Mississippi Burning Revisited

MISSISSIPPI BURNING REVISITED -- (House of Representatives - February 01, 2005)

(Mr. KIRK asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. KIRK. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize three exceptional high school students in my District: Allison Nichols, Brittany Saltiel, and Sara Siegal. With the help of Barry Bradford, their inspirational teacher, what began as a National History Day project became an award-winning documentary entitled We Are Not Afraid.

These Stevenson High School students reexamined the Mississippi Burning case, the 1964 murders of three civil rights volunteers. In 1967, seven men were convicted on Federal conspiracy charges, but none were charged with murder. But, finally on January 6, 2005, a Mississippi grand jury indicted Edgar Ray Killen for the murders of these volunteers.

The efforts of these girls led me to cosponsor H. Con. Res. 457, which called on the Mississippi Attorney General to reopen the case; and I want to thank the gentleman from Mississippi (Mr. Thompson) for his leadership on this matter.

Mr. Speaker, this was a milestone for American justice. I could not be more proud of the interests and dedication of these young women, and I want to thank Mr. Bradford and the Stevenson High School team for their dedication to justice.

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