SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 168
WHEREAS, The Senate of the State of Texas is pleased to
recognize the 50th anniversary of the landmark Brown v. Board of
Education decision by the United States Supreme Court, which is
being observed on May 17, 2004; and
WHEREAS, In the Brown v. Board of Education case, the
Supreme Court ruled unanimously that separate educational
facilities are inherently unequal and violate the Fourteenth
Amendment to the United States Constitution, which guarantees
every citizen equal protection of the laws; the decision was
handed down on May 17, 1954, and set our nation on the path to
end racial segregation in the public schools; and
WHEREAS, The landmark case was brought by the National
Association for the Advancement of Colored People on behalf of
Linda Brown, a black fifth grade student in Topeka, Kansas, and
other plaintiffs in Kansas, South Carolina, Virginia, and Delaware;
all five cases were argued together on December 9, 1952, by
Thurgood Marshall, a black lawyer with the National Association
for the Advancement of Colored People; the case was reargued on
December 8, 1953, before the court reached its decision in 1954;
and
WHEREAS, This historic Supreme Court case overturned the
"separate but equal" doctrine of the 1896 Plessy v. Ferguson
case; it has long been recognized as the turning point in the
desegregation of our nation's public schools and the beginning of
equality among all races under the law; and
WHEREAS, Since the court's decision, the African-American
community and many other Americans from all walks of life have
worked with passionate commitment and dedication to end segregation
in all public facilities; and
WHEREAS, Our nation has made progress in moving toward the
ideals of equality and justice in the public arena, and, with the
goodwill and continued vigilance of all our citizens, more progress
continues to be made; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the Senate of the State of Texas,
78th Legislature, 4th Called Session, hereby join in celebrating
the 50th anniversary of the Brown v. Board of Education Supreme
Court decision and pay tribute to the many individuals who continue
to work to ensure equality for all the people in our great state
and nation.
West
Armbrister Fraser Ogden
Averitt Gallegos Seliger
Barrientos Harris Shapiro
Brimer Hinojosa Shapleigh
Carona Jackson Staples
Deuell Janek Van de Putte
Duncan Lindsay Wentworth
Ellis Lucio Whitmire
Eltife Madla Williams
Estes Nelson Zaffirini
Dewhurst, President of the Senate
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President of the Senate
I hereby certify that the
above Resolution was adopted by
the Senate on May 17, 2004.
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Secretary of the Senate
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Member, Texas Senate