[Pages H930-H937]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

AWARDING CONGRESSIONAL GOLD MEDAL TO THE FOOT SOLDIERS WHO PARTICIPATED
IN BLOODY SUNDAY, TURNAROUND TUESDAY, OR THE FINAL SELMA TO MONTGOMERY
VOTING RIGHTS MARCH IN MARCH OF 1965

Mr. HUIZENGA of Michigan. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules
and pass the bill (H.R. 431) to award a Congressional Gold Medal to the
Foot Soldiers who participated in Bloody Sunday, Turnaround Tuesday, or
the final Selma to Montgomery Voting Rights March in March of 1965,
which served as a catalyst for the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:

H.R. 431

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of
the United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. FINDINGS.

The Congress finds the following:
(1) March 7, 2015, will mark 50 years since the brave Foot
Soldiers of the Voting Rights Movement first attempted to
march from Selma to Montgomery on ``Bloody Sunday'' in
protest against the denial of their right to vote, and were
brutally assaulted by Alabama state troopers.
(2) Beginning in 1964, members of the Student Nonviolent
Coordinating Committee attempted to register African-
Americans to vote throughout the state of Alabama.
(3) These efforts were designed to ensure that every
American citizen would be able to exercise their
constitutional right to vote and have their voices heard.
(4) By December of 1964, many of these efforts remained
unsuccessful. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., working with
leaders from the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee
and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, began to
organize protests throughout Alabama.
(5) On March 7, 1965, over 500 voting rights marchers known
as ``Foot Soldiers'' gathered on the Edmund Pettus Bridge in
Selma, Alabama in peaceful protest of the denial of their
most sacred and constitutionally protected right--the right
to vote.
(6) Led by John Lewis of the Student Nonviolent
Coordinating Committee and Rev. Hosea Williams of the
Southern Christian Leadership Conference, these Foot Soldiers
began the march towards the Alabama State Capitol in
Montgomery, Alabama.
(7) As the Foot Soldiers crossed the Edmund Pettus Bridge,
they were confronted by a wall of Alabama state troopers who
brutally attacked and beat them.
(8) Americans across the country witnessed this tragic turn
of events as news stations

[[Page H931]]

broadcasted the brutality on a day that would be later known
as ``Bloody Sunday.''
(9) Two days later on Tuesday, March 9, 1965, nearly 2,500
Foot Soldiers led by Dr. Martin Luther King risked their
lives once more and attempted a second peaceful march
starting at the Edmund Pettus Bridge. This second attempted
march was later known as ``Turnaround Tuesday.''
(10) Fearing for the safety of these Foot Soldiers who
received no protection from federal or state authorities
during this second march, Dr. King led the marchers to the
base of the Edmund Pettus Bridge and stopped. Dr. King
kneeled and offered a prayer of solidarity and walked back to
the church.
(11) President Lyndon B. Johnson, inspired by the bravery
and determination of these Foot Soldiers and the atrocities
they endured, announced his plan for a voting rights bill
aimed at securing the precious right to vote for all citizens
during an address to Congress on March 15, 1965.
(12) On March 17, 1965, one week after ``Turnaround
Tuesday'', U.S. District Judge Frank M. Johnson ruled the
Foot Soldiers had a First Amendment right to petition the
government through peaceful protest, and ordered federal
agents to provide full protection to the Foot Soldiers during
the Selma to Montgomery Voting Rights March.
(13) Judge Johnson's decision overturned Alabama Governor
George Wallace's prohibition on the protest due to public
safety concerns.
(14) On March 21, 1965, under the court order, the U.S.
Army, the federalized Alabama National Guard, and countless
federal agents and marshals escorted nearly 8,000 Foot
Soldiers from the start of their heroic journey in Selma,
Alabama to their safe arrival on the steps of the Alabama
State Capitol Building on March 25, 1965.
(15) The extraordinary bravery and sacrifice these Foot
Soldiers displayed in pursuit of a peaceful march from Selma
to Montgomery brought national attention to the struggle for
equal voting rights, and served as the catalyst for Congress
to pass the Voting Rights Act of 1965, which President
Johnson signed into law on August 6, 1965.
(16) To commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Voting
Rights Movement and the passage of the Voting Rights Act of
1965, it is befitting that Congress bestow the highest
civilian honor, the Congressional Gold Medal, in 2015, to the
Foot Soldiers who participated in Bloody Sunday, Turnaround
Tuesday or the final Selma to Montgomery Voting Rights March
during March of 1965, which served as a catalyst for the
Voting Rights Act of 1965.

SEC. 2. CONGRESSIONAL GOLD MEDAL.

(a) Presentation Authorized.--The Speaker of the House of
Representatives and the President Pro Tempore of the Senate
shall make appropriate arrangements for the presentation, on
behalf of Congress, of a gold medal of appropriate design to
the Foot Soldiers who participated in Bloody Sunday,
Turnaround Tuesday, or the final Selma to Montgomery Voting
Rights March during March of 1965, which served as a catalyst
for the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
(b) Design and Striking.--For purposes of the presentation
referred to in subsection (a), the Secretary of the Treasury
(referred to in this Act as the ``Secretary'') shall strike a
gold medal with suitable emblems, devices, and inscriptions
to be determined by the Secretary.
(c) Award of Medal.--Following the award of the gold medal
described in subsection (a), the medal shall be given to the
Selma Interpretative Center in Selma, Alabama, where it shall
be available for display or temporary loan to be displayed
elsewhere, as appropriate.

SEC. 3. DUPLICATE MEDALS.

The Secretary may strike and sell duplicates in bronze of
the gold medal struck pursuant to section 2 under such
regulations as the Secretary may prescribe, at a price
sufficient to cover the cost thereof, including labor,
materials, dies, use of machinery, and overhead expenses, and
the cost of the gold medal.

SEC. 4. STATUS OF MEDALS.

(a) National Medals.--The medals struck pursuant to this
Act are national medals for purposes of chapter 51 of title
31, United States Code.
(b) Numismatic Items.--For purposes of sections 5134 and
5136 of title 31, United States Code, all medals struck under
this Act shall be considered to be numismatic items.

The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
Michigan (Mr. Huizenga) and the gentlewoman from Alabama (Ms. Sewell)
each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Michigan.

