Congressional Record, Volume 142 Issue 25 (Wednesday, February 28, 1996)

[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 25 (Wednesday, February 28, 1996)]
[House]
[Pages H1494-H1506]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

COMMEMORATING BLACK HISTORY MONTH

The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under the Speaker's announced policy of May
12, 1995, the gentleman from New Jersey [Mr. Payne] is recognized for
40 minutes as the designee of the minority leader.
Mr. PAYNE of New Jersey. Mr. Speaker, as chairman of the
Congressional Black Caucus, I am pleased to lead my colleagues in once
again commemorating Black History Month. Let me take a moment to
acknowledge the leadership of our colleague, Congressman Lou Stokes,
who organized tonight's special order. A health problem has prevented
him from being here tonight, and we want him to know we wish him a
speedy recovery. He has been diligent in arranging special orders every
year during the month of February, Black History Month. It was in 1976,
the bicentennial year, that Congress first passed a resolution to
institute a celebration of Black History Month.
This year, we have chosen the theme ``African-American Women--
Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow'' in recognition of the enormous
contributions that African-American women have made to our history and
culture. In every field of endeavor--public service, politics, law,
medicine, literature, corporate management, education, and others--
African-American women are achievers.
Let me begin by recognizing the women of the Black Caucus serving in
the 104th Congress. They have inspired tremendous respect as each has
approached issues before this Congress with eloquence, passion, and
keen insight. Not only have they left their mark on public policy, they
serve as outstanding role models for young women and aspirations to
public service. Let us also recognize the great women of past
Congresses, the trailblazers whose dreams made today's realities
possible. Since 1969, when Shirley Chisholm was sworn in as the first
African-American woman to serve in Congress, the door of opportunity
has been opening and the Congressional Black Caucus now includes 11
women. In yet another first, Shirley Chisholm ran for President in
1972, placing her name on the ballot in 12 primary contests. We had an
historic first in 1992 with the stunning victory of Carol Moseley-Braun
as she took her place as the first African-American to serve in the
U.S. Senate.

This year marked the passing of one of our greatest leaders of all
times, the Honorable Barbara Jordan. A staunch defender of the
Constitution, Barbara Jordan was a tower of strength during the
Watergate crisis, one of the most troubling times in our Nation's
history. As the first African-American Congresswoman from a southern
State, and as the first African-American woman to deliver a keynote
address at the Democratic National Convention, she was a true pioneer
in the field of public service. A forthright woman of courage and
dignity, she will be greatly missed.
Let me take a moment to recognize all of the African-American women
who have served so honorably in the U.S. Congress, beginning with
Shirley Chisholm and followed by Yvonne Brathwaite Burke; Cardiss
Collins, who is the longest serving African-American woman in the
history of Congress; our great champion Barbara Jordan; Katie Hall,
Barbara-Rose Collins, Eleanor Holmes Norton; Maxine Waters; Eva
Clayton; Corrine Brown; Eddie Bernice Johnson; Cynthia McKinney; Carrie
Meek; Sheila Jackson-Lee; and Senator Carol Moseley-Braun.
Let me also pay tribute to an outstanding Cabinet member, Secretary
of Energy Hazel O'Leary, whom I have had the pleasure of knowing for
many years going back to our days growing up together in New Jersey. In
her position at the Department of Energy, she has worked tirelessly on
issues ranging from energy development to the health effects of
radiation testing. She has achieved tremendous success in negotiating
trade agreements with a potential value to our Nation of billions of
dollars.
Also rendering outstanding service in the executive branch are
Lorraine Miller, who formerly served as Deputy Assistant to the
President for Legislative Affairs and now holds a post in the Federal
Trade Commission; Alexis Herman, Director of Public Liaison at the
White House; and Tracey Thornton, Special Assistant for Legislative
Affairs.
I am proud of the many accomplished African-American women who hail
from my home State of New Jersey. In fact, I had a swearing in ceremony
in Newark which was presided over by a distinguished African-American
judge, Judge Ann Thompson. I also have crossed paths with Connie
Woodruff, a former labor union representative who is now a columnist.
Dr. Delores Cross, a New Jerseyan who has achieved excellence as an
educator and administrator, now serves as president of Chicago State
University.
My home State of New Jersey is rich in a history which encompasses
many famous African Americans. For example, Harriet Tubman, the famous
operator of the underground railroad, worked as a servant in hotels in
Cape May, NJ between 1849 and 1852 in order to earn money to finance
her missions.
In 1886, a school was established in New Jersey called the New Jersey
Manual Training and Industrial School for Colored Youth; it was better
known as the Bordentown School. Among the many distinguished visitors
and commencement speakers was the great educator and civil rights
champion, Mary McCleod Bethune.
East Orange, NJ was the hometown of Marion Thompson Wright, the first
African-American professional historian. She taught at Howard
University until her death in 1962.
Gail Elizabeth Harris was the first African-American priest in the
diocese of Newark, NJ. The fifth woman ordained in the Episcopal
Church, she graduated from the Divinity School of the Pacific in
Berkeley, CA.
New Jersey was also home to the great tennis champion, Althea Gibson.
In 1951, she became the first African American to play at Wimbledon. In
1957, she won both the singles and doubles Wimbledon crowns.
One of the most successful African-American entrepreneurs, Sara
Spence Washington, founded the Apex Beauty Products Co. in Atlantic
City, NJ. Ms. Washington established her business in 1919, and by the
late 1930's her Atlantic City office and factory had 87 employees,
including chemists, clerks, bookkeepers, and beauty operators. With
beauty schools in 11 cities, an estimated 35,000 individuals throughout

