[Congressional Bills 114th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 631 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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114th CONGRESS
  2d Session
S. RES. 631

     Celebrating the history of the Detroit River with the 15-year 
   commemoration of the International Underground Railroad Memorial 
  Monument, 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

                            December 6, 2016

   Mr. Peters (for himself and Ms. Stabenow) submitted the following 
 resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural 
                               Resources

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
     Celebrating the history of the Detroit River with the 15-year 
   commemoration of the International Underground Railroad Memorial 
  Monument, 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 torn from their families and loved 
        ones and stripped of their names and heritage;
Whereas the faith and strength of character demonstrated by former slaves and 
        the descendants of former slaves are an example for all people of the 
        United States, regardless of background, religion, or race;
Whereas tens of thousands of people of African descent bravely and 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 Counties in Ontario, Canada, to memorialize the courage of these 
        freedom seekers with an international memorial to the Underground 
        Railroad, comprised of the Tower of Freedom Monument in Windsor, 
        Ontario, and the Gateway to Freedom Monument in Detroit, Michigan;
Whereas the deep roots that slaves, refugees, and immigrants who reached Canada 
        from the United States created in Canadian society are a tribute to the 
        determination of the descendants of those slaves, refugees, and 
        immigrants to safeguard the history of the struggles and endurance of 
        their forebears;
Whereas the observance of the 15-year commemoration of the International 
        Underground Railroad Memorial Monument was celebrated during the month 
        of October 2016;
Whereas the International Underground Railroad Memorial Monument represents a 
        cooperative international partnership dedicated to education and 
        research with the goal of promoting cross-border understanding, 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 and their fight for freedom is 
        interwoven with the fabric of democracy and freedom in the United 
        States: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the Senate--
            (1) celebrates the history of the Detroit River with a 15-
        year commemoration of the International Underground Railroad 
        Memorial Monument, comprised of the Gateway to Freedom Monument 
        in Detroit, Michigan, and the Tower of Freedom Monument in 
        Windsor, Ontario, Canada; and
            (2) supports the official recognition, by national and 
        international entities, of the Detroit River as an area of 
        historic importance to the history of the Underground Railroad 
        and the fight for freedom in North America.
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