H. Res. 668 
In the House of Representatives, U. S., 
September 24, 2007. 
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 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 in 1957, three years after the landmark Brown v. 
Board of Education decision, the promise of access and 
equality within the realm of education remained unfilled 
in Little Rock, Arkansas, and throughout the Nation; 
Whereas on September 4, 1957, nine African American stu-
dents who would later be deemed the Little Rock Nine, 
Minnijean Brown, Elizabeth Eckford, Ernest Green, 
Thelma Mothershed, Melba Pattillo, Gloria Ray, Terrence 
Roberts, Jefferson Thomas, and Carlotta Walls, were de-
nied admittance to Little Rock Central High by the Ar-
kansas National Guard at the order of the Arkansas Gov-
ernor; 
Whereas on September 23, 1957, the Little Rock Nine, 
armed with a Federal court order, again tried to attend
•HRES 668 EH 
Little Rock Central High and implement the law of the 
land, but protests and violence forced the group of stu-
dents to leave the school; 
Whereas on September 25, 1957, this Nation would realize 
a historic day when the Little Rock Nine, escorted by 
Federal troops at the order of President Dwight D. Ei-
senhower, successfully integrated Little Rock Central 
High; 
Whereas throughout their tenure at Little Rock Central 
High, the Little Rock Nine, with conviction and dignity, 
championed school integration despite death threats, 
verbal and physical assaults, school closings, and other 
adversities; 
Whereas the Little Rock Nine are symbolic of the victorious 
dismantling of school segregation, as well as the full and 
equal participation in American society that all citizens 
are entitled to, and continue to advance such principles 
through the Little Rock Nine Foundation; 
Whereas the significance of the Little Rock Nine and their 
actions have been acknowledged with numerous awards 
and recognitions, including the 2007 Little Rock Central 
High School Desegregation 50th Anniversary Commemo-
rative Coin, the Congressional Gold Medal in 1999, the 
inclusion of Little Rock Central High School in the Na-
tional Park System in 1998, and the designation of Little 
Rock Central High School as a National Historic Land-
mark in 1982; 
Whereas on the 50th anniversary of the desegregation of Lit-
tle Rock Central High School by the Little Rock Nine, 
the Nation will celebrate this great civil rights achieve-
ment through forums and town halls, commemorations,
•HRES 668 EH 
and significantly, the dedication of a permanent Little 
Rock Central High School Museum and Visitor Center; 
and 
Whereas in 2007, as the Little Rock Nine and the entire Na-
tion celebrates 50 years of integration, we must acknowl-
edge recent setbacks to the guarantee of opportunity and 
inclusion within our educational system, in both K–12 
and higher education: Now, therefore, be it 
Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 
(1) acknowledges and commemorates the 50th anni-
versary of the desegregation of Little Rock Central High 
School by the Little Rock Nine; 
(2) encourages all Americans, upon this 50th anni-
versary, to recognize the historic contributions of the 
Little Rock Nine, who not only secured integration for 
Little Rock Central High School, but hundreds of thou-
sands of schools across the country; and 
(3) commits itself, in the wake of recent challenges, 
to continuing the legacy of Brown v. Board of Education 
and the Little Rock Nine by protecting and advancing 
equal educational opportunity for all. 
Attest: 
Clerk.