General Leave

Mr. HUIZENGA of Michigan. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that
all Members have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend
their remarks and to insert extraneous materials into the Record
concerning H.R. 431, currently under consideration.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from Michigan?
There was no objection.
Mr. HUIZENGA of Michigan. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself as much time as
I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of this very important bill,
H.R. 431, a bipartisan bill to award a Congressional Gold Medal to the
foot soldiers, the courageous men and women who participated in
historic days such as Bloody Sunday, Turnaround Tuesday, and the final
March from Selma to Montgomery to ensure voting rights for African
Americans.
Mr. Speaker, sometimes, it is hard for people in today's society to
realize the historical significance of the events that took place in
the past. For younger people, it may seem like a lifetime ago, but for
those who lived through those experiences, it may seem like it just
happened yesterday.
One series of events that we cannot and must not allow to fade away
are the historic marches that began in Selma in the spring of 1956. On
March 7, 1965, led by two fearless men, the Reverend Hosea Williams and
a man many in this Chamber know well, Representative John Lewis, 500 of
those brave foot soldiers determined to have their voices heard and
their right to vote be recognized as they bravely lined up at the
Edmund Pettus Bridge.
These initial marchers were then brutally assaulted and beaten by
Alabama State troopers as they attempted to cross the bridge, seeking
to assert their constitutional right to vote. That atrocity became
known as Bloody Sunday.
Two days later, nearly 2,500 foot soldiers, led by Dr. Martin Luther
King, Jr., peacefully assembled and again attempted to cross the Edmund
Pettus Bridge. The group marched to where the attacks occurred a few
days before on Bloody Sunday, and at Dr. King's request, they stopped
and knelt in prayer. Following the prayer, the marchers turned around
and returned to Selma.
Finally then, on March 21, under the protection of the U.S. Army,
Federal marshals, and the federalized Alabama National Guard at that
point, that group had swollen to 8,000 foot soldiers who were escorted
safely for 54 miles from Selma to Montgomery.
By the time the march reached the steps of the State capitol, that
group had grown to approximately 25,000 people strong there on those
steps in Montgomery.
Mr. Speaker, instead of bringing the campaign to search for voting
rights to a halt, 50 years ago, the photographs and blurry television
images of that violent attack on Bloody Sunday on that bridge
galvanized the national attention. In fact, the first march was a
catalyst for action.
Just 5 short months after the first march, Congress had passed and
President Johnson had signed into law the Voting Rights Act.
Mr. Speaker, we, as a Nation, must do more to ensure voting rights
are protected for all Americans, and in doing so, we must remember the
sacrifices of those individuals who came before us and worked so
tirelessly to make a difference and to create voting rights equality.
It is truly a privilege for me personally to stand before you today
as Congress recognizes these brave men and women and the historical
significance of those marches that began in Selma and forever changed
the direction of our great Nation.
I thank the gentlewoman from Alabama (Ms. Sewell) for highlighting
these historic events, and I urge all of my colleagues to support H.R.
431.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Ms. SEWELL of Alabama. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R.
431 and yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the gentleman from Michigan for joining
me on the floor today to support H.R. 431. I have enjoyed our
bipartisan working relationship on the House Financial Services
Committee, and I am pleased today to share this debate time with him.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 431, a bill to award a
Congressional Gold Medal to the foot soldiers who participated in
Bloody Sunday, Turnaround Tuesday, or the final Selma to Montgomery
voting rights march in 1965.
March 7, 2015, will mark 50 years since the courageous foot soldiers
of

[[Page H932]]

the voting rights movement first attempted to march from Selma to
Montgomery to protest the denial of their voting rights.
Led by our colleague John Lewis of the Student Nonviolent
Coordinating Committee and Reverend Hosea Williams of the Southern
Christian Leadership Conference, these foot soldiers began the march
towards the Alabama State Capitol in Montgomery. They pledged to keep
on walking until they secured the freedoms promised to them by the U.S.
Constitution.
As they crossed the Edmund Pettus Bridge, a wall of Alabama State
troopers were waiting at the foot of the bridge. News stations from
across the country televised the brutality that followed as foot
soldiers like Hosea Williams; John Lewis; Amelia Boynton Robinson;
Reverend F.D. Reese; Bob Nance of Lowndes County; Albert Turner, Sr.,
of Perry County; and so many others were attacked on Edmund Pettus
Bridge on what has become known as Bloody Sunday.
The journey of the foot soldiers we honor today was not an easy one.
They were discriminated by Whites and ostracized by Blacks who were
afraid to join them, but still, they persevered because they could no
longer bear the burdens of second-class citizenship.

The president of the Dallas County Voters League, Reverend F.D.
Reese, wasn't going to let nobody turn him around, he told me. He said
that given the conditions that existed in Selma and the South at that
time, he wanted to make sure that things were different.
He was willing to do whatever was necessary to ensure that people--no
matter their race, color, or creed--would have the right to vote.
He said:

The Lord gave us determination to keep moving forward. We
were determined to let the Lord lead us and direct us so that
all people, regardless of their color, would have access to
the political process.

He went on:

We were not at all afraid because we were determined that
whatever it took, even if it meant our lives, we were going
to move Alabama and the States and this Nation forward.

