[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 739 Introduced in House (IH)]

<DOC>






117th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. RES. 739

Celebrating the 20-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 HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            October 21, 2021

   Ms. Tlaib (for herself and Mrs. Lawrence) 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 20-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 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 north toward 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 monument 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 the formerly enslaved, 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 forebearers;
Whereas the observance of the 20-year commemoration of the Underground Railroad 
        Memorial will be celebrated on October 21, 2021, and may include the 
        designation of an International Gateway to Freedom National Heritage 
        Corridor and the nomination of the historic Detroit River jointly 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 (``UNESCO'') as a testament to the shared 
        history of the United States and Canada;
Whereas UNESCO has stated it is essential for the field of memorial sites linked 
        to the slave trade and slavery to be open to new dynamics, to become 
        stronger in terms of geographical coverage, in-depth historical 
        research, and repossession of the history and mobilization of new 
        audiences;
Whereas UNESCO has emphasized the importance within the field of revisiting core 
        concepts, redefining the cultural and ethical challenges, building 
        capacities for managing sites, developing professional networks, 
        developing lively interactive activities, and regularly assessing 
        experiences and practices;
Whereas UNESCO's Slave Route Project: Resistance, Liberty, Heritage encourages 
        countries not only to identify, assess, restore, preserve, and promote 
        their memorial sites and itineraries, but also to identify the heritage 
        sites considered to be of Outstanding Universal Value, and encourages 
        the designation of ``Sites of Memory associated to the Slave Route'' to 
        assist the identification and recognition of sites and places with a 
        particular significance;
Whereas a cooperative international educational partnership project known as the 
        Detroit River Project is dedicated to education and research with the 
        goal of promoting cross-border understanding as well as economic 
        development and cultural heritage tourism, and includes an educational 
        curriculum known as ``Resistance Along the Fluid Frontier: The Detroit 
        River Project International Freedom Curriculum'';
Whereas the designation of an International Gateway to Freedom National Heritage 
        Corridor would include the States of Michigan, Illinois, Ohio, 
        Wisconsin, Missouri, Indiana, and Kentucky; the Detroit, Mississippi, 
        and Ohio Rivers, which traverse portions of those States; and any other 
        sites associated within the International Gateway to Freedom National 
        Heritage Corridor;
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 20-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;
            (2) supports--
                    (A) the designation of an International Gateway to 
                Freedom National Heritage Corridor;
                    (B) the recognition of a transnational educational 
                curriculum known as ``Resistance Along the Fluid 
                Frontier: The Detroit River Project International 
                Freedom Curriculum'';
                    (C) the designation 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, as a ``Site of Memory associated to the Slave 
                Route'' pursuant to the Slave Route Project: 
                Resistance, Liberty, Heritage of the United Nations 
                Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization; and
                    (D) the nomination of the historic Detroit River 
                jointly 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;
            (3) recognizes that the Underground Railroad Special 
        Resource Study, published by the National Park Service and 
        dated September 1995, included findings that suggest an 
        International Gateway to Freedom National Heritage Corridor may 
        be appropriate based on national significance, suitability, and 
        feasibility; and
            (4) acknowledges that National Heritage Areas, including 
        National Heritage Corridors--
                    (A) are designations that do not require 
                establishing new units of the National Park System; and
                    (B) allow the National Park Service to take on a 
                primary role in supporting State and local initiatives 
                to preserve resources.
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