IV 112th CONGRESS 1st Session H. RES. 434 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

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.