Amelia Boynton Robinson literally felt the blows of injustice as she
was beaten on the bridge by Alabama State troopers and left for dead.
Amelia's will and dignity suffered no damage, but it made her more
resolved than ever to continue the fight for equal voting rights.
Two days after Bloody Sunday, over 2,500 foot soldiers, heeding the
call from Dr. Martin Luther King, came to Selma to join the marchers.
On March 9, 1965, led by Dr. King and Reverend Ralph Abernathy and many
clergy from across this Nation, the foot soldiers once again left from
the historic Brown Chapel AME Church and walked to the Edmund Pettus
Bridge.
Dr. King stopped at the top of the bridge while a sea of State
troopers stepped aside. On bended knees, Dr. King began to pray as the
thousands of marchers joined him. As if moved by the spirit, Dr. King
turned around and walked back to the church. Tuesday was not to be the
day to complete the 54-mile journey. The second march attempt was known
as Turnaround Tuesday.
The fight for voting rights was fought both in the streets and in the
courtrooms. Attorney Fred Gray helped pave the way for the final Selma
to Montgomery march. He was a member of the legal team that represented
Hosea Williams, John Lewis, and Amelia Boynton Robinson in Williams v.
Wallace.
Because of his work and the courage of an Alabama Federal judge,
Federal Judge Frank Johnson ruled that the foot soldiers had a First
Amendment right to petition the government through peaceful protest and
ordered Federal agents to provide full protection to the foot soldiers
during the Selma to Montgomery March.
Under court order, the U.S. Army, the federalized Alabama National
Guard, and countless Federal agencies and marshals escorted more than
8,000 foot soldiers on March 21, 1965, as these brave men and women
began their historic 54-mile journey from Selma to the steps of the
Alabama State Capitol in Montgomery, Alabama.
The extraordinary bravery and sacrifices these foot soldiers
displayed in pursuit of a peaceful march from Selma to Montgomery
brought national attention to the struggle for equal voting rights and
served as a catalyst for Congress to pass the Voting Rights Act of 1965
which President Lyndon Johnson signed into law on August 6, 1965.
Mr. Speaker, as Alabama's first Black Congresswoman, I know that the
journey that I now take was only made possible because of the courage
and bravery of the foot soldiers of the voting rights movement.
As a proud native of Selma and the U.S. Representative who now
represents Selma and parts of Montgomery, I am the direct beneficiary
of their sacrifice.
During this 50th commemoration of the voting rights movement and the
50th anniversary of the passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, it is
befitting that this august body would bestow upon the foot soldiers of
the voting rights movement our highest civilian honor, a Congressional
Gold Medal, for their valor and determination in relentlessly pursuing
the promise of our great Constitution, that all men and women were
indeed created equal.
I am proud to be joined by my colleague Martha Roby and the entire
Alabama congressional delegation--Representatives Aderholt, Rogers,
Brooks, Byrne, and Palmer--as original cosponsors of this Congressional
Gold Medal bill.
I want to thank the more than 300 colleagues who also signed on to
the bill and a special thanks to the leadership of both parties--
Speaker Boehner, Majority Leader McCarthy, Minority Leader Pelosi, and
Whip Hoyer--for their support in getting this legislation on the floor
today.

{time} 1245

This would not have been possible without the help and support of
Chairman Hensarling and Ranking Member Waters of the House Committee on
Financial Services.
To the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Huizenga), thank you. It is an
honor to stand with you today to pay tribute to the foot soldiers of
the voting rights movement.
I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on H.R. 431, a bill that honors
the foot soldiers who participated in Bloody Sunday, Turnaround
Tuesday, and the final march from Selma to Montgomery with a
Congressional Gold Medal, which is Congress' highest civilian honor. I
hope this medal serves as a powerful reminder of the many sacrifices
that were made.
They say that the price of freedom is never free. Well, the foot
soldiers of the voting rights movement paid the ultimate price so that
this Nation could live up to the ideals of equality and justice for
all. This Nation should never forget those who marched, prayed, and
died in the pursuit of civil rights, voting rights, and social change.
I urge my colleagues to join us in voting in favor of H.R. 431.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. HUIZENGA of Michigan. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as she may
consume to the gentlewoman from Alabama (Mrs. Roby), who is the lead
cosponsor of this legislation.
Mrs. ROBY. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding me time.
I, too, want to echo the sentiments of my colleague from Alabama (Ms.
Sewell) in thanking leadership and all the Members on both sides of the
aisle for their willingness to jump right on this so that we could
achieve passage both here in the House and in the Senate in time for
this most important anniversary, the 50th anniversary of Bloody Sunday.
I am so proud just standing here listening to my colleague. I am so
proud to have the privilege and the opportunity to cosponsor this bill
to award a Congressional Gold Medal to the brave men and women who not
only changed Alabama and America, but they changed the world.
So as we look toward the 50th anniversary of Bloody Sunday, it is
certainly fitting to honor the brave individuals who, against brutality
and oppression, took a stand for their God-given rights. So thank you
to my colleague, Terry Sewell, for all your hard work on this very
important, worthy legislation.
I have also been honored, Mr. Speaker, to serve alongside my
colleague

[[Page H933]]