[[Page H1495]]
the world were dependent on the sales of her products.
African-American women were breaking into nontraditional roles long
before women gained any degree of acceptance in the workplace. In the
field of aviation, Bessie Coleman, who was born in 1893, became the
first African-American woman to earn a pilot's license back in 1921.
Then, in 1934, Willa Brown Chappell became the first African-American
woman to gain officer rank--lieutenant--in the Civil Air Patrol
Squadron. She went on to form the first black aviator's group and
established the first black-owned flying school, the Coffey School of
Aeronautics.
African-American women have achieved a number of historic firsts in
recent decades. Patricia Harris set records as she became the first
African-American woman to be appointed an ambassador to an overseas
post when President Lyndon Johnson chose her as Ambassador to
Luxembourg; 2 years later she became the first to head the credentials
committee of the Democratic National Committee; and then under
President Jimmy Carter, she ascended to the position of Secretary of
Housing and Urban Development, the first African-American woman to hold
a Cabinet position.

In 1973, Shirley Ann Jackson received a Ph.D. in physics and became
the first African-American woman in the United States to receive a
doctorate from the prestigious Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Mae Jamison will take her place in history as the first African-
American woman to become an astronaut, exploring the world of
possibilities beyond the planet Earth.
African-American women have also excelled in the creative and
performing arts. The whole Nation took notice when Maya Angelou read
her beautiful poetry at President Clinton's inauguration. Toni
Morrison, the great novelist and editor, won a Pulitzer Prize for
fiction for her novel ``Beloved'' and the National Book Critics Circle
Award for ``Song of Solomon.'' Many Americans have enjoyed the music of
jazz vocalist Ella Fitzgerald, who was hailed by Time Magazine as ``The
First Lady of Song.'' Also gifted with a beautiful voice is Leontyne
Price, the soprano singer, who won the San Francisco Opera Medal after
performances in ``Falstaff,'' ``Porgy and Bess,'' and ``Anthony and
Cleopatra.''
New York City's highest cultural award, the Handel Medallion, was
awarded to the actress and singer Lena Horne, the first African-
American woman to sign a contract.
In Newark, NJ, we are very proud of our hometown star, Sarah Vaughan.
Known as the Divine One, she was a premier jazz vocalist with many pop
and jazz hits.
As we honor famous African-American women, let us also pause to pay
tribute to the millions of unsung heroines whose positive influence has
made a difference in our lives. Every day, in every community, African-
American women are working tirelessly and unselfishly to provide a
better quality of life for those around them. They are volunteering in
churches and community organizations, they are raising funds for
scholarships so that the next generation can look to the future with
hope; they are caring for older persons who might otherwise be
forgotten. In my own life, in addition to the women in my family who
gave me such encouragement and direction, I was fortunate to have many
caring teachers and other concerned adults who helped guide me through
the difficult times. I owe a debt of gratitude to a woman by the name
of Mary Burch of Newark. She opened up her home and her heart to the
young people of our community, organizing positive activities through
an organization known as the Leaguers.
Another woman who gave generously of her time and talents in the
interest of young people is Ms. Madeline Williams, who served as an
NAACP advisor when I was a young man.
Under her guidance as a high school student, I was able to rise to
the position of president of New Jersey Youth Councils and College
Chapters of the NAACP.
Last year, during the Congressional Black Caucus Legislative
Conference, I had the pleasure of meeting Ms. Oceola McCarty, the woman
from Mississippi who earned her living doing laundry and then donated
her life's savings to a scholarship fund so that a deserving youngster
would have the opportunity to succeed.
Mr. Speaker, it is a pleasure to pay tribute to all these outstanding
African-American women--yesterday, today, and tomorrow.

{time} 2245

African-American women, from Maya Angelou, to Toni Morrison, to many
people like Ella Fitzgerald and Leontyne Price, as we talk about people
who have done so much in all fields, African-American women are
certainly those.
I will proceed as we go through this hour to talk about some other
African-American women who have been so outstanding. But at this time I
would ask the gentlewoman from Florida, Mrs. Meek, if she would come
before us, Mrs. Carrie Meek, to tell us about her African-American
women who have done so many outstanding things.
(Mrs. MEEK of Florida asked and was given permission to revise and
extend her remarks.)
Mrs. MEEK of Florida. Mr. Chairman, it is a pleasure to be here to
talk about the achievements of Black women.

