Political Quotes

“I commend the sponsors of this legislation, and I urge the adoption of the bill. It is appropriate that we should honor these four young girls who gave so much to the cause of civil rights. They gave their lives. Just before this event, we had passed the Civil Rights Act of 1957. Immediately thereafter, we passed legislation, cosponsored by the gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. Loser) and me, which made it a crime to travel in interstate commerce for the purpose of destroying buildings or churches. Shortly thereafter, outraged by the events that took place on this awful day, the Congress passed the '64 and then the '65 Civil Rights Acts. {time} 1320 These four beautiful children contributed in a most meaningful way to those events which caused the legislation to become law, and they saw to it that we honor their doings today with enactment of this legislation. I rise in support of H.R. 360, legislation to award a Congressional Gold Medal to four brave little girls who tragically lost their lives 50 years ago in the bombing of the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama. I want to thank the gentlewoman from Alabama, Congresswoman Sewell, for bringing the attention of Congress to this fateful incident that helped transform the history of our nation and for giving the victims of this attack the recognition for which they are long overdue.…”