from Alabama (Ms. Sewell) in recruiting Members of this body and the
Senate to join us in the pilgrimage led by John Lewis to Alabama for
the anniversary on the 6th, 7th, and 8th of next month. I am proud to
say we have a record number of colleagues that are willing to
participate because of the obvious significance of this important day.
I look forward to, alongside all of my colleagues in the Alabama
delegation--who again I thank as well as Ms. Sewell for their
willingness to host our colleagues from all over the country in
Birmingham, in Montgomery, and Selma, and other very important places
to the civil rights movement--hearing from those who lived it.
One of the things that we did alongside this Congressional Gold
Medal, Mr. Speaker, was to invite our colleagues to come to a screening
of the movie ``Selma.'' I have to say, as a girl growing up in
Montgomery, Alabama, that did not live through this very important time
in our history, it was honestly one of the more moving moments in my
time in Congress, to sit in the room with our colleague, Mr. Lewis, and
experience through that visual on the screen what he lived in his life.
It was a unique and special moment and one that I will personally
treasure for a very long time.
So, Mr. Speaker, it is Mr. Lewis and all those that joined him in
standing up for justice that we seek to honor with this Congressional
Gold Medal. There is no higher honor that we as Members of Congress can
bestow, yet it seems such a small token of gratitude compared to the
magnitude of the endeavors of those who lived through those days.
My daughter, Margaret, Mr. Speaker, whom you often hear me talk
about--I have Margaret and George, but Margaret is in fourth grade, and
like in a lot of States, in fourth grade in Alabama you learn about
Alabama history. This is such an important time in her life as she
learns about our State and its history, and the civil rights movement
is certainly an integral part, a very important part of our history. So
she is coming with me on the pilgrimage next month. She will be able to
meet and know firsthand the people that fought to change the world.
It is difficult for those of us who weren't alive during the civil
rights movement sometimes to wrap our minds around it, but I, alongside
my daughter, am very much looking forward to this special time as
Members of Congress that we have to reflect on the importance of this
history.
I am, again, honored, Mr. Speaker, to be a part of this bill, and I
just thank, again, all of my colleagues who very quickly joined with us
so that we could get this done to honor those brave foot soldiers that
changed not just our country, but the world. I, too, ask that all my
colleagues join me in voting in favor of H.R. 431.
Ms. SEWELL of Alabama. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman
from Tennessee (Mr. Cohen).
Mr. COHEN. I want to thank Ms. Sewell for having the foresight to
bring this proposal. This is most fitting that we honor the foot
soldiers. They were Americans, all races, who came together and saw
injustice and wanted to right it. They risked their lives. Some died in
the efforts. Miss Liuzzo was killed right after the march to
Montgomery. Schwerner, Chaney, and Goodman were killed over in
Mississippi in conjunction with this with the Freedom Riders.
Thousands of people came to the South to see that people got the
right to vote. It is hard to believe that people were denied the right
to vote in this country, but they were.
I was touched by the remarks of my colleague from Alabama. It was
historic. But you don't just have to see the movie and experience it to
honor these people and give them a Gold Medal; you need to live it.
People are being denied voting rights today in this country. The
Supreme Court emasculated the Voting Rights Act just recently. It needs
to be reinstated. There are civil rights that can be performed and
enacted in America today. The movement isn't over. The movement
continues. A medal is good, but the spirit must continue on this floor
to see that all people have their right to vote, their right to
participate, and their rights not to have State judges with their lips
dripping with interposition tell probate clerks not to enforce a
Federal law.
Mr. HUIZENGA of Michigan. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the
gentleman from Florida (Mr. Ross), a member of the Committee on
Financial Services, which has been dealing with this issue.
Mr. ROSS. Mr. Speaker, today I rise in strong support of this
bipartisan legislation that will award a Congressional Gold Medal to
the civil rights leaders who so bravely marched for voting rights and
equality from Selma, Alabama, to the State capital of Montgomery in
March of 1965.
As an adopted son of the great State of Alabama, having been educated
at both Auburn University and Samford University's Cumberland School of
Law, it is an absolute honor to recognize these peace-loving, God-
fearing patriots. These marchers, led by civil rights leaders such as
Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr., and my colleague from Georgia,
Representative John Lewis, changed the course of our Nation's history.
Ultimately, their fearless efforts led to the enactment of the Voting
Rights Act of 1965.
The Congressional Gold Medal is the highest civilian award presented
by Congress, and I can think of no better time than the 50th
anniversary of this moment in our Nation's history to honor and
recognize the civil rights leaders who sacrificed so greatly to bring
equality to the voiceless across the United States. May their
sacrifice, diligence, and dedication to this cause stand as an example
to all of us as we continue to serve in this Chamber and in every
aspect of our lives.
Ms. SEWELL of Alabama. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the
gentlelady from North Carolina (Ms. Adams).
Ms. ADAMS. Mr. Speaker, today I rise in support of H.R. 431, a bill
to award a Congressional Gold Medal to the foot soldiers who
participated in Bloody Sunday, Turnaround Tuesday, and the final march
from Selma to Montgomery, which was a catalyst for the Voting Rights
Act of 1965.
I am proud to cosponsor this bill and to stand with Congresswoman
Sewell and her delegation and one of the greatest leaders in the civil
rights movement, Congressman John Lewis.
It is important that we recognize the civil rights titans whose
sacrifice is an essential part of American history. As we honor
yesterday's foot soldiers with a Congressional Gold Medal, let us
remember that we are still in the fight.
In my home State of North Carolina, we are battling a new rollback on
voters' rights. It was one of the most regressive laws we have passed.
To fully honor the foot soldiers' sacrifice, we must keep fighting and
restore the important protections that have been stripped from the
Voting Rights Act.
Mr. Speaker, thank you for joining me in honoring these American
heroes.
Mr. HUIZENGA of Michigan. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the
gentleman from California (Mr. McCarthy), the distinguished House
majority leader.
Mr. McCARTHY. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding.
I do want to thank the authors of this bill, Congresswoman Roby and
Congresswoman Sewell, for their work on this. I appreciate it.
We are blessed in this Nation to enjoy the privileges of democracy
and to exercise our freedoms without fear, but sadly, for millions of
African Americans in our history, that has not been the case.
James Cooper, author of American works like ``The Last of the
Mohicans'' and ``The American Democrat,'' once said: ``The man who can
right himself by a vote will seldom resort to a musket.''
The opposite is also true. People denied their rights might well
resort to violence. It is not difficult to see why. With no established
form of recourse, what choice do those denied their freedoms have?
But the people we honor today chose a different path. These
nonviolent civil rights activists did not take the road of hate. In
their generation's quest for freedom, they didn't corrupt themselves
with the sins of those who worked against them. They fought for the
rights due to every person--not with weapons, but with the force of
rhetoric and virtue of peace.
I remember just a few years ago, I was walking with my friend
Congressman John Lewis through Selma, Alabama. We walked on the same
path of

[[Page H934]]

the Selma to Montgomery march that John led 50 years ago. We crossed
the Edmund Pettus Bridge in peace that day, but when John led the march
across the same bridge in 1965, he was beaten by a mob of State
troopers and deputized citizens.
John cannot remember who carried him, but wounded and bloodied, as
John told it to me, he was taken away to a church with a head injury.
He did not know if he would even live.
Those marchers at Selma demonstrated physical courage, but they also
demonstrated the highest moral courage. Under the onslaught of
brutality and uncertainty, they did not match violence with violence.
No. They demanded peace in the face of war, solidarity in the face of
division, and love in the face of hate.
For all of America's shortcomings, these brave men and women demanded
that the promise of America not be discarded but, instead, realized by
being purified in practice. They held America to its promise. By doing
so, they put their lives at risk, suffered ridicule and bodily harm,
and yet in history they were vindicated.

