[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 20 (Wednesday, February 1, 1995)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E248]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


             WE NEED AN AFRICAN-AMERICAN MUSEUM ON THE MALL

                                 ______


                            HON. JOHN LEWIS

                               of georgia

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, February 1, 1995
  Mr. LEWIS of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I am once again introducing a bill 
to establish an African American Museum as part of the Smithsonian and 
to be located on the Mall in Washington, DC. I do this on the first day 
of black history month to highlight the need for and the importance of 
such a museum.
  The story of black people in America has yet to be told. As a result, 
the understanding of American history remains incomplete.
  African American history is an integral part of our country, yet the 
richness and variety of that history is little-known and little-
understood.
  Too few people know that Benjamin Banneker, an outstanding 
mathematician, along with Pierre L'Enfant, designed this city. Some of 
our Nation's greatest cowboys were black, including Bill Pickett and 
Deadwood Dick.
  How many people know that Dr. Daniel Hale William was a pioneering 
heart surgeon in the last century? And that Ernest Everest Just, Percy 
Julian, and George Washington Carver were all outstanding scientists?
  One of the greatest periods in America's cultural history was the 
Harlem renaissance. Writers, artists, poets, and photographers like 
Langston Hughes, James Van Der Zee, Countee Cullen, and Aaron Douglas 
were all part of the renaissance.
  More recently, the civil rights movement changed the face of this 
country and inspired movements toward democracy and justice all over 
the world.
  There is much, much more--and it must be told to all Americans. Until 
we understand the African American story in its fullness and 
complexity, we cannot understand ourselves as a Nation. We must know 
who we are and what we have done in order to truly consider where we 
must go from this day forward.
  I am pleased and delighted that many of my colleagues have 
cosponsored this bill. I urge all my colleagues to support this 
worthwhile and important legislation.


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