78S41378 KO-D

By:  McClendon                                                    H.R. No. 287



R E S O L U T I O N
	WHEREAS, The year 2004 marks the 50th anniversary of Brown v. 
Board of Education, and the story of that watershed case is being 
preserved through the exceptional commitment of sisters Linda Brown 
Thompson and Cheryl Brown Henderson; and
	WHEREAS, Fifty years ago in Topeka, Kansas, third-grader 
Linda Brown had to travel five miles to attend an all-black school 
while a white-only school was located just a few blocks from her 
home; Linda's father, the Reverend Oliver L. Brown, and other 
African Americans with school-age children in Topeka were enlisted 
by the local NAACP for a legal challenge to the city's segregated 
schools, a challenge that became Brown v. Board of Education; and
	WHEREAS, Challenging the "separate but equal" doctrine then 
governing public education in nearly half the states in the nation, 
other families from Delaware, Virginia, South Carolina, and 
Washington, D.C., joined the groundbreaking case when it reached 
the United States Supreme Court; and
	WHEREAS, On May 17, 1954, the Supreme Court issued a 
unanimous decision calling it unconstitutional to segregate 
schools on the basis of race; one of the most pivotal opinions ever 
rendered by the Supreme Court, that landmark decision initiated 
educational reform throughout the United States and was a catalyst 
in launching the civil rights movement; and
	WHEREAS, Today, Linda Brown Thompson and Cheryl Brown 
Henderson continue to work toward equal-opportunity education; 
they are co-owners of Brown and Brown Associates, an educational 
consulting firm, and cofounders of the Brown Foundation for 
Educational Equity, Excellence and Research; Ms. Henderson, a 
former schoolteacher, guidance counselor, and educational 
administrator, serves as president of the foundation, which seeks 
to preserve the historic legacy of the Brown case and to further 
multicultural understanding; and
	WHEREAS, The 50th anniversary of the Brown v. Board of 
Education decision provides a fitting opportunity to pay tribute to 
Linda Brown Thompson, Cheryl Brown Henderson, and countless other 
caring citizens who work tirelessly in behalf of social justice, 
improved race relations, and the betterment of the country's 
education system; now, therefore, be it
	RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 78th Texas 
Legislature, 4th Called Session, hereby commend Linda Brown 
Thompson and Cheryl Brown Henderson for the important work that 
they have done and continue to do to secure equal rights and 
educational opportunity for all Americans; and, be it further
	RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be 
prepared for Ms. Thompson and Ms. Henderson as an expression of high 
regard by the Texas House of Representatives.