I Am a Black Woman

(By Mari Evans)

I am a Black woman
the music of my song
some sweet arpeggio of tears
is written in a minor key
and I can be heard humming in the night
Can be heard humming in the night
I saw my mate leap screaming to the sea
and I/with these hands/cupped the life breath
from my issue in the canebrake
I lost Nat's swinging body in a rain of tears
and heard my son scream all the way from Anzio
for Peace he never knew . . . I
learned Da Nang and Pork Chop Hill
in anguish
Now my nostrils know the gas and these trigger tire/d fingers
seek the softness in my warrior's beard
I am a Black woman
tall as a cypress
strong
beyond all definition still
defying place
and time
and circumstance
assailed impervious indestructible
Look on me and be renewed

Mr. Speaker, that poem identifies Black women.
We have come a very long way since we were seen as acquiescent,
submissive Aunt Jemimas, who showed grand faces, plump laps, fat
embracing arms and brown jaws pouched in laughter. We have come a long
way.
The heartbreaking tenderness of Black women and their majestic
strength speak of the heroic survival of a people who were stolen into
subjugation, denied chastity, and refused innocence.
Black women's hands have brought children through blood to life,
nursed the sick and folded the winding clothes of many masters. Their
wombs have held the promise of a race which has proven in each
challenged century that despite the threats and mayhem, we still rise.
Their feet have trod the shifting swampland of insecurity, yet they
have tried to step neatly into the footprints of mothers who went
before.
I remember those mothers. I am standing on their shoulders. I
remember Harriet Tubman as she toiled so very hard to save slaves and
to take them out of slave territory. I strongly remember Sojourner
Truth, who was so strongly engrossed in what she did, she bared her
chest at a big meeting and said ``Ain't I a woman?''
That is the story of the Black woman, the Black woman I remember so
very well. I have heard Marion Anderson sing. I have heard Dorothy
Maynor sing. What beautiful experiences and song coming out of the
mouth of Black women, as a result of their many big contributions, not
only in their movement, but also in their freedom of song and spirit.
And I remember so well Ida Wells at the Democratic Convention, where
she refused to take second seat. And I also remember the mother of the
civil rights movement, how she would not stay at the back of the bus,
and how she made Black welcome to the front because of her courage.
I remember Winnie Mandela, C. Deloris Tucker, Black Women's Political
Congress that C. Delores started. And Ms. Gwen Sawyer Cherry, the first
Black woman to serve in the Florida

[[Page H1496]]
legislature. I remember Shirley Chisolm, Yvonne Braithwaite Burke,
Barbara Jordan, Cardiss Collins, Hazel O'Leary, Madam C.J. Walker, and
Althea Gibson, one of the most outstanding tennis players in the world.
That is the story of Black women. I rise today to pay tribute to
these Black women, particularly Black women like Maya Angelou, Alice
Walker.
But most of all, sketched in my memory is Mary McLeod Bethune. In
1947, Mary McLeod Bethune, in an address to the 22d Annual Meeting of
the Association of the Study of Negro Life and History said:

If our people are to fight their way up out of bondage, we
must arm them with the sword and shield and the bunker of
pride, belief in themselves and their possibilities, based
upon a sure knowledge of the achievements of the past.

This quote, perhaps more than anything else, captures the basic
spirit and philosophy and commitment that Mary McLeod Bethune and other
strong Black women had for their race and the promotion and the
development of women in African-American history.
I am always greatly moved by the memory of Mrs. Bethune. She was an
inspirational American woman who signified and showed all the good
qualities of Black American women, who was from the people, not of the
people. She provided my generation, indeed many generations, with a
beacon of light and hope that all things are possible through God and
hard work.