{time} 1300

We are gathered today in honor of those civil rights activists who
suffered violence while standing in peace. We honor them for holding
our Nation to the highest ideals, ensuring the true existence of
liberty and justice for all and making this country keep to its promise
that all men and women are created equal.
Ms. SEWELL of Alabama. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the
gentlelady from California, Nancy Pelosi, the honorable minority
leader.
Ms. PELOSI. I thank the gentlewoman from Alabama, Congresswoman Terri
Sewell, for her leadership and for introducing and driving forth this
legislation to award the Congressional Gold Medal to the foot soldiers
of Selma who fought for African Americans' right to vote. I thank her
for the opportunity to speak.
Mr. Speaker, it is very interesting and moving and inspiring to
listen to the debate on this legislation, to hear the majority leader,
to hear other Members of the Congress talk about how important what
happened at Selma was to our country and what promise it made for the
future of our country.
I would hope that the logical conclusion of that--when we see people
who are beaten and, in some instances at that time, killed, fighting
for the right to vote--is that we would truly honor them not only with
a Gold Medal, as wonderful as that is, but by passing the Voting Rights
Act on the floor of the House.
Today, listening to our colleagues, I am reminded of a day almost a
year ago, around March of last year, when we dedicated the statue of
Rosa Parks in the Capitol of the United States. How exciting--an
African American woman to join the ranks of all those men out there.
Many more striving to bring diversity, recognizing the great leadership
of Rosa Parks.
While we were there that very day, dedicating the statue of Rosa
Parks, across the street at the Supreme Court they were hearing the
arguments on the Voting Rights case. And it seems to me that it would
have been so logical for us to be supporting the spirit of the Voting
Rights Act.
Of course the Court acted, and the Congressional Black Caucus took
the lead. Many of us stood on the steps while the oral arguments were
going on and later came here to dedicate the statue.
But there seemed to be a total disconnect between those who were
speaking in a bipartisan way about Rosa Parks and how important it was
to our country and the fact that the Court was going to overturn a
piece of the Voting Rights Act, and that we, 1 year later, have done
nothing to correct that.
So while it is beautiful and lovely to hear all of the good words,
and it is fabulous for us to be awarding this Gold Medal, frankly, I
think that the foot soldiers of Selma bring added luster to the Gold
Medal, as we honor them with it.
As we all know, this marks the 50th anniversary of two exceptional
events in American history: the march on Selma and the passage of the
Voting Rights Act. Fifty years ago, as we all know, thousands of
people--students and scholars, homemakers and laborers, members of the
clergy--the Greek Orthodox Church was very prominently there, and many
other heroes--marched across the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma,
Alabama.
Today, the undaunted courage and dignity of the men and women who
marched continue to inspire our Nation--in fact, on the floor of the
House today. Hopefully that inspiration will rise to a place in this
House where we pass the Voting Rights Act.
The gentleman from Georgia, John Lewis, who was there, has been
acclaimed by all of us as a national treasure and a national hero. What
an honor it is to serve with him in Congress and to call him
``colleague.''
The journey from Selma to Montgomery is more than 50 miles, but
fatigue did not stop the marchers. State troopers used tear gas and
nightsticks. Hatred, violence, and injuries did not stop them. Those
brave foot soldiers, propelled by their faith in our country to live up
to its promise, continued to march because they knew the power of the
ballot.
How proud all of us are, again, to serve in the House alongside
Congressman John Lewis, the conscience of the Congress, who was one of
the young leaders of the march toward equality and opportunity, toward
justice, toward the ballot box.
The bravery of the Selma marchers summoned this Nation to action. A
week after Bloody Sunday, President Lyndon Baines Johnson came to this
Chamber--right there--to call on Congress to pass the Voting Rights
Act. And he said at the time:

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 at Appomattox. So it was in Selma, Alabama.

The courage of 8,000 marchers transformed the bridge into a national
symbol of how justice can conquer the status quo. Today, that steel
arch bridge over the Alabama River illustrates Dr. King's observation
that we all quote all the time: ``The arc of the moral universe is
long, but it bends towards justice.''
Today we propose to honor the foot soldiers of the Selma marches with
the Congressional Gold Medal and by accepting our own responsibility to
keep bending, pulling, and nudging that arc toward justice. One way we
can do it is by passing the Voting Rights Act.
Just to recall, Mr. Speaker, the last time we brought up the Voting
Rights Act in 2006-2007, the Senate passed it unanimously. In the
House, the vote was 390-33.
There is bipartisan legislation that has been introduced which can be
brought to the floor, passed, and signed into law in time for the Selma
anniversary next month. And it certainly must be passed before the 50th
anniversary of the signing of the Voting Rights Act on August 6, the
50th anniversary.
We must do so to push back against the same old stale, dressed-up,
and renamed efforts to hamper voting access and hinder progress.
Today, as we celebrate the foot soldiers--we pay homage, we reach
deep inside of us to say how inspired we all were by it and isn't it
wonderful--let's look to the now and say: Right now, to honor these
people, we must pass the Voting Rights Act again to correct what the
Court did.
So as we pay tribute to the foot soldiers who kept on marching, we
move forward from a painful past and march into a brighter, fairer
future for everyone.
Again, I thank the gentlewoman from Alabama, Congresswoman Sewell,
for her leadership on this important issue.
Mr. HUIZENGA of Michigan. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself 30 seconds.
I have no interest in politicizing this great bipartisan Gold Medal
act that we currently have before us. And let's not turn this important
act into a debate that will be, frankly, held in the Judiciary
Committee, rather than on the House floor.
We know that the Voting Rights Act--being a man who represents a
significant part of Gerald R. Ford's congressional district, it was men
like him that were hand-in-hand, arm-in-arm with those in that movement
that helped create the original Voting Rights Act. And I know that this
body

[[Page H935]]

