[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 109 (Friday, June 30, 1995)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1382-E1383]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


 THE REPUBLIC OF CAPE VERDE'S INDEPENDENCE DAY: REACHING BACK, LOOKING 
                                FORWARD

                                 ______


                           HON. BARNEY FRANK

                            of massachusetts

                    in the house of representatives

                          Friday, June 30, 1995
  Mr. FRANK of Massachusetts. Mr. Speaker, today, as the 20th 
anniversary of the Republic of Cape Verde's independence approaches, I 
want to take a moment to commemorate this anniversary and mention the 
people that have made it possible. As a nation committed to protecting 
individual freedom and establishing economic stability through 
democracy, the country's independence celebration is a testament to the 
will of the Cape Verdean people who, brought together by their struggle 
for freedom and the archipelago's environment, remind us of their 
American counterparts. Indeed, Cape Verdeans are very familiar with 
American history; they are, in fact, an integral part of it. Since the 
18th century, Cape Verdeans have represented an assiduous and 
determined part of the American spirit, particularly in New England. 
Cape Verdeans were builders of the whaling and fishing industry, 
cultivators of the cranberry bogs and workers in the textile mills. 
Their arts and crafts have enhanced the beauty of our lives, and their 
songs and dances have touched our hearts 

[[Page E1383]]
and our souls. So this year we celebrate the Republic's independence 
and our own acknowledgment of the Cape Verdean role in American culture 
at the 29th annual Festival of American Folklife, which opened last 
week at the Smithsonian in Washington, DC. In the future, we look 
forward to participating in the growth of a nation abroad and the 
celebration of its traditions at home.


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