[Congressional Bills 112th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 293 Agreed to Senate (ATS)]

112th CONGRESS
  1st Session
S. RES. 293

   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 SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                            October 13, 2011

Mr. Levin (for himself, Ms. Stabenow, Mr. Brown of Ohio, Mr. Casey, and 
Mr. Kerry) submitted the following resolution; which was considered and 
                               agreed to

_______________________________________________________________________

                               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;
Whereas the International Underground Railroad Monument Tenth Anniversary 
        Planning Committee is pursuing the designation of an International 
        Freedom Corridor and the nomination of the historic Detroit River as an 
        International World Heritage Site;
Whereas the International Underground Railroad Monument Tenth Anniversary 
        Planning Committee recognizes that a National Park Service special 
        resources study may establish the national significance, suitability, 
        and feasibility of an International Freedom Corridor;
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 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 Senate 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.
                                 <all>