can rise again to do the right thing and move forward in a bipartisan
manner.
With that, Mr. Speaker, recognizing that the other side has numerous
requests for time on this bill, particularly from the Congressional
Black Caucus, I ask unanimous consent that 7 minutes of the majority's
time be transferred and placed under the control of my good friend and
colleague from Alabama (Ms. Sewell), who is the Democratic manager.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from Michigan?
There was no objection.
Mr. HUIZENGA of Michigan. I reserve the balance of my time.
Ms. SEWELL of Alabama. Mr. Speaker, first, I want to thank the
gentleman from Michigan for yielding us the time. I want to thank him
for the opportunity to allow the members of the Congressional Black
Caucus to speak out on this important bill.
Right now, I have the honor to yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from
Maryland, Steny Hoyer, the honorable minority whip.
Mr. HOYER. I will say to my friend from Michigan, today we are all
members of the Congressional Black Caucus, one people with one
commitment and one idea.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of this bill, of which I am a
cosponsor, honoring the brave men and women who marched in Selma.
This will be my 10th year participating in the Faith and Politics
Institute's pilgrimage to Selma with my friend from Georgia, John
Lewis.
I thank the gentlelady from Selma for leading this debate.
Those folks who marched across that bridge on March 7, known as
Bloody Sunday, were met with the power of the State to prevent them
from voting.
This Gold Medal would be a tribute to John and to all those who
marched alongside him and all those who marched along 2 weeks later
with Martin Luther King, Jr., those thousands who walked that 5-day
journey from Selma to Montgomery. We ought to pass it unanimously. I
hope we will.
But Martin Luther King, Jr., would not be happy with us if we just
looked back in awe and reverence and did not look at today--I tell my
friend from Michigan--for he would say that Congress should go further
than simply honoring those who fought for their rights a half a century
ago. We should pay tribute to their sacrifices and the scars they still
carry by restoring the full protections of the Voting Rights Act, which
the Supreme Court weakened in 2013. Martin Luther King, Jr., was about
principle, but he was also about ensuring that protections would be in
place.
I hope that this House will allow bipartisan legislation to restore
these protections, which is cosponsored by the gentleman from
Wisconsin, Jim Sensenbrenner, the former chairman of the Judiciary
Committee on the Republican side, and the gentleman from Georgia, John
Lewis, a hero of Selma. These protections should move expeditiously
through the House once the legislation is introduced.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The time of the gentleman has expired.
Ms. SEWELL of Alabama. I yield the gentleman an additional 1 minute.
Mr. HOYER. I thank the gentleman from Michigan for giving the
gentlewoman a minute to yield to me.
I thank Representative Sewell for her leadership in making sure
Congress honors those who shook the conscience of our Nation through
their courageous actions in Selma 50 years ago and in so many other
places--where many fought, some were badly injured, and, yes, some
died--to redeem the promise of America that all of us are created
equal, endowed by our Creator with certain unalienable rights. And
certainly in a democracy, one of the most important--if not the most
important--rights that we have is to vote, to select our
representatives, to select the policies under which we will live.
I thank the Speaker and the majority leader for getting behind this
effort. And, again, I thank the gentlelady from Selma. How proud she
must be of her hometown and of the history that was made there, not
just for African Americans but for all Americans.
Mr. HUIZENGA of Michigan. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my
time at this moment.
Ms. SEWELL of Alabama. Mr. Speaker, how many more minutes do I have
remaining?
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentlewoman from Alabama has 12\1/2\
minutes remaining.
Ms. SEWELL of Alabama. At this time, I yield 1 minute to the
gentlelady from Ohio (Mrs. Beatty).
Mrs. BEATTY. I thank the gentlewoman from Alabama.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to join Congresswoman Terri Sewell, my good
friend, and my good friend from Alabama, Martha Roby, in strong support
of H.R. 431, a bill to award a Congressional Gold Medal to the foot
soldiers who participated in the Selma freedom marches in March of
1965.
These foot soldiers, including our colleague from Georgia,
Congressman John Lewis, and the men, women, and children who marched on
Bloody Sunday, Turnaround Tuesday, and in the final march from Selma to
Montgomery, were met with attacks and dogs, beatings, and death along
the way. But, Mr. Speaker, still they marched, as many of us will march
in a few weeks, to fight for equal rights and voting rights.
Mr. Speaker, let us honor the 1965 foot soldiers for their bravery
and for their equality, marching for equality. I urge all Members to
vote ``yes'' on H.R. 431.
Mr. HUIZENGA of Michigan. I reserve the balance of my time.
Ms. SEWELL of Alabama. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the
gentlelady from Texas (Ms. Jackson Lee).

{time} 1315

Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from Alabama,
and I thank her particularly for her persistent leadership and for her
generosity with inviting so many Members to her district. We have
enjoyed meeting her local officials, and we have enjoyed meeting the
leadership of that great city and its great history.
We make a personal commitment to her that as we travel through
Selma--and it captures the essence of a town of great history--that we
recognize that there is a need to invest many dollars to preserve this
great city and to preserve its history. We thank her for her
leadership.
To the manager, the gentleman from Michigan, let me thank you very
much for your eloquent statements. Isn't it important, Mr. Speaker, to
see the number of leaders of our leadership--the majority leader, the
minority leader, the whip, and the minority whip--here on the floor of
the House joining us in this momentous occasion?
Mr. Speaker, I had the privilege of working for the Southern
Christian Leadership Conference, obviously at a very, very young age.
It was in that atmosphere, out of their office on Auburn Avenue in
Georgia, that I got the sense and the feeling of the moment of the
history of Selma.
In the fictional yet truthful movie ``Selma,'' we are reminded of the
song ``Glory.'' Today is an example of ``Glory.'' It is an example of
the coming together of peoples around what is right, and it is a
recognition that foot soldiers, though unknown even some 50 years
later, are deserving of being pulled from the ashes of their last words
to be able to say to them, ``Thank you.''
That is what this Congressional Gold Medal means to me and means to
so many who were among the 600-plus that could be called the foot
soldiers. Obviously, by working for the Southern Christian Leadership
Conference, I knew at that time Ambassador Andrew Young, Hosea
Williams, James Orange, and a litany of others.
Certainly, as our Congresswoman from Selma has done, we pay tribute
to our leader John Lewis who, himself, was brutalized as he attempted
to exercise a simple right protected by the Bill of Rights, and that is
the right to freedom of speech, freedom of access, and freedom of
movement.
Today, Mr. Speaker, I join in the words of President Johnson on March
15, 1965, looking back over Bloody Sunday. He said:

I speak tonight for the dignity of man and 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.

Yes, it was simply just last week in the thinking of so many of us as
we stand on the floor of the House.