I am hopeful that future generations of Black women remember those
Black women from the past, those who have been in our past a long time
ago, and they will remember the future, because they will be the light
of the world from standing on the strong shoulders of the Black women.
Today, the light of these Black women stand throughout our country.
It is so important that we remember. I thank the Black Caucus for
bringing to the consciousness of this Congress how important and the
contributions that Black women have made to this country. I am happy to
be a part of this, I am proud of the Black women in this Congress, how
they stand up and support the cause of African-Americans and how they
stand up and support, particularly the Black males in America, who need
so much help from Black women. This gives me the pride that I do not
think anyone else has a chance anywhere to achieve.
We must continue to develop the history of Black women. You do not
find as much of it, Mr. Chairman, as we should. It is important that we
really visualize what Black women have done in this country throughout
the beginning of this country. The slave women who toiled and did the
best, came over to this country, laid like spoons in a slave ship. Yet
they were strong, they raised their children and they gave us all
inspiration.
We have lighted some torches here tonight. Gwen Sawyer Cherry, Mary
Church Terrell, Nannie Helen Burroughs, and many others whose lives
have informed and inspired our work. It is to good that we must
continue to dedicate our lives to carrying forth that vision to another
higher level, until we too shall pass the torch.
That is the story for the Black women in the past, in the present,
and in the future.
Mr. PAYNE of New Jersey. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from
Florida for that tremendous insight. She really is one of our
outstanding leaders.
Now let me recognize the gentlewoman from the great State of Texas,
Sheila Jackson-Lee.
Ms. JACKSON-LEE. Mr. Chairman, I thank you very much. Likewise, let
me pay tribute to Congressman Stokes for his continuous support of an
opportunity to bring to the Nation I believe the recognition of the
value of contributions of African-Americans throughout this country.
Mr. Chairman, I thank you for leading this hour of tribute. For this
month to come to a close, we would not want to be on record without
being able to bring tribute to so many talented.
This year the challenge is African-American women, yesterday, today
and tomorrow, and I rise today to be able to give special honor to many
African-American women.
I am reminded, for a personal note, of the special women in my life.
My Great Grandmother Sims, my Grandmother Bennett and Grandmother
Jackson, many of whom who laid the groundwork for some of the
challenges that I faced. My loving mother, Ivalita Jackson, my special
Aunt, Valrie Bennett, along with Aunts Audrey and Sarah and Vickie and
Sybil, all with their own very special stories of trials and
tribulations and jubilations. And today is a day of celebration.
I would like to take this opportunity to call special attention to
the extraordinary struggles and achievements of African-American women.
In the Black woman there is combined the two most challenged
characteristics of American identity: Race and gender. What is utterly
amazing is the fact that Black women have not only borne the weight of
this double burden, but that we have done so with great courage and
dignity and no small degree of success.
Mr. Speaker, Black Americans are by now well accustomed to what has
now been a long history of a questioning of their equality. In this
Congress we continually fight to oppose the elimination of affirmative
action. We continually fight the challenges that come when it is time
to tell us we should not have access to education, jobs and contracts.
And yet we continue to fight.
I pay tribute to all of the women who served, African-American women,
in the United States Congress, those who have already served and those
who are serving now.
Today I give my most heartfelt and deepest words of praise that I can
summon, for those must certainly be some of the most deserving group
among us, the Black women of America.
First and foremost, our lot has been marked by the same unrewarded
but vital work for which the majority of women in our society have had
to do for generations. African-American women have been homemakers.
They have reared children. They have guided families, and counseled
many, the jobs that we are generally responsible for, along with the
other job. These are the jobs for which we receive no pay, and are
indeed lucky to receive thanks for it now and then.
Our other job, however, and we do it very well, includes sometimes
domestic worker, sometimes child care provider, bus driver, clerk,
secretary, beautician, and occasionally something that qualifies to be
called as professional jobs.
Some of these jobs pay some of the lowest wages in the country. Our
average income is only $8,825. Mr. Speaker, that is only 40.7 percent
of the $21,695 average income of white American males. Yet we have
survived.
African-American women have on this income raised their children,
provided homes for our families, and maybe even opened businesses.
We have also been charitable. You will find African-American women in
all of the social groups throughout this community, working to help our
children, providing support systems for our schools, being volunteers,
and, yes, being like the humble laundress from Mississippi who gave
$180,000 from her savings over the years to educate Black college
students in Mississippi. What a tribute, someone who cared, someone who
worked with her hands, and someone who gave back.

Black women, for their children and for their families, have kept us
altogether. There are nearly 2 million Black women providing for almost
5 million children on their income.
Black women are sometimes associated with welfare. We have heard the
great debate, the cuts in welfare, the elimination of welfare, the
termination of welfare. But the fact is, that our total number, 6
million of us are in the American work force, despite the disincentive
of our meager wages. So that image is a misnomer.
We are working women, we are women who have protected our families,
we are women who have a vision for the 21st Century, we are women who
want the best and want the most for our children.
Under these circumstances, mere survival would qualify as success.
But we have done much more than merely survive. Over 1.5 million of us
have made our way into the technical, administrative and professional
ranks of American society. Against great odds, African-American women
have become doctors, lawyers, scientists, academics, mayors, and, yes,
Members of this August body with increasing frequency.

{time} 2300

Mr. Speaker, in the name of all of our great female pioneers, like
Phyllis

[[Page H1497]]
Wheatley, Harriet Tubman, Sojourner Truth, Mary McCloud Bethune, Fannie
Lou Hamer, Dorothy Hught, and Senator Carol Moseley-Braun, African-
American women have continued to achieve.
I call upon my colleagues and Americans everywhere to join me in
saluting all of the strong African-American women, those in the Clinton
administration, those serving in local government, national government,
these are our heroes and sheros.
And then I would like to acknowledge a few Texas women. We have
already noted the Honorable Congresswoman Barbara Jordan, who was the
first black to serve in the Texas State Senate since reconstruction;
Irma Leroy, community activist, and Christen Adair, who were the first
secretaries of the NAACP; Magdelein Bush, who organized the Martin
Luther King Center, Lois Moore, who heads up our massive hospital
district; Frances Frazier, a community activist with Nina Bailey, a
strong activist, and Dorothy Hubbard; Dr. Alma Allen, an educator who
promotes our children, our many ministers wives who cater and support
their communities; Zina Garrison Jackson, outstanding sports enthusiast
and tennis player; Maudet Stewart; Alice Bonner, the first African
American judge in the State of Texas; Zoe Jones, one of the founders of
National Council of Negro Women chapters in the State of Texas--black
women who are today carrying on the great tradition of our predecessors
and making a seminal contribution to American society.

