Dear Friends,
The foundation of our democracy and the backbone of our society is the notion that all men and women are created equal and that each one of us is deserving of dignity, respect, and justice.
The life and legacy of Martin Luther King, Jr., holds us accountable to this ideal. His message of compassion and persistence rings true today and reminds us of how far we have come and what is still left to accomplish. While nothing can change the past, each of us can do our part to overcome the injustices of racial discrimination.
As a member of Congress, I am proud to do my part to right past inequities based on the color of a person's skin.
That is why I introduced the World War I Valor Medals Review Act (H.R. 2249), inspired by a victim of the Elaine Massacre, Private Leroy Johnston (pictured below, far right). Like many during World War I, Private Johnston was a victim of discrimination and was denied service medals he had earned. With the help and research of Dr. Brian Mitchell, a professor of history at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, I had the honor of presenting the long-overdue service medals to the family of Private Johnston.
The World War I Valor Medals Review Act was included in the FY 2020 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) and signed into law by the president on December 20, 2019. Now, the Secretary of the Army and the Secretary of the Navy will be required to review the military records of all minority service members of the Armed Forces during World War I, like Private Leroy Johnston, to determine if they should be awarded the Medal of Honor. Though these veterans have passed on, their bravery, honor, and sacrifice will not be in vain.
An African-American World War I veteran and Pine Bluff native, Leroy Johnston (right) is shown with
two of his brothers, Drs. D.A.E. (left) and L.H. (center) Johnston. Rep. Hill and his staff members
were instrumental in ensuring that Johnston’s finally received his long-overdue medals. |
One of the heroic stories that emerged from the ashes of the Elaine Massacre was that of Scipio Africanus Jones, one of the greatest lawyers in American history. Jones's skillful legal defense saved the lives of 12 unfairly charged sharecroppers who were originally sentenced to death by an Arkansas state court in the aftermath of the Elaine Massacre. Jones's actions resulted in the landmark Supreme Court decision in Moore v. Dempsey establishing that federal courts could review criminal convictions in state courts under the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment.
Scipio Jones's fight for civil rights and against injustice is an important part of Arkansas’s history and is something we are deeply proud of in Little Rock. To honor his legacy, I'm proud to be the sponsor of the Scipio Jones Post Office Portrait Act (H.R. 3317), which authorizes a portrait of Scipio Jones to be displayed at the U.S. Post Office in Little Rock that bears his name.
Last week, Senator Boozman and Senator Cotton answered my call to work together and introduced a Senate companion to this legislation (S.3187). The House Committee on Oversight and Reform recently advanced the Scipio Jones Post Office Portrait Act and I look forward to the next step of a vote on the House floor. |
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Martin Luther King, Jr. Day is an opportunity to reflect on the past and to add a new chapter to Arkansas's history – a chapter that brings peace and acceptance.
Sincerely,
Representative French Hill
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