[[Page H936]]

The SPEAKER pro tempore. The time of the gentlewoman has expired.
Ms. SEWELL of Alabama. I yield the gentlewoman an additional 15
seconds.
Ms. JACKSON LEE. I thank the gentlewoman.
Might I say, as we vote on this, we vote together. Might I say, as
much as we vote, can we do it in action and vote to reauthorize the
Voting Rights Act by simply restoring section 5, giving the Supreme
Court what it needs, but recognizing the importance of protecting the
right to vote?
In the name of Jimmie Lee Jackson who died trying to protect his
mother and grandmother, in the name of Viola Liuzzo, and in the name of
Reverend James Reeb, I ask that we stand here today and vote for this
legislation to honor them, but vote for reauthorization of the Voting
Rights Act.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today not only as a proud supporter, but as a
cosponsor, of H.R. 431, a bill authorizing the award of the
Congressional Gold Medal to the ``foot soldiers of Selma,'' those
heroic souls who risked their lives for freedom and to secure the right
to vote for all Americans by their participation in marches for voting
rights on ``Bloody Sunday,'' ``Turnaround Tuesday,'' or the final,
completed march from Selma to Montgomery in March 1965.
I thank my colleague, Congresswoman Terri Sewell of Alabama, for
introducing this legislation paying fitting, and long overdue, tribute
to those brave and determined men and women, boys and girls, persons of
all races and creeds, who loved their country so much that they were
willing to risk their lives to make it better, to bring it even closer
to its founding ideals that all persons have dignity and the right to
equal treatment under the law, and in the making of the laws, which is
the fundamental essence of the right to vote. I also want to thank
Congresswoman Martha Roby.
Mr. Speaker, on March 15, 1965, before a joint session of the
Congress and the eyes of the nation, President Lyndon Johnson explained
to the nation the significance of ``Bloody Sunday'':

``I speak tonight for the dignity of man and 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.''

The previous Sunday, March 7, 1965, more than 600 civil rights
demonstrators, including our beloved colleague, Congressman John Lewis
of Georgia, were brutally attacked by state and local police at the
Edmund Pettus Bridge as they marched from Selma to Montgomery in
support of the right to vote.
``Bloody Sunday'' was one of the defining moments in American history
because it crystallized for the nation the necessity of enacting a
strong and effective federal law to protect the right to vote of every
American.
No one who witnessed the violence and brutally suffered by the foot
soldiers for justice who gathered at the Edmund Pettus Bridge will ever
forget it; the images are deeply seared in the American memory and
experience.
Mr. Speaker, what is so moving, heroic, and awe-inspiring is that the
foot soldiers we honor today faced their heavily armed oppressors
fortified only by their love for their country and each other and the
audacious faith that their cause was just.
The example set by the foot soldiers of Selma showed everyone, here
in America and around the world, that there is no force on earth as
powerful as an idea whose time has come.
So it is fitting and proper, Mr. Speaker, that we honor today the
heroes--the foot soldiers--who won the Bathe of Selma and helped redeem
the greatest nation on earth.
But we should not forget that this victory came at great cost and
that many good and dear persons lost their lives to win for others the
right to vote.
Men like Jimmy Lee Jackson, who was shot by Alabama state trooper as
he tried to protect his mother and grandmother from being beaten for
participating in a peaceful voting rights march in Marion, Alabama.
Women like Viola Liuzzo, a housewife and mother of five, who had
journeyed to Selma from Detroit to join the protests after witnessing
on television the events at Edmund Pettus Bridge on ``Bloody Sunday''
and who was shot and killed by Klansmen while driving back from a trip
shuttling fellow voting rights marchers to the Montgomery airport.
Persons of faith, goodwill, and non-violence like the Reverend James
Reeb of Boston, a minister from Boston who heeded the call of the Rev.
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. to come to Selma and who succumbed to the
head injuries he suffered at the hands of his white supremacists
attackers on March 9, two days after Bloody Sunday.
Mr. Speaker, in the face of all this hostility, violence, brutality,
and hatred, the foot soldiers of Selma would not be deterred--would not
be moved--would not be turned around.
They kept their eyes on the prize and held on.
And help came the very next week when President Johnson announced to
the nation that he would send to Congress for immediate action a law
designed to eliminate illegal barriers to the right to vote by striking
down ``restrictions to voting in all elections--Federal, State, and
local--which have been used to deny Negroes the right to vote.''
On August 6, 1965, that legislation--the Voting Rights Act of 1965--
was signed into law by President Johnson and for the next 48 years did
more to expand our democracy and empower racial and language minorities
than any act of government since the Emancipation Proclamation and
adoption of the Civil War Amendments.
But our work is not done; the dreams of Dr. King and of all those who
gave their lives in the struggle for justice are not behind us but
still before us.
In the wake of the Supreme Court's 2013 ruling in Shelby County v.
Holder, which severely crippled the Voting Rights Act, we have seen
many states across our nation move to enact legislation designed to
limit the ability of women, the elderly, racial and language minorities
to exercise their right to vote.
In Texas alone, new voter ID laws are estimated to have prevented or
deterred as many as 600,000 citizens from registering to vote in 2014.
To honor the memory of the foot soldiers of Selma, we must rededicate
ourselves to a great task remaining before us--to repair the damage
done to the Voting Rights Act by working to pass the Voting Rights
Amendments Act of 2015, which I am proud to be one of the original
cosponsors.
Mr. Speaker, as I have stated many times, the 1965 Voting Rights Act
is no ordinary piece of legislation.
For millions of Americans, and for many in Congress, it is sacred
treasure, earned by the sweat and toil and tears and blood of ordinary
Americans who showed the world it was possible to accomplish
extraordinary things.
As we honor the foot soldiers of Selma by voting to pass H.R. 431
awarding them the Congressional Gold Medal, let us resolve also to
restore the Voting Rights Act of 1965, so that it remains a lasting
monument to their heroism and devotion to the country they loved.
Mr. HUIZENGA of Michigan. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my
time.
Ms. SEWELL of Alabama. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the
gentlewoman from New Jersey (Mrs. Watson Coleman).
Mrs. WATSON COLEMAN. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the gentlewoman
from Alabama for bringing us together around this important issue.
It is my honor to be a cosponsor of this endeavor, to take this
opportunity to demonstrate our appreciation and our respect for the
sacrifices that were made by the foot soldiers who marched in the three
marches. It is my honor always to be a part of this wonderful body that
serves along with John Lewis, who happens to be one of my personal
heroes.
This Congressional Gold Medal is not just simply an award. It is
emblematic of a selflessness that was demonstrated by people who stood
up and did the right thing and put their lives in jeopardy to ensure
that we, as a democracy, had an opportunity to participate at the very
highest level, and that is the level of voting.
As I stand here and thank each and every one of our colleagues on
both sides of the aisle for supporting this initiative, I rise also to
remind us that we have work still to be done, that the battle that was
before us that we thought we won is still there to be won, and that we
need to correct the actions of the Supreme Court and follow through on
the actions of giving people the right to vote.
Mr. HUIZENGA of Michigan. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my
time.
Ms. SEWELL of Alabama. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the
gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Fattah).
Mr. FATTAH. I thank the gentlewoman from Alabama and those others who
have cosponsored this, including Congresswoman Roby from Alabama.
Mr. Speaker, this legislation is so vitally important. I take it as
one of my life's greatest honors to have served for the last 20 years
in the Congress with John Lewis. He literally changed our Nation
through his bravery.
On a day like today, this is the date that 25 years ago, Nelson
Mandela

