fiscal year were not officially integrated until We must keep struggling until we 2005, and $108 million for the defense much later, when attorney Charles can live up to the spirit of the Brown nuclear waste disposal, a reduction of Kellar arrived in Nevada in 1959. ruling, and to the letter of the Civil $23 million below the budget request Thurgood Marshall, then head of the Rights Act that followed 10 years later. for fiscal year 2005. These amounts au- NAACP Bar Representation Program, Until we provide every child with an thorized include a $92.4 million reduc- solicited Mr. Kellar to move to Nevada equal—not separate—opportunity to tion to the defense related administra- to establish a chapter and legal rep- get a good education. tive support account. The committee resentation. Mrs. DOLE. Mr. President, 50 years has consistently rejected funding for At the time, one had to live in Ne- ago our Nation witnessed a significant this account because the funding is for vada for one year before sitting for the step in providing equal education for non-defense activities. bar exam. So, to establish residency, every child of every race. On May 17, Once again, I thank my chairman for most white law students would engage 1954, the United States Supreme Court his superb leadership. I believe that the in paralegal work, Mr. Kellar spent his ruled in favor of a young girl who had defense authorization bill is a good year studying real estate at an un- been denied enrollment in her neigh- one, and that programs that fall under known little college called UNLV in borhood school simply because of the the purview of the Strategic Forces order to qualify for residency. color of her skin. On the 50th Anniver- Subcommittee have been dealt with in When he was finally eligible to sit for sary of the Supreme Court’s Brown vs. a measured and responsible way. The the exam, the hotel he reserved for his the Board of Education ruling, I want Armed Service Committee and its staff stay refused to admit him. He had to to recognize the courage, vision and have worked diligently and in a bipar- spend his two nights sleeping in the boldness of that decision and celebrate how far our country has come—and tisan manner to ensure our military re- airport. To add insult to injury, Mr. focus on a new bold vision that will mains the best equipped and best Kellar was accused of cheating on his exam, for his results were near perfect. lead us into the future. trained fighting force in the world. I The Brown decision not only called would ask my colleagues that we pro- He had to sue the Nevada State Bar in order to gain admission, which he was for an end to segregation—it began a ceed quickly with the Defense author- process of healing in America, still ization, and urge support of the bill. finally granted in 1965. The first case he filed was a class ac- needed almost 100 years after the Civil Mr. President, I yield the floor and tion suit against the Clark County War. The Brown decision affirmed the my remaining time. School District in 1968, charging that constitutional promise of equality for f access to an equal, public education all Americans. It overturned laws that 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF BROWN was denied to African American stu- denied millions of school children free- VERSUS BOARD OF EDUCATION dents—in spite of the Brown v. Board dom and choice in education and set this country on a new course, affirming Mr. REID. Mr. President, yesterday of Education ruling 14 years earlier. civil and human rights while demand- marked the 50th anniversary of the Su- Despite the fact that he won the case, the school district decided to convert ing the full respect and protection of preme Court’s decision to reverse the the law for all people. Brown vs. the long-standing principle of ‘‘separate the West Las Vegas schools to sixth grade centers, which would be fully in- Board of Education was a decision of but equal’’ in our public schools. The courage and conviction and was one of ruling handed down in Brown v. Board tegrated. However, the white students would be bused to the schools while the the finest moments of the American ju- of Education was the great catalyst dicial system. But while this decision America needed to move toward equal black students would have to walk. Mr. President, the landscape of Clark paved the way for the establishment of opportunities for all children. County is much different today in the equal learning environments, today On May 17th, 1954, the Supreme Court sense that we now publicly educate a there is evidence of work yet to be spoke unanimously: ‘‘. in the field much more diverse population of stu- done. of public education the doctrine of dents. But there are still factors in our Unfortunately, 50 years later, we still ‘separate but equal’ has no place.’’ school system that separate and dis- have a relatively two-tiered education When we talk about Brown v. Board criminate against certain groups of system. Many students are in schools of Education, it is natural to think students: economic status, English lan- where they are receiving an incredible about its application and enforcement guage learners, students with learning education; other children are in medi- in the South, because that was where disabilities, and so on. ocre classrooms, emerging at the end of the most publicized acts of segregation I am concerned about these barriers, each school year barely even able to and discrimination took place. just as I am concerned about the gap in read at the levels of their peers. The re- ¨ But it is naıve to think that the academic achievement between dif- ality is disheartening: nationally, at South was the only region of America ferent groups of students. This gap says the fourth-grade level, the achieve- grappling with the new educational and to me that we still have a lot of work ment gap in reading between blacks racial standard of equality. Western to do in terms of providing truly equal and whites is 28 percentage points. And states like Nevada struggled to adapt opportunities for all of our children. consider this: only one in six African- as well. And even after 50 years, in spite of Americans can read proficiently after Nevada was not a place widely associ- the law, segregation itself is still alive graduating from high school. It truly is ated with having a large population of and well. hard to believe such disparity exists African Americans back in 1954 . but Taylor County High School in Butler, today. in fact it was home to many African Georgia, held its first integrated prom Years after opening the doors of op- Americans who migrated from Arkan- in 31 years last year—in 2003. This year, portunity to every child—regardless of sas, Louisiana, and Texas—primarily the white students decided to return to their race—we have yet to truly take seeking employment in Law Vegas’ their old tradition of holding their own advantage of the possibilities Brown hospitality industry. private party—a segregated prom. It is vs. Board created. Breaking through Clark County’s classrooms were seg- disappointing to realize that segrega- prejudice in school enrollment was the regated before the Brown Decision— tion is still preferred by some people. first step—educating each and every and they remained so afterward. While But it just goes to show that we still student to his or her full potential is there were no written laws segregating have work to do. the next. I give President Bush much schools in Clark County, there were The Brown decision truly was a land- credit for recognizing this problem and impenetrable school zoning laws that mark . it showed that America had applaud his willingness to make it an made it pretty clear that children come a long way since Plessy v. Fer- issue in the last national election. He could only go to school where they guson. Before Brown, we knew that said that, if elected, he would institute lived . and because of housing dis- segregation was wrong. After Brown, change, and he did. Within four days of crimination, most black people lived in we knew that it was illegal. assuming office, he provided a blue- concentrated areas. That was a tremendous step, and I print that became the No Child Left Brown v. Board of Education was de- am certainly grateful for it . but we Behind Act of 2001—an act that was cided in 1954, yet Clark County schools cannot rest on our laurels. passed with wide bipartisan support. VerDate Mar 15 2010 22:15 Jan 29, 2014 Jkt 081600 PO 00000 Frm 00040 Fmt 4624 Sfmt 0634 E:\2004SENATE\S18MY4.REC S18MY4 mmaher on DSKCGSP4G1 with SOCIALSECURITY May 18, 2004 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE S5599 With this law our country is begin- than $113 million above 2001 levels. Thurgood Marshall, Charlie Houston ning to address the achievement gap. Funding for schools in North Carolina patiently, painstakingly and bril- The ‘‘old ways’’ will no longer be toler- and throughout the country is finally liantly used the Constitution to cor- ated. Along with many mothers, fa- tied to real accountability for real re- rect itself and end legal segregation thers, teachers and school administra- sults. I will continue to work with the forever. tors, we are demanding equity, justice education leaders in my home State to And the other cases were from Dela- and inclusion for every child.