I 
108TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 3287
To award congressional gold medals posthumously on behalf of Reverend 
Joseph A. DeLaine, Harry and Eliza Briggs, and Levi Pearson in rec-
ognition of their contributions to the Nation as pioneers in the effort 
to desegregate public schools that led directly to the landmark desegrega-
tion case of Brown et al. v. the Board of Education of Topeka et 
al. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
OCTOBER 10, 2003
Mr. CLYBURN (for himself, Mr. ACEVEDO-VILA´, Mr. ABERCROMBIE, Mr. ACK-
ERMAN, Mr. ADERHOLT, Mr. ALEXANDER, Mr. ALLEN, Mr. ANDREWS, 
Mr. BACA, Mr. BACHUS, Mr. BAIRD, Ms. BALDWIN, Mr. BALLANCE, Mr. 
BALLENGER, Mr. BARTON of Texas, Mr. BASS, Mr. BECERRA, Mr. BELL, 
Ms. BERKLEY, Mr. BERMAN, Mr. BERRY, Mr. BISHOP of Georgia, Mr. 
BLUMENAUER, Mr. BLUNT, Mr. BOEHLERT, Ms. BORDALLO, Mr. BOS-
WELL, Mr. BOUCHER, Mr. BOYD, Mr. BRADY of Pennsylvania, Ms. 
CORRINE BROWN of Florida, Mr. BROWN of South Carolina, Mr. BROWN 
of Ohio, Mr. BURNS, Mr. BURTON of Indiana, Mr. BUYER, Mr. CAMP, 
Mrs. CAPITO, Mrs. CAPPS, Mr. CAPUANO, Mr. CARDIN, Mr. CARDOZA, 
Ms. CARSON of Indiana, Mr. CASE, Mr. CHABOT, Mr. CHOCOLA, Mrs. 
CHRISTENSEN, Mr. CLAY, Mr. CONYERS, Mr. COOPER, Mr. COSTELLO, 
Mr. COX, Mr. CRENSHAW, Mr. CROWLEY, Mr. CULBERSON, Mr. 
CUMMINGS, Mr. CUNNINGHAM, Mr. DAVIS of Alabama, Mr. DAVIS of Illi-
nois, Mr. DAVIS of Florida, Mr. DAVIS of Tennessee, Mrs. DAVIS of Cali-
fornia, Mr. TOM DAVIS of Virginia, Mr. DEAL of Georgia, Mr. DEFAZIO, 
Ms. DEGETTE, Mr. DELAHUNT, Ms. DELAURO, Mr. DEMINT, Mr. 
DEUTSCH, Mr. LINCOLN DIAZ-BALART of Florida, Mr. MARIO DIAZ-
BALART of Florida, Mr. DICKS, Mr. DOGGETT, Mr. DOOLEY of Cali-
fornia, Mr. DOOLITTLE, Mr. DOYLE, Mr. DUNCAN, Ms. DUNN, Mr. ED-
WARDS, Mr. EHLERS, Mr. EMANUEL, Mrs. EMERSON, Mr. ENGEL, Mr. 
ENGLISH, 
Ms. 
ESHOO, 
Mr. 
ETHERIDGE, 
Mr. 
EVANS, 
Mr. 
FALEOMAVAEGA, Mr. FARR, Mr. FATTAH, Mr. FILNER, Mr. FOLEY, Mr. 
FORBES, Mr. FORD, Mr. FRANK of Massachusetts, Mr. FRELINGHUYSEN, 
Mr. FROST, Mr. GEPHARDT, Mr. GIBBONS, Mr. GONZALEZ, Mr. GOR-
DON, Mr. GREEN of Texas, Mr. GREENWOOD, Mr. GRIJALVA, Mr. 
GUTIERREZ, Mr. GUTKNECHT, Ms. HARMAN, Mr. HASTINGS of Florida, 
Mr. HAYWORTH, Mr. HEFLEY, Mr. HERGER, Mr. HILL, Mr. HINCHEY, 
Mr. HINOJOSA, Mr. HOBSON, Mr. HOEFFEL, Mr. HOLDEN, Mr. HOLT,
Mr. HONDA, Ms. HOOLEY of Oregon, Mr. HOUGHTON, Mr. HOYER, Mr. 