I would also like to challenge the Members of this body in particular
and Americans in general to celebrate the role that African American
women play in our society.
It reminds me of the words of Langston Hughes, as he spoke through
the black mother who said, Life for me ain't been no crystal stairs,
but I's still a-reaching and I's still a-climbing.
Mr. Speaker, it is my privilege to be able to join this special honor
and tribute to African American women, ages past, today and tomorrow.
And it is a challenge for all of us, as we move into the 21st century,
to be reminded of their legacy and that of Maya Angelou that says,
despite all that we have to overcome, still we rise, still we rise.
Mr. PAYNE of New Jersey. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for
that eloquent statement. We certainly appreciate the outstanding work
that she has brought into this 104th Congress.
I now yield to the gentleman from the great State of Georgia, Mr.
Sanford Bishop.
Mr. BISHOP. Mr. Speaker, I would like to commend you along with my
colleague for sponsoring this special order today. As we look back on
the month of February, as we celebrate Black History Month, I certainly
would like to commend our colleague, the gentleman from Ohio [Mr.
Stokes], for his many years of service in leading this caucus as we
celebrate Black History Month.
Like many of our colleagues, I have been fulfilling requests to talk
about black history during the past month at schools and colleges,
churches and civic organizations throughout my area of middle and south
Georgia. It is an honor to have an opportunity to participate.
Mr. Speaker, I believe that the 70-year-old observance of Black
History Month has made a big difference in our understanding of
history. It has helped teach us about how our country's unique
diversity has enriched and strengthened us as a people and a nation.
Evidence of this statement can be found in the far-reaching
contributions made by African Americans in science and medicine, art,
entertainment, education, business, exploration, statesmanship and
government, the law, in the military and indeed in all aspects of the
country's growth and development from our colonial days to the present.
These are contributions that helped the country grow more rapidly,
become more prosperous and ultimately emerge as the strongest and most
secure nation on earth.
All cultures that have become a part of this great melting pot have
made important contributions. Diversity has set America apart and
helped make our country great.
It is truly something worth celebrating. All of the Black History
Month programs that I have participated in have been rewarding, but one
in particular was memorable. In Valdosta, GA this past Sunday, near the
Georgia-Florida line, a grass-roots group of citizens conducted a
fundraising drive over the past 2 years to erect an archway which was
dedicated and a memorial at the site of unmarked graves of former
slaves.
The site was discovered some 40 years ago when a gentleman by the
name of Mr. Nelson, who was at that time a laborer in the cemetery, was
instructed by his superviser to go and to dig and to prepare a compose
pit in a certain portion of the Sunset Avenue Cemetery. As he prepared
to carry out his instructions and he started to dig, he was interrupted
by a woman who was visiting the cemetery, a Mrs. Findley, a black woman
who was very, very steeped and knowledgeable of the history of the
Valdosta, Lyons County, Brooks County area. She interrupted him and
said, son, do you know what you are doing? He said, yes, ma'am, I sure
do. She said, what are you doing? He said, I am carrying out the
instructions that my boss gave me, and that is what I intend to do.
She said, well, let me tell you, before you go any further, what you
are about to do is to dig up some of your history. He said, what do you
mean? And she explained that at the site legend had it that that was
the site of unmarked graves of former slaves who had lived in the
Valdosta area.
He said, well, I had better check into this. And he went and he
brought that to the attention of his supervisor in 1956. He challenged
his supervisor and said, I just do not think we ought to go forth with
this compose pit without checking further into it.
His supervisor paused and he said, all right, we will check into it.
And they dug a trench gingerly around the area. They discovered with
some exploration that there were indeed the outlines of the graves.
So through four or five supervisors, Mr. Nelson protected the area,
informing each of his supervisors of what had taken place, and each one
allowed that area to be protected and they did not disturb it. But he
had a dream that someday that this area would be preserved. And finally
with the help of the grass-roots citizens group, a group called the
Committee for the History of the Unknown Slaves and a group called
Valdosta Project Change, they are able to raise money and to finally
dedicate a very meaningful memorial to these individuals.
We know a great deal about the lives of the more prominent figures
who rose from bondage, figures like Sojourner Truth, Harriet Tubman,
Frederick Douglass. But we know very little about most of the men and
women who endured lives of servitude. We do know, however, that they
struggled to better themselves and their families. Many learned to read
and to write. Many learned skilled trades. They forged lives that were
characterized by deep spirituality and a yearning for a new day of
freedom and justice.

