SNYDER BILL TO MINT COIN MARKING 50TH ANNIVERSARY
OF LR CENTRAL HIGH DESEGREGATION PASSES COMMITTEE Washington - U.S. Representative Vic Snyder's bill to require the Secretary of the Treasury to mint coins in commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the desegregation of the Little Rock Central High School has passed the House Financial Services Committee and was favorably reported to the full House of Representatives. "The Central High Coin bill's committee passage today shows progress, which I hope will continue through the full House in the weeks to come," Congressman Snyder said. "The 1957 crisis in Little Rock, brought about by the desegregation of Little Rock Central High School, was a huge part of the march towards freedom and opportunity in America. A 2007 commemorative coin issued by the U.S. Mint will honor the 50th anniversary of these very significant events." Congress may authorize two commemorative coins for each year. One of the two coin bill positions has already been filled for the 400th anniversary of Jamestown. Congressman Snyder hopes his bill will fill the other. In 1957, Little Rock Central High School was the site of the first major national test for the implementation of the U.S. Supreme Court's Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka decision and became the international symbol of the end of racially segregated public schools. The desegregation of Central High by nine African American students was influential to the Civil Rights Movement, and recognized by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. as such a significant event that in May 1958 he attended the graduation of the first African American from Little Rock Central High. Moreover, it changed American history by providing an example on which to build greater equality, and ultimately a better America. Proceeds of the commemorative coin, anticipated to be as much as $5 million, would benefit educational programs and capital improvements at the Little Rock Central High National Historic Site. -30- |