HULSHOF, Mr. INSLEE, Mr. ISAKSON, Mr. ISRAEL, Mr. JACKSON of Illi-
nois, Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas, Mr. JEFFERSON, Mr. JENKINS, Mr. 
JOHN, Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of Texas, Mrs. JOHNSON of Con-
necticut, Mrs. JONES of Ohio, Mr. JONES of North Carolina, Mr. KAN-
JORSKI, Ms. KAPTUR, Mrs. KELLY, Mr. KENNEDY of Rhode Island, Mr. 
KILDEE, Ms. KILPATRICK, Mr. KING of New York, Mr. KINGSTON, Mr. 
KLECZKA, Mr. KNOLLENBERG, Mr. KOLBE, Mr. KUCINICH, Mr. 
LAHOOD, Mr. LAMPSON, Mr. LANGEVIN, Mr. LANTOS, Mr. LARSEN of 
Washington, Mr. LARSON of Connecticut, Ms. LEE, Mr. LEVIN, Mr. 
LEWIS
of California, Mr. LEWIS
of Georgia, Mr. LIPINSKI, Ms. 
LOFGREN, Mrs. LOWEY, Mr. LUCAS of Kentucky, Mr. LYNCH, Ms. 
MAJETTE, Mrs. MALONEY, Mr. MARKEY, Mr. MARSHALL, Mr. MATHE-
SON, Mr. MATSUI, Mrs. MCCARTHY of New York, Ms. MCCARTHY of 
Missouri, Ms. MCCOLLUM, Mr. MCCRERY, Mr. MCDERMOTT, Mr. 
MCGOVERN, Mr. MCHUGH, Mr. MCINTYRE, Mr. MCKEON, Mr. MCNUL-
TY, Mr. MEEHAN, Mr. MEEK of Florida, Mr. MEEKS of New York, Mr. 
MENENDEZ, Mr. MICA, Mr. MICHAUD, Ms. MILLENDER-MCDONALD, Mr. 
MILLER of North Carolina, Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California, Mr. MOL-
LOHAN, Mr. MOORE, Mr. MORAN of Virginia, Mr. MURTHA, Mrs. 
MYRICK, Mr. NADLER, Mrs. NAPOLITANO, Mr. NEAL of Massachusetts, 
Mr. NETHERCUTT, Mr. NEY, Ms. NORTON, Mr. NUSSLE, Mr. OBERSTAR, 
Mr. OBEY, Mr. OLVER, Mr. ORTIZ, Mr. OSBORNE, Mr. OWENS, Mr. 
PALLONE, Mr. PASCRELL, Mr. PASTOR, Mr. PAYNE, Ms. PELOSI, Mr. 
PENCE, Mr. PETRI, Mr. PICKERING, Mr. POMEROY, Mr. PORTMAN, Mr. 
PRICE of North Carolina, Ms. PRYCE of Ohio, Mr. RAHALL, Mr. 
RAMSTAD, Mr. RANGEL, Mr. REGULA, Mr. REYES, Mr. RODRIGUEZ, Mr. 
ROGERS of Kentucky, Mr. ROHRABACHER, Mr. ROSS, Mr. ROTHMAN, Ms. 
ROYBAL-ALLARD, Mr. RUPPERSBERGER, Mr. RUSH, Mr. RYAN of Ohio, 
Mr. SABO, Ms. LINDA T. SA´NCHEZ of California, Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ 
of California, Mr. SANDERS, Mr. SANDLIN, Ms. SCHAKOWSKY, Mr. 
SCHIFF, Mr. SCOTT of Georgia, Mr. SCOTT of Virginia, Mr. SERRANO, 
Mr. SESSIONS, Mr. SHADEGG, Mr. SHAYS, Mr. SHERMAN, Mr. SKELTON, 
Mr. SHIMKUS, Ms. SLAUGHTER, Mr. SNYDER, Ms. SOLIS, Mr. SPRATT, 
Mr. STARK, Mr. STEARNS, Mr. STRICKLAND, Mr. STUPAK, Mr. 
