[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 22 (Friday, February 23, 1996)]
[Senate]
[Page S1301]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                          BLACK HISTORY MONTH

 Mr. SARBANES. Mr. President, I rise today to add my voice to 
those who have already spoken in recognition of February as Black 
History Month. Since 1926 this Nation has designated February as the 
month in which we honor the achievements and contributions of African-
Americans to our history, our culture, and our future.
  One could also say that February is the month in which we honor our 
Nation's unsung heroes--from the African-American soldiers who have 
often received no acknowledgement for fighting in the American 
Revolution to the African-American poets and authors often excluded 
from literary anthologies. The history of African-Americans is the 
history of what this country has come to mean to so many people around 
the world. It is the story of seemingly unsurmountable odds overcome 
and challenges yet to be faced. This year the President has asked us 
all to pay a special tribute to the achievements and contributions of 
black women who have risen above the twin burdens and racism and 
sexism.
  Black History Month provides our Nation with an opportunity to 
reflect upon the progress which we have made as a nation in our 
struggle to promote the constitutional principles of liberty, equality, 
and justice. One black woman who contributed to the preservation of 
those principles was Barbara Jordan. I was honored to have served 
alongside Barbara Jordan in the Congress, and I recall very well her 
steadfast devotion to our Constitution. Barbara Jordan eloquently and 
with great faith articulated and lived the basic principles underlying 
our democratic government and society. I witnessed this dedication 
first-hand during our service on the House Judiciary Committee during 
the impeachment proceedings of former President Nixon. Barbara Jordan 
understood that our Constitution is a precious covenant and did her 
utmost to defend and uphold its promises to all of the citizens of the 
United States. With her recent passing, our Nation has lost one of the 
Constitution's great defenders, and I know that my colleagues will 
agree with me when I say that Barbara Jordan will be greatly missed.
  Mr. President, my own State of Maryland has been blessed to be the 
birthplace and home of countless outstanding black Americans. Maryland 
was a bedrock of the underground railroad which helped many African-
Americans find there way out of slavery to freedom. In fact, and 
Harriet Tubman, the African-American woman credited with leading more 
than 200 men, women, and children to freedom on the underground 
railroad, was a Marylander.
  Born into slavery around 1821 on a Dorchester County plantation, 
Harriet Tubman escaped in 1849. However, instead of turning her back on 
those she had left behind, Harriet Tubman used her knowledge of 
Maryland's Eastern Shore to help other slaves escape to freedom. She 
was so successful that Maryland plantation owners placed a $40,000 
price on her head, dead or alive. Although she is most often remembered 
for her work on the underground railroad, Harriet Tubman's service to 
this Nation continued throughout her life. During the Civil War, she 
served as a spy for the Union Army as well as a scout and a nurse. 
After the Civil War Harriet Tubman worked to resettle Negro war 
refugees, to establish the African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church, and 
on behalf of women's suffrage.
  The history of Maryland is replete with the contributions of African-
American women--many of which have gone undocumented and unrecognized. 
Black History Month affords all Americans an opportunity to honor our 
heroes both past and present, and to remind ourselves of the many 
national heroes whose faces do not adorn currency or postage stamps and 
whose stories are not told in history books or encyclopedias.
  Mr. President, as we near the end of this month, I hope that each of 
us will take a moment to remember the lessons of Black History Month 
and to carry them with us throughout the year as a reminder of all that 
is truly possible. Two hundred years ago, how many Americans would have 
imagined a Barbara Jordan or an Alice Walker? Black History Month is a 
time to celebrate--to celebrate all of the great achievements of 
African-Americans, to celebrate how far this country has come, and to 
remind us of how much further we have to go.

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