[[Page H937]]

walked out of prison and into the Presidency in South Africa, and as
those foot soldiers walked across this bridge on Bloody Sunday, they
helped create a circumstance in which we would have, as a President of
the United States, Barack Obama. We cannot separate these issues. They
are inextricably intertwined.
Mr. Speaker, I want to say to my colleague from Selma who represents
so ably the new South that our Nation is so much better for the
struggle in Selma, for the sacrifice, and not just in those who are
famous like Dr. King or John Lewis, but I met at her side Ms. Boynton,
a 105-year-old woman who walked across that bridge that day, just in
this Capitol less than 20 days ago.
I want to thank her for her leadership on this issue and thank her as
we celebrate and commemorate these 50 years and as we dedicate
ourselves to fight for the right to vote for every single American
without equivocation or compromise.
Mr. HUIZENGA of Michigan. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my
time.
Ms. SEWELL of Alabama. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
Mr. Speaker, voting is the most fundamental right that we share as
Americans. The foot soldiers who dared to march across the Edmund
Pettus Bridge in the face of extreme racial hostility did so in the
spirit of equality. We should never forget the sacrifices they made so
that this Nation could live up to the ideals of equality and justice
for all.
While we can never repay these foot soldiers for the sacrifices that
they made, we can offer a down payment by continuing to fight against
injustice wherever it exists. For as Dr. King so eloquently noted,
``Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.''
May we be moved by the valor and determination of these foot soldiers
to stomp out modern-day inequities in the name of justice. The foot
soldiers of the voting rights movement set forth a powerful precedent
for all of us to follow.
Whenever the rights of any one man have been denied, the rights of
all are in danger. The price of freedom, as has been said before, is
not free. The foot soldiers paid the ultimate price to ensure equal
voting rights for all Americans.
Mr. Speaker, I am proud that over 300 of my colleagues in Congress--
both Democrats and Republicans--have agreed to cosponsor this bill. I
am proud that my colleague from Alabama Senator Sessions and Senator
Booker will introduce this bill on the Senate side today.
I am humbled by the strong bipartisan support of this bill, and I
would like to thank Representative Martha Roby and all of the members
of the Alabama delegation for standing with me in support of this bill.
Today, I am especially proud to be from Alabama. I invite my
colleagues, Republican and Democrat, and all Americans, to come to
Selma during the first week of March to witness living history. You,
too, can witness living history.
The city of Selma and the jubilee group will be doing a host of
activities all week long. Of course, the commemorative march itself
will be on Sunday, March 8, as well as our President will be speaking
to us in Selma on March 7.
I urge all of my colleagues to vote in favor of H.R. 431. I believe
that bestowing the Congressional Gold Medal to the foot soldiers of the
voting rights movement is a strong reminder of the power of ordinary
Americans to collectively achieve extraordinary, extraordinary social
change.
I want to again thank the gentleman from Michigan for sharing with me
this wonderful 40 minutes of debate. I want you to know that it is one
of the highlights of my life to have the opportunity to bestow this
Congressional Gold Medal to the foot soldiers of the voting rights
movement.
As a proud daughter of Selma and the Representative of Selma,
Montgomery, Birmingham, and Tuscaloosa, I want you to know that those
of us who are the direct beneficiaries of the movement, Black and
White, we owe a debt of gratitude that we can never repay.
Today goes a long way in acknowledging those unsung and noted heroes
like John Lewis, but there are so many, so many, that are in our midst,
in our communities, that gave that sacrifice. Today, we honor them, the
foot soldiers of the voting rights movement.
I want to say again to all of my colleagues: I hope that you will
take seriously this bill and what its significance is to America.
I want to thank the gentleman from Michigan for sharing this time
with me, and I want to thank the leadership of both parties for putting
this bill on the floor in such a timely manner, so that we can get it
on the President's desk before the March 7 and 8 wonderful, wonderful
celebration.
Again, Mr. Speaker, I thank all of you for being here, and I urge my
colleagues to vote ``yes'' on H.R. 431, and I yield back the balance of
my time.
Mr. HUIZENGA of Michigan. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I
may consume.
To my friend, it is amazing to me today the irony as we talk about
the Edmund Pettus Bridge, a man who served as the grand dragon of the
Ku Klux Klan in Alabama, who just 100 years ago was serving in the U.S.
Senate, and to have that be a symbol and discussed in the same breath
as a man like John Lewis and Martin Luther King and so many others and
in that short 50 years for us, even though we may be of a different
political persuasion, for me to be here and witness the first African
American to be President of these United States, what an amazing
journey this has been.
Gone are the poll taxes, gone are the reading and history tests, gone
are a number of those legal impediments and formal legal impediments
that were there both in the North and in the South that dictated to
someone where they could or couldn't live.
What has not gone--I am struck by this time and time again--is sin
and hatred in human hearts. As C.S. Lewis talks about in his book
``Mere Christianity,'' by means of laws, a man can attempt to change a
man's actions, but they will not succeed without a change to those
men's hearts.
I think that is our legacy. I think that is our duty as Americans,
and I think that is part of what we are doing here today--to honor, to
recognize, and to celebrate, knowing that the journey is not done
necessarily, knowing that we have other areas where we need to work on
this as a society, but knowing that progress has been made.
It is truly an honor to be a part of this with you as well, my
friend.
Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the
gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Huizenga) that the House suspend the rules
and pass the bill, H.R. 431.
The question was taken.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds
being in the affirmative, the ayes have it.
Ms. SEWELL of Alabama. 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, further
proceedings on this motion will be postponed.

____________________