110 HRES 198 IH: Recognizing the significance of Black U.S. House of Representatives 2007-02-27 text/xml EN Pursuant to Title 17 Section 105 of the United States Code, this file is not subject to copyright protection and is in the public domain.

IV 110th CONGRESS 1st Session H. RES. 198 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES February 27, 2007 Mr. Al Green of Texas (for himself, Ms. Kilpatrick, Mr. Lewis of Georgia, Mr. Clyburn, Mr. Davis of Illinois, Ms. Lee, Mr. Butterfield, Ms. Jackson-Lee of Texas, Ms. Moore of Wisconsin, Mr. Cummings, Mr. Davis of Alabama, Mr. Cleaver, Mr. Fattah, Mr. Meeks of New York, Ms. Eddie Bernice Johnson of Texas, Ms. Corrine Brown of Florida, Ms. Carson, Ms. Clarke, Mr. Clay, Mr. Conyers, Mr. Payne, Mr. Rangel, Mrs. Christensen, Ms. Waters, Mr. Rush, Mr. Scott of Virginia, Mr. Ellison, Mr. Thompson of Mississippi, Ms. Norton, Ms. Watson, Mr. Wynn, Mr. Towns, Mrs. Jones of Ohio, Mr. Watt, Mr. Hastings of Florida, Mr. Johnson of Georgia, Mr. Bishop of Georgia, Mr. Meek of Florida, Mr. Jackson of Illinois, Ms. Millender-McDonald, Mr. Scott of Georgia, Mr. Jefferson, Mr. Ortiz, Mr. Grijalva, Mr. Brady of Pennsylvania, Mr. Honda, Mrs. Capps, Mr. Crowley, Mrs. Napolitano, Mr. Capuano, Ms. Solis, Ms. Wasserman Schultz, Mr. Larson of Connecticut, Mr. Doggett, Mr. Serrano, Mr. Pallone, Mr. Higgins, Mr. Wu, Mr. Israel, Mr. George Miller of California, Ms. Baldwin, Ms. Loretta Sanchez of California, Mr. Bachus, Mr. Hinojosa, Mr. Wilson of South Carolina, Mr. Poe, Mr. McCaul of Texas, Mr. Shays, Mr. Sensenbrenner, and Mr. Inglis of South Carolina) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform RESOLUTION Recognizing the significance of Black History Month.

Whereas the first African Americans were brought forcibly to the shores of America as early as the 17th century; Whereas African Americans were enslaved in the United States and subsequently faced the injustices of lynch mobs, segregation, and denial of basic, fundamental rights; Whereas despite this enslavement, early Black Americans made significant contributions to the economic, educational, political, artistic, literary, religious, scientific, and technological advancement of the United States; Whereas in the face of these injustices, United States citizens of all races distinguished themselves in their commitment to ideals of which the United States was founded and fought for the rights and freedom of African Americans; Whereas the United States was conceived, as stated in the Declaration of Independence, as a new country dedicated to the proposition that all Men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness; Whereas since its founding, the United States has been an imperfect work in making progress towards those noble goals; Whereas the history of the United States is the story of a people regularly affirming high ideals, striving to reach them but often failing, and then struggling to come to terms with the disappointment of that failure before committing themselves to trying again; and Whereas the month of February is officially celebrated as Black History Month, which dates back to 1926, when Dr. Carter G. Woodson set aside a special period of time in February to recognize the heritage and achievement of Black Americans: Now, therefore, be it

That the House of Representatives— (1)recognizes the significance of Black History Month as an important time to recognize the contributions of Black Americans in the Nation’s history, and encourages the continued celebration of this month to provide an opportunity for all people of the United States to learn more about the past and to better understand the experiences that have shaped the Nation; and (2)affirms that— (A)the contributions of Black Americans are a significant part of the history, progress, and heritage of the United States; and (B)the ethnic and racial diversity of the United States enriches and strengthens the Nation.