SWEENEY, Mr. TANNER, Mrs. TAUSCHER, Mr. TAUZIN, Mr. TAYLOR of 
North Carolina, Mr. TAYLOR of Mississippi, Mr. TERRY, Mr. THOMAS, 
Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi, Mr. THOMPSON of California, Mr. 
TIAHRT, Mr. TIERNEY, Mr. TOWNS, Mr. TURNER of Texas, Mr. UDALL 
of Colorado, Mr. UDALL of New Mexico, Mr. VAN HOLLEN, Ms. 
VELA´ZQUEZ, Mr. VISCLOSKY, Mr. WALSH, Mr. WAMP, Ms. WATERS, Ms. 
WATSON, Mr. WATT, Mr. WAXMAN, Mr. WEINER, Mr. WELDON of Flor-
ida, Mr. WELLER, Mr. WEXLER, Mr. WICKER, Mrs. WILSON of New 
Mexico, Mr. WILSON of South Carolina, Mr. WOLF, Ms. WOOLSEY, Mr. 
WU, Mr. WYNN, Mr. YOUNG of Florida, and Mr. YOUNG of Alaska) intro-
duced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Finan-
cial Services
A BILL 
To award congressional gold medals posthumously on behalf 
of Reverend Joseph A. DeLaine, Harry and Eliza Briggs, 
and Levi Pearson in recognition of their contributions 
to the Nation as pioneers in the effort to desegregate 
public schools that led directly to the landmark desegre-
gation case of Brown et al. v. the Board of Education 
of Topeka et al.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. FINDINGS. 
The Congress finds as follows: 
(1) The Reverend Joseph Armstrong DeLaine, 
one of the true heroes of the civil rights struggle, led 
a crusade to break down barriers in education in 
South Carolina. 
(2) The efforts of Reverend DeLaine led to the 
desegregation of public schools in the United States, 
but forever scarred his own life. 
(3) In 1949, Joseph DeLaine, a minister and 
school principal, organized African-American parents 
in Summerton, South Carolina, to petition the school 
board for a bus for black students, who had to walk 
up to 10 miles through corn and cotton fields to at-
tend a segregated school, while the white children in
the school district rode to and from school in nice 
clean buses. 
(4) In 1950, these same parents, including 
Harry and Eliza Briggs, sued to end public school 
segregation in Briggs et al. v. Elliott et al., one of 
5 cases that collectively led to the landmark 1954 
Supreme Court decision of Brown et al. v. Board of 
Education of Topeka et al. 
(5) Because of his participation in the desegre-
gation movement, Reverend DeLaine was subjected 
to repeated acts of domestic terror in which—
(A) he, along with 2 sisters and a niece, 
lost their jobs; 
(B) he fought off an angry mob; 
(C) he received frequent death threats; and 
(D) his church and his home were burned 
to the ground. 
(6) In October 1955, after Reverend DeLaine 
relocated to Florence County in South Carolina, 
shots were fired at the DeLaine home, and because 
Reverend DeLaine fired back to mark the car, he 
was charged with assault and battery with intent to 
kill.
(7) The shooting incident drove him from South 
Carolina to Buffalo, New York, where he organized 
an African Methodist Episcopal Church. 
(8) Believing that he would not be treated fairly 
by the South Carolina judicial system if he returned 
to South Carolina, Reverend DeLaine told the Fed-
eral Bureau of Investigation, ‘‘I am not running 
from justice but injustice’’, and it was not until 
2000 (26 years after his death and 45 years after 
the incident) that Reverend DeLaine was cleared of 
all charges relating to the October 1955 incident. 
(9) Reverend DeLaine was a humble and fear-
less man who showed the Nation that all people, re-
gardless of the color of their skin, deserve a first-
rate education, a lesson from which the Nation has 
benefited immeasurably. 
(10) Reverend DeLaine deserves rightful rec-
ognition for the suffering that he and his family en-
dured to teach the Nation one of the great civil 
rights lessons of the last century. 
(11) Like the Reverend DeLaine and Harry 
and Eliza Briggs, Levi Pearson was an integral par-
ticipant in the struggle to equalize the educational 
experiences of white and black students in South 
Carolina.