108TH CONGRESS
2D SESSION
H. CON. RES. 414
CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
Whereas on May 17, 1954, the United States Supreme Court
announced in Brown v. Board of Education (347 U.S.
483) that, ‘‘in the field of education, the doctrine of ‘sep-
arate but equal’ has no place’’;
Whereas the Brown decision overturned the precedent set in
1896 in Plessy v. Ferguson (163 U.S. 537), which had
declared ‘‘separate but equal facilities’’ constitutional and
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allowed the continued segregation of public schools in the
United States on the basis of race;
Whereas the Brown decision recognized as a matter of law
that the segregation of public schools deprived students
of the equal protection of the laws under the Fourteenth
Amendment to the Constitution of the United States;
Whereas the Brown decision stood as a victory for plaintiff
Linda Brown, an African American third grader who had
been denied admission to an all white public school in To-
peka, Kansas;
Whereas the Brown decision stood as a victory for those
plaintiffs similarly situated to Linda Brown in the cases
that were consolidated with Brown, which included
Briggs v. Elliot (103 F. Supp. 920), Davis v. County
School Board (103 F. Supp. 337), and Gephardt v.
Belton (91 A.2d 137);
Whereas the Brown decision stood as a victory for those that
had successfully dismantled school segregation years be-
fore Brown through legal challenges such as Westminster
School District v. Mendez (161 F.2d 774), which ended
segregation in schools in Orange County, California;
Whereas the Brown decision stands among all civil rights
cases as a symbol of the Federal Government’s commit-
ment to fulfill the promise of equality;
Whereas the Brown decision helped lead to the repeal of
‘‘Jim Crow’’ laws and the elimination of many of the se-
vere restrictions placed on the freedom of African Ameri-
cans;
Whereas the Brown decision helped lead to the enactment of
the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits discrimina-
tion on the basis of race, religion, or national origin in
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workplaces and public establishments that have a connec-
tion to interstate commerce or are supported by the
State;
Whereas the Brown decision helped lead to the enactment of
the Voting Rights Act of 1965 which promotes every
American’s right to participate in the political process;
Whereas the Brown decision helped lead to the enactment of
the Fair Housing Act of 1968 that prohibits discrimina-
tion in the sale, rental, and financing of dwellings, and
in other housing-relating transactions, on the basis of
race, color, national origin, religion, sex, familial status,
or disability; and
Whereas in 2004, the year marking the 50th anniversary of
the Brown decision, inequalities evidenced at the time of
such decision have not been completely eradicated: Now,
therefore, be it
Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate
concurring), That the Congress—
(1) recognizes and celebrates the 50th anniver-
sary of the Brown v. Board of Education decision;
(2) encourages all Americans to recognize and
celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Brown v.
Board of Education decision; and
(3) renews its commitment to continuing and
building on the legacy of Brown with a pledge to ac-
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knowledge and address the modern day disparities
that remain.
Passed the House of Representatives May 13, 2004.
Attest:
Clerk.