[Congressional Bills 112th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 434 Introduced in House (IH)]

112th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. RES. 434

   Celebrating the 10-year commemoration of the Underground Railroad 
  Memorial, comprised of the Gateway to Freedom Monument in Detroit, 
   Michigan, and the Tower of Freedom Monument in Windsor, Ontario, 
                                Canada.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            October 13, 2011

  Mr. Conyers (for himself and Mr. Clarke of Michigan) submitted the 
 following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Natural 
 Resources, and in addition to the Committee on Foreign Affairs, for a 
 period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for 
consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the 
                          committee concerned

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
   Celebrating the 10-year commemoration of the Underground Railroad 
  Memorial, comprised of the Gateway to Freedom Monument in Detroit, 
   Michigan, and the Tower of Freedom Monument in Windsor, Ontario, 
                                Canada.

Whereas millions of Africans and their descendants were enslaved in the United 
        States and the American colonies from 1619 through 1865;
Whereas Africans forced into slavery were unspeakably debased, humiliated, 
        dehumanized, brutally torn from their families and loved ones, and 
        subjected to the indignity of being stripped of their names and 
        heritage;
Whereas tens of thousands of people of African descent silently escaped their 
        chains to follow the perilous Underground Railroad northward towards 
        freedom in Canada;
Whereas the Detroit River played a central role for these passengers of the 
        Underground Railroad on their way to freedom;
Whereas, in October 2001, the City of Detroit, Michigan, joined with Windsor and 
        Essex County in Ontario, Canada, to memorialize the courage of these 
        freedom seekers with an international memorial to the Underground 
        Railroad, comprising the Tower of Freedom Monument in Windsor and the 
        Gateway to Freedom Monument in Detroit;
Whereas the deep roots that slaves, refugees, and immigrants who reached Canada 
        from the United States created in Canadian society remain as tributes to 
        the determination of their descendants to safeguard the history of the 
        struggles and endurance of their forebears;
Whereas the observance of the 10-year commemoration of the Underground Railroad 
        Memorial will be celebrated from October 19 through October 22, 2011, 
        and might include the designation of an International Freedom Corridor 
        and the nomination of the historic Detroit River as an International 
        World Heritage Site;
Whereas the designation of an International Freedom Corridor would include the 
        States of Michigan, Illinois, Ohio, Wisconsin, Missouri, Indiana, and 
        Kentucky, the Detroit, Mississippi, and Ohio Rivers, which traverse 
        portions of these States, and any other sites associated within this 
        International Freedom Corridor;
Whereas the Detroit River might be designated as an International World Heritage 
        Site with further joint nomination by the National Park Service and the 
        Parks Canada Agency for inclusion on the World Heritage Site list of the 
        United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization as a 
        testament to the shared history of the United States and Canada;
Whereas a cooperative international partnership project is dedicated to 
        education and research with the goal of promoting cross-border 
        understanding as well as economic development and cultural heritage 
        tourism;
Whereas, over the course of history, the United States has become a symbol of 
        democracy and freedom around the world; and
Whereas the legacy of African-Americans is interwoven with the fabric of 
        democracy and freedom in the United States: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
            (1) celebrates the 10-year commemoration of the Underground 
        Railroad Memorial, comprised of the Gateway to Freedom Monument 
        in Detroit, Michigan, and the Tower of Freedom Monument in 
        Windsor, Ontario, Canada;
            (2) supports the designation of an International Freedom 
        Corridor and the nomination of the historic Detroit River as an 
        International World Heritage Site;
            (3) recognizes that a National Park Service special 
        resource study may establish national significance, 
        suitability, and feasibility of a National Freedom Corridor; 
        and
            (4) acknowledges that the National Heritage Areas and 
        Corridors are examples of recognitions that do not involve 
        establishing a new unit of the National Park System, and for 
        which the role of the National Park Service is primarily to 
        assist State and local initiatives to preserve resources.
                                 <all>