They courageously laid the foundation for the freedom to come. The
memorial was dedicated last Sunday. It says: To the unknown slaves of
Valdosta, in recognition of their sacrifices and contributions to our
community.
This recognition is well deserved and long overdue, and I am
privileged to have been a part of it.
Mr. PAYNE of New Jersey. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman very
much. That was really a very moving story. We appreciate the gentleman
bringing that to history. There are so many unsung heroes, as the
gentleman mentioned, and I really appreciate his contributing that to
our special order tonight.
Mr. Speaker, I now yield to the gentleman from North Carolina [Mr.
Watt], a gentleman who has brought a great deal of new energy also into
the Congress.
Mr. WATT of North Carolina. Mr. Speaker, I thank that chairman for
yielding to me and for organizing this important African-American
History Month special order and doing so and taking over in the place
of our colleague, the gentleman from Ohio [Mr. Stokes].
I think it would be remiss if we did not send our special regards and
wishes for a speedy recovery to our colleague, Lou Stokes, and hope
that he gets

[[Page H1498]]
back here soon and continues to provide the kind of leadership he has
provided to us over a period of time.
The theme for this special order, African-American Women, Yesterday,
Today, and Tomorrow, is particularly appropriate. I would like to do
three short things, given the lateness of the hour.
First of all, I want to go back to a special order or an insertion
that I did in last year's African-American history special order and
pay tribute to a special woman. Apparently I was a year ahead of my
time because the theme last year was not necessarily African-American
women, but I did attribute to a special African-American woman who has
had a special impact in my congressional district in North Carolina.
Her name was Charlotte Hawkins Brown, who was the founder of the Palmer
Memorial Institute, which is located in Sedalia, NC.
At the age of 18, Ms. Charlotte Hawkins at that time accepted a
teaching position in a school called the American Missionary
Association, near Greensboro to teach at the Bethany Institute near
Greensboro. And that school went out of existence after about a year.
She committed herself to founding a school for women because of the
fact that North Carolina had the second highest illiteracy rate in the
country at that time.

She traveled back to Massachusetts to raise money for this purpose,
did some singing at the seashore, waited tables, sought out donations,
worked in various jobs and finally realized the dream of opening the
Palmer Memorial Institute in the year 1902. That institute continued
until Charlotte Hawkins Brown died on January 11, 1961, and the school
actually continued until the year 1971.
So that I can make sure that Charlotte Hawkins Brown gets paired with
all the wonderful, powerful women whose names have been mentioned this
evening by other Members of Congress, I wanted to restate the important
role that Charlotte Hawkins Brown has played in our history.
Second, I want to pay tribute to Harriet Tubman, and I want to do it
in a kind of a backhanded way. And I do this without any disrespect to
Harriet Tubman. But there is a gentleman in North Carolina by the name
of Hal Sieber who has actually researched this thing and determined
that the Underground Railroad started in Greensboro, NC.
He has written a book called the ``Holy Ground'' in which he has gone
and researched this. In that book he writes the following: ``The
legendary national underground railroad system most often associated in
later history with the conductor, Harriet Tubman, assisted the escape
of thousands of African Americans from captivity. It was founded in the
year 1819, actually one year before Harriet Tubman was born in
Greensboro, NC, in the woods at New Garden Friends Meeting House.''
This first route of the Underground Railroad coursed through
Greensboro, NC, north through western Virginia and across the Ohio
River to Richmond, IN.
The first recorded passenger of the Underground Railroad was John
Moses Dimrey, according to Hal Sieber's historical analysis.
So I want to pay my utmost respects and memories to Harriet Tubman
but at the same time remind my colleagues that based on all the
information we have now been able to develop, the Underground Railroad
actually originated well before Harriet Tubman. It originated in my
congressional district in North Carolina.

