[Congressional Bills 111th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 1133 Introduced in House (IH)]

111th CONGRESS
  2d Session
H. RES. 1133

  Recognizing the extraordinary number of African-Americans who have 
       overcome significant obstacles to enhance innovation and 
     competitiveness in the field of science in the United States.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             March 2, 2010

Ms. Eddie Bernice Johnson of Texas (for herself, Mr. Davis of Illinois, 
    Mr. Lipinski, Ms. Fudge, Mr. Grayson, Ms. Watson, Ms. Moore of 
 Wisconsin, Mr. Barrow, Mr. Cohen, Mr. Meek of Florida, Mr. Hare, Ms. 
  Norton, Mrs. Christensen, and Mr. Kissell) submitted the following 
    resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Science and 
                               Technology

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
  Recognizing the extraordinary number of African-Americans who have 
       overcome significant obstacles to enhance innovation and 
     competitiveness in the field of science in the United States.

Whereas from 1654 until 1865, slavery for life was legal within the boundaries 
        of much of the present United States;
Whereas slaveholders limited or prohibited education of enslaved African-
        Americans because they believed it would empower them;
Whereas African slaves, because they were not considered citizens, could not 
        register any invention with the U.S. Patent Office;
Whereas any free person wanting to patent a scientific invention could not 
        acknowledge any contribution from a slave;
Whereas there is a strong likelihood that scientific innovation during the 
        period of slavery may have been undocumented or stolen;
Whereas after slavery had been abolished, the majority of African-Americans 
        lived in poverty and faced legal and social discrimination;
Whereas Historically Black Colleges and Universities were founded because few 
        institutions of higher learning in the United States admitted students 
        of African-American descent;
Whereas Historically Black Colleges and Universities have contributed and 
        continue to contribute significantly to the overall percentage of 
        African-Americans who receive undergraduate and graduate degrees in the 
        fields of science, including agriculture (51.6 percent), biology (42.2 
        percent), computer science (35 percent), physical science (43 percent), 
        and social science (23.2 percent);
Whereas many African-Americans have overcome extraordinary odds to advance 
        scientific contributions to mankind;
Whereas the Nation's transportation system has been greatly enhanced due to the 
        contributions of Richard Spikes, who invented the automatic gear shift 
        technology, Joseph Gambol, who invented the super charge system for 
        internal combustion engines, Garrett Morgan, who invented the automated 
        traffic signal, and Elbert Robinson, who invented the electric railway 
        trolley;
Whereas modern-day high-density cities and the United States unique 
        architectural development of high rise buildings and modern-day 
        skyscrapers were enhanced by Alexander Mills, who invented key elevator 
        technology;
Whereas health and medicine in the United States have been advanced by Otis 
        Boykin, who invented the pacemaker, Dr. Ben Carson, who led a medical 
        team who became the first to separate conjoined twins successfully, Dr. 
        Charles Drew, who found the method to preserve and store blood which led 
        to the world's fist blood bank, and Dr. Daniel Williams, who performed 
        the first successful open heart surgery;
Whereas press and media have been strengthened by Will Purvis, who invented the 
        improved fountain pen, Lee Burridge, who invented typewriting machine 
        advancements, and W.A. Love, who contributed to the advanced printing 
        press;
Whereas home appliances have been improved by Frederick Jones, who invented the 
        portable air conditioner, Lewis Latimer, who helped pioneer the electric 
        light bulb, George Sampson, who invented the clothes dryer, and John 
        Standard, who enhanced the refrigerator;
Whereas historically, African-Americans have faced unprecedented inequities 
        which have caused a disparity in the number of undergraduate and 
        advanced degrees in the sciences, described as ``the achievement gap'';
Whereas many Members of Congress have proposed that this gap can and will be 
        eliminated through progressive policies such as desegregation and 
        Federal outreach and training programs;
Whereas many studies suggest that the achievement gap of African-Americans in 
        the sciences has been lessening due in part to the effectiveness of 
        these policies and programs;
Whereas the United States has vast untapped potential because African-Americans 
        and other minorities remain underrepresented in science, technology, 
        engineering, and math (STEM) disciplines; and
Whereas society in the United States today would not be the same without 
        African-American innovations in the sciences: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
            (1) recognizes the extraordinary number of African-
        Americans who have overcome significant obstacles to enhance 
        innovation and competitiveness in the field of science in the 
        United States;
            (2) honors and recognizes all African-American innovators 
        who have contributed to scientific education and research, 
        directly and indirectly, whose contributions have increased 
        economic empowerment in the United States; and
            (3) encourages the Administration to invest in programs 
        that are proven effective to lessen the achievement gap of 
        African-Americans as well as other minority and disadvantaged 
        groups in the sciences and ultimately strengthen 
        competitiveness in the United States.
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