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“RECOGNIZING JEROME ``BIG DUCK'' SMITH, CIVIL RIGHTS PIONEER AND FREEDOM RIDER” mentioning the U.S. Dept. of Justice was published in the in the Extensions of Remarks section section on pages E682-E683 on June 28.
The Department is one of the oldest in the US, focused primarily on law enforcement and the federal prison system. Downsizing the Federal Government, a project aimed at lowering taxes and boosting federal efficiency, detailed wasteful expenses such as $16 muffins at conferences and board meetings.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
RECOGNIZING JEROME ``BIG DUCK'' SMITH, CIVIL RIGHTS PIONEER AND FREEDOM
RIDER
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HON. TROY A. CARTER
of louisiana
in the house of representatives
Tuesday, June 28, 2022
Mr. CARTER of Louisiana. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize Jerome ``Big Duck'' Smith, a New Orleans Native Civil Rights Pioneer and Icon of the Freedom Riders.
Jerome ``Big Duck'' Smith, a life-long resident of New Orleans, Louisiana, is considered a stalwart of the Civil Rights Movement locally and nationally.
It was 72 years ago that Jerome Smith, then 10 years old, removed the screen that acted as a barrier between white and black passengers on a New Orleans streetcar. ``The streetcar became very hostile,'' Smith recalls. The event took place 5 years before Rosa Parks energized the civil rights movement on December 1, 1955, when she refused to give up her bus seat to a white passenger in Montgomery, Alabama.
Smith says that as he sat in the white section of the streetcar in Louisiana, an older black woman from the rear of the car descended on him, hitting him so hard that ``It felt like there was a bell ringing in my head.'' The woman loudly said she would teach the boy a lesson, telling him, ``You should never do that, disrespect white people. You have no business trying to sit with them.''
She forced Smith off the streetcar, and around the back of an auto store. But once they were behind the building, the woman's tone changed. ``Never, ever stop,'' the woman told Smith as she began to cry. ``I'm proud of you,'' she said. ``Don't you ever quit.''
Smith's involvement in the Civil Rights Movement dates back to the late 1950s when he joined the New Orleans chapter of the Congress of Racial Equality (``CORE'') as a 19-year-old student at Southern University of New Orleans. From boycotting stores that refused to hire or serve Blacks to sit-ins along Canal Street, CORE's substantial contributions were integral to the Civil Rights Movement from 1960 onward. Speaking of CORE, the late Rudy Lombard stated, ``They had `a certain confidence,' . . . because they came out of a culture that was so rich. They knew that everything that was unique about the city could be traced to the Black presence.''
Thereafter, Smith challenged Federal desegregation laws across the South as a member of the Freedom Riders. Throughout his travels, Smith participated in numerous protests that resulted in battle wounds. In fact, Smith had been beaten at least 12 times by mobs or police during the struggle. On May 24, 1963, Smith met with Attorney General Robert Kennedy and a host of celebrities and civil rights leaders in New York City to discuss the state of civil rights in the United States. During this meeting, it is said Smith emotionally told the United States' Attorney General, ``I've seen you guys [from the Justice Department] stand around and take notes while we're being beaten.'' Despite grave injustice and adversity of the times, Smith made a profound impact on civil rights history.
Beyond the Civil Rights Movement, Smith continued to impact our city, particularly in the Treme Community in New Orleans, Louisiana. In 1968, Smith founded Tambourine and Fan to instill important culture, history, and tradition in New Orleans youth. He continues to teach classes modeled on those of the Freedom Schools during the 1964 Freedom Summer. ``Children in the Center recite lyrics of `Strange Fruit,' the names of the four young girls killed in the Birmingham, Alabama Church-
fire of 1963, the Neville Brothers' `Sister Rosa,' and chants of Mardi Gras Indians who will `not bow down.' ''
Jerome Smith has mentored multitudes of individuals across the city for decades and continues to do so. Smith is the definition of a true warrior, and his legacy continues to inspire people everywhere.
If it was not for the courage of this stellar man, I have to wonder if I would be allowed to stand before you today. For that, I am beyond humble to stand on his shoulders leading the constituents of Louisiana's 2nd Congressional District. The world could never thank him enough for all he has done in his lifetime. A huge thank you to Louisiana's adopted son as he continues his fight to stand for the rights of equal justice.
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