{time} 2315

So I will make that the second part of my tribute to African-American
women yesterday, today and tomorrow, and then the final tribute I want
to make is to the African-American colleagues that we have here in this
House of Representatives and in the Congress of the United States House
and Senate: Those important women, Corine Brown of Florida, Eva Clayton
of North Carolina, Cardiss Collins of Illinois, Eleanor Holmes Norton
of the District of Columbia, Sheila Jackson-Lee of the great State of
Texas, and we have heard from earlier this evening Eddie Bernice
Johnson from Texas, Cynthia McKinney from Georgia, who has led this
redistricting fight so vigorously in the State of Georgia, Carrie Meek
from the great State of Florida, whom we have also heard from earlier
this evening, whom I always refer to as Grandma, Carol Moseley-Braun,
Senator Carol Moseley-Braun, from Illinois, Barbara Rose Collins from
Michigan and of course my colleague Maxine Waters from California.
As you, Mr. Speaker, have indicated, these women have stood firm in
the face of adversity and been shining examples of how progress can be
made with dignity and with honor and with integrity and with
commitment, and it would be remiss of me if I did not pay special
tribute to them for their contributions as we are paying tribute to
African-American women. Yesterday they were here. Today they are here.
And many of these women who I have mentioned here will be here tomorrow
leading the fight for justice and equality in this country.
Mr. PAYNE of New Jersey. Mr. Speaker, let me just thank the gentleman
from North Carolina [Mr. Watt] for that very interesting presentation.
Let me at this time recognize the gentleman from the State of Illinois,
a person who is no stranger to the struggle, one who we are proud to
have as one of our colleagues, Mr. Bobby Rush from Illinois.
Mr. RUSH. Mr. Speaker, it is indeed an honor and a privilege to join
with you this evening to honor black women, African-American women,
yesterday, today and tomorrow. And, Mr. Speaker, I also join with you
and other members of the caucus to express our considerable remarks and
regards for the work that Congressman Lou Stokes from Ohio has put into
making this an annual event. His work is certainly commendable, and we
all wish him Godspeed in his current illness, and we look forward to
working with him and look forward to his return to this Congress.
Mr. Speaker, I want to look at and focus the light of history on a
woman from Illinois who serves as a member of this body, Cardis
Collins, the Representative from the 7th Congressional District. Mr.
Speaker, there are literally legions of strong, remarkable women who
have crossed my path and who I have read about and who made history who
have contributed all that they could. All that was asked of them, to
learn that the African-American community, the Nation, was the best
that it could possibly be. These women have made tremendous sacrifices
and we have heard names from speakers before me.
But, Mr. Speaker, I want to take a note and I want to take a moment
and I want to reflect and focus on Cardiss Collins. I happen to
believe, Mr. Speaker, that history and historians and indeed historical
figures have a special meaning to some of us because they guide our
paths. I believe that people who make history are not by definition
artifacts on a shelf, but I believe that they are living, working,
breathing, caring, committed people. Cardiss Collins is such a person.
Cardiss Collins is a trailblazer. We must note that she was the first
African-American Congresswoman from the great State of Illinois, and
for nearly a decade she was the only black woman in Congress. She was
the first African-American to hold party rank; that is a leadership
position. She was the Democratic whip at large.

And Mr. Speaker, we have got to take a moment to pause to honor
Cardiss Collins because at the end of this term, the 104th Congress,
she will retire. She will retire from a Congress where she was indeed,
if not the longest serving woman in the Congress, certainly one of the
longest serving women in the Congress. She has a long list of firsts, a
remarkable record of accomplishment and achievements.
She was the first African-American woman and the first woman to chair
the House Government Operations Subcommittee on Manpower and Housing.
She serves as chair of the Congressional Black Caucus of the 96th
Congress. And she was the first woman to head the Congressional Black
Caucus Foundation. She made many achievements. She accomplished many
firsts.
But I know Cardiss Collins as a tireless worker, a person who spends
enormously long days working on behalf of the poor, the downtrodden and
minorities. She is a person who would not stop until she gets her task
fulfilled. She is relentlessly pursuing all kinds of causes and battles
that do not

[[Page H1499]]
make the evening news, that do not make the headlines.
Cardiss Collins in 1991 became the first African-American to chair a
subcommittee on the Committee on Energy and Commerce. Back in 1990 she
wrote the law which expanded Medicare coverage for screening
mammography for millions of elderly and disabled women. She authored
the Child Safety Protection Act of 1993, legislation that required
warning labels on dangerous toys, and Federal safety standards for
bicycle helmets.
Cardiss Collins today is leading the fight to protect Medicare for
the elderly.
Mr. Speaker, I know of no other female legislator, black, white or
any other racial group, I know of no one who has throughout her history
led the charge for justice and humanity like Cardiss Collins. She is a
person that in a very, very humble and quiet manner wields a mighty
influence on all those who come within her view or within her realm or
in her world. Cardiss Collins has the respect of some of the great
powers that be, both in the State of Illinois, the city of Chicago, and
indeed throughout the Nation.
Mr. Speaker, I just had to take a moment this evening to recognize a
friend and a colleague, a person who, if in fact had not been called
upon to serve in this Congress, this Congress would certainly not be as
great as it is. This person, this individual, this African-American
woman, certainly epitomizes the kind of persons whom we have honored in
our discussions and our speeches on this floor today, and she is also
the kind of individual that they will honor in the future, and I want
to today recognize our colleague Cardiss Collins, as an African-
American woman whose contributions we all admire, respect, appreciate.

