[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 35 (Friday, February 24, 1995)]
[House]
[Pages H2219-H2220]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


                      COMMEMORATING BLACK HISTORY

  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Bateman). Under a previous order of the 
House, the gentleman from California [Mr. Tucker] is recognized for 5 
minutes.
  Mr. TUCKER. Mr. Speaker, I want to take this opportunity today, as we 
commemorate Black History Month, to thank some people. I want to thank 
them for their contribution to making America the great country that it 
is.
  Now I won't get to them all today, and even if my colleagues in the 
Congressional Black Caucus stood here and helped me name them, we 
couldn't thank them all today, and even if all the Members of the U.S. 
House of Representatives, whose very lives have been affected by them, 
were here today to thank them, we couldn't thank them all. But I will, 
however, try to thank as many of them as possible.
  First, I want to thank God, for mother Earth and the fruit of her 
African body.
  I want to thank Crispus Attucks, who at the Boston Massacre in 1770, 
became the first man to die in the American Revolution. I want to thank 
him for his desire for freedom and his fight for American independence.
  I want to thank Frederick Douglass, the great abolitionist who spoke 
passionately against slavery, for always knowing and speaking with a 
clear voice. That he was equal to any man, even when the reality seemed 
to be otherwise.
  I want to thank Matilda Arabella Evans, who in 1872 became the first 
African-American woman to practice 
[[Page H2220]]  medicine in South Carolina, for being a role model to 
all aspiring doctors.
  To Maggie Lena Walker, who in 1867 became the first African-American 
and first woman to become president of a bank. Thank you Ms. Walker for 
showing our children that they too can run a bank.
  Thank you to Granville T. Woods, who in 1901 received a patent on his 
invention of the third rails that are still used today on subway 
systems in New York and Chicago.
  To Garret A. Morgan who in 1923 received a patent on his invention of 
the traffic light.
  To Jan E. Matzeliger who in 1883 patented the lasting machine which 
improved the speed and reduced the labor associated with constructing 
shoes.
  To those eight black slaves who in 1777, organized the first black 
Baptist church. Thank you for showing us the importance of establishing 
our
 spiritual base even though the devil is all around us.

  To Harriet Wilson. Thank you for writing the first novel published by 
a black writer in 1859, your words continue to inspire.
  To Nat Turner, who in August 1831 led a slave revolt in Virginia. 
Thank you for fighting and dying to be free.
  To those four young girls that died in the Birmingham church bombing, 
my daughter's life has been made easier by your sacrifice, and rest 
eternally assured that that sacrifice will not be forgotten, by me or 
her.
  To Arthur Ashe, Tennis Hall of Famer, writer, historian, 
philanthropist, and father. Thank you for courage, and wisdom and 
strength. You showed with your life what a man could become.
  To madame C.J. Walker the first African-American millionaire. Thank 
you for showing us how to do business.
  To Fred Gregory, Guion Bluford, the late Ron McNair, and Mae 
Jemmison. Thank you for showing our kids that the sky is not the limit.
  To Parren Mitchell, former U.S. Congressman from Maryland. Thank you 
for believing in African-American businesses.
  To Marion Anderson and Leontyne Price. Thank you for showing the 
world that we too sing in America.
  To Dr. Daniel Hale Williams, the first man to ever perform open heart 
surgery. Thank you for showing the world how to heal an ailing heart.
  To Dr. and Mrs. Walter R. Tucker. Thank you for being an example of 
excellence and ambition.
  To Harriet Tubman, conductor on the underground railroad to deliver 
over 300 Africans from the south to the north out of slavery. You did 
not have to come back for us, but you did and we owe you a debt of 
gratitude.
  Finally, I want to say a special thank you to Dr. Carter G. Woodson, 
who committed his life to telling the history of the African in 
America. Thank you Dr. Woodson for insisting that if a story of America 
were told, this story had to be included.


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