Echoes of Our Past

Floor Speech

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Mr. JACKSON of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to discuss the echoes of our past resonating deeply in the present, echoing in a way that should give us pause, concern, and impetus to change.

Recently, the Supreme Court rendered a decision that threatens the principles of equality and justice we so ardently strive to uphold. By overturning affirmative action, they ruled that the admissions policies of Harvard University, founded in 1636, and the University of North Carolina, founded in 1789, violated the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment, ratified in this Chamber in 1868, an amendment born from the ashes of a divided nation after a Civil War.

``Born or naturalized in the United States'' is what the 14th Amendment tried to ensure that there would be equal protection under the law even for those who had been formerly enslaved.

In interpreting this amendment in the case of affirmative action of which we speak, we are brought face to face with an ominous specter of our past: The infamous decision of Plessy v. Ferguson in 1896, a case about a man seven-eighths White, one-eighth African American in Louisiana who had purchased a first-class train ticket who was then removed because of his race.

In that case, the Supreme Court decided that, indeed, separate but equal facilities satisfied the 14th Amendment. That decision left a dark legacy falsely equating enforced segregation with equality. Today, we find ourselves in an eerily similar situation, with the dismantling of affirmative action policies echoing the disheartening tones of separate but equal.

In both instances, our highest court has interpreted the noble cause of equal protection in a way that undermines the pursuit of real, substantive equality. Mr. Speaker, I assert that just as separate but equal in the Plessy v. Ferguson case was a misnomer hiding the reality of discrimination, the recent overturning of affirmative action similarly threatens to cloak and perpetuate the very disparities it sought to challenge. Affirmative action is more than a policy. It is a pledge, a commitment to an ongoing endeavor toward genuine, substantive equality and opportunity for all.

In parallel, another struggle for equality is taking place, not in our courts but in our classrooms. Across our Nation, books are being removed from shelves, banned from curricula, hidden away from young minds eager to explore the world through the written word. This chilling trend is reminiscent of the dark times in our history when we had antiliteracy laws and books were not just banned but also burned.

Consider the data: In the first half of the 2022-2023 school year, 874 unique book titles have been banned, a surge of 28 percent compared to the prior 6 months. These are not mere numbers. These are extinguished perspectives, silenced voices, curtailed visions.

What we face is a dual assault on opportunity and knowledge, an attack on the principles of equality and intellectual freedom that echo some of the most challenging times in our Nation's history. Yet, it is within these echoes that we find our call to action.

We must advocate for the continued need for policies like affirmative action that aim to level the playing field, to fight against the systemic biases that for too long have marginalized certain communities. We must stand against the banning of books, ensuring that the world of ideas remain open, vibrant, and accessible to all, that we resist the impulse to limit our collective intellectual growth.

Mr. Speaker, as we reflect on the interconnectedness of these issues, let us remember the words of our 16th President from the State of Illinois, President Abraham Lincoln: ``The philosophy of the schoolroom in one generation will be the philosophy of government in the next.'' Let us ensure that philosophy promotes inclusivity, celebrates diversity, fosters critical thinking, and upholds the spirit of equality that is at the heart of our great Nation.

Mr. Speaker, I thank you for the opportunity to address and express my concerns today.

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