She is an African-American woman for yesterday. She is an African-
American woman for today. And certainly history books will show that
she is an African-American woman for tomorrow.
Mr. PAYNE of New Jersey. Thank you very much. That was certainly very
stirring. I could not agree with you more that Representative Collins
has served this Congress so well, and I thank you for bringing that to
our attention.
At this time we will hear from the gentleman from Michigan [Mr.
Barcia].
Mr. BARCIA. I want to thank you, Chairman Payne, for the opportunity
to participate tonight in paying tribute to a very special friend and
an outstanding African-American leader.
Mr. Speaker, as Black History Month comes to a close, I believe it is
most appropriate and important to pay tribute to a noted civil rights
advocate, an inspirational educator and a distinguished community
leader who has impacted the lives of many citizens in the Fifth
District of Michigan, the great State of Michigan and across the
Nation.

{time} 2330

Bernice Barlow, the eldest of James and Estelle Lowrey's eight
children, was born in Louisiana and moved to Michigan when she was
still just a toddler. She was born at a time when African-Americans,
especially women, had to work harder and struggle against forces beyond
their control to demonstrate their leadership abilities and talents.
Yet, against those forces, she succeeded and gained the respect and
admiration of her peers, whether man, woman, black, or white. She now
uses that influence and her talents to help others reach the same
threshold of achievement that she has.
As the longest serving president of the Saginaw branch of the
National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, Bernice is
a living example of a commitment to improving the lives of African-
Americans. For the past 28 years, under her steady leadership, the
branch has received numerous State and national awards, including
outstanding membership and outstanding branch. Prior to becoming its
president, Mrs. Barlow served as its secretary, and was also a youth
member of the organization. Bernice is also dedicated to improving
business opportunities for African-American women, and is a charter
member and past president of the local chapter of the National
Association of Negro Business and Professional Women's Clubs.
As a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority, Bernice has assisted many
young African-American women in achieving their goals. Bernice learned
early the importance of a good education. She graduated from Saginaw
High School in 1945, and earned a bachelor's degree and a master's
degree in education from Michigan State University.
An elementary school teacher with the Saginaw public schools for 31
years, she has had an immense impact on her students. Over her 31 years
of teaching, Bernice taught her many students that with a good
education, nothing would be beyond their reach. Her words have had a
positive effect passing from generation to generation, and she has
inspired all who worked with her or had the good fortune to study under
her tutelage.
Bernice is not only devoted to teaching our young people, but also
teaches basic adult education, showing them that it is never too late
to learn and improve yourself. Steadfast in her quest to improve her
community, Bernice has consistently been recognized for her outstanding
community service. She is a member of numerous operations, and serves
as a member of the board of trustees of the Messiah Missionary Baptist
Church.
In recognition of how much her community appreciates and acknowledges
her accomplishments, her church is naming their new scholarship the
Bernice Lowrey Barlow Scholarship, and are recognizing her achievements
at a banquet held in her honor on March 2, 1996.
In order to promote fair housing opportunities, Bernice also has been
recognized by the Tri-County Fair Housing Council for her outstanding
leadership in helping to eliminate racial discrimination in housing.
She is also a member of the Saginaw County Mental Health Board, and
currently serves on a recipients' rights committee, and is the vice
chair for the program committee.
Bernice could not have achieved these great accomplishments without
the support of her family, including her loving husband of 47 years,
Charles Barlow, and they have four children: Michael, Belinda,
Mitchell, and Patrick, as well as 10 grandchildren.
Bernice Barlow is a shining example of the ability of individuals to
improve our society. She is the embodiment of the finest qualities
expressed in the word citizenship. I commend Bernice Barlow for her
lifelong achievements, and I urge my colleagues to join me in extending
her our very best wishes in her future endeavors.
I thank the gentleman, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. PAYNE of New Jersey. I thank the gentleman very much for his kind
remarks, and we know the family will appreciate that being done here at
Black History Month, and we appreciate your contribution.
Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Louisiana, Mr. Cleo
Fields.
Mr. FIELDS of Louisiana. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for
yielding to me. Let me just say to the gentleman that I certainly
appreciate the gentleman making recognition of Mrs. Bernice Barlow. I
was extremely excited at the fact that she was born, she started off,
in Louisiana, in the State that I represent. I want to thank the
gentleman for taking the time to recognize such a great servant. Mr.
Speaker, let me thank the gentleman for taking the time to have this
special order.
I want to personally thank all the African-American women in this
country, those who came before us, or before me, and those who are
present today in our society who have opened up so many doors of
opportunity.
That leads me to a very brief discussion, Mr. Chairman. I wish to
talk about a few African-American women from Louisiana. I want to start
by talking about an African-American woman by the name of Yola Antoine.
Just a few weeks ago, as a matter of fact, when I was traveling in my
district giving speeches for Black History Month, I was speaking at a
church, and the mother of the church was Ms. Antoine, and the pastor
had her to stand, and found out she was 100 years old. So I certainly
want to take this moment to recognize her and talk about what type of a
woman she is.
She is a great woman, because even at 100 years old, she still has
kids gathering at her home, and she reads the

[[Page H1500]]
Bible to them, and she should be commended for that. But she cuts her
own grass, she lives by herself, and to be 100 years of age and still
be as active as she is in the church, as active as she is with taking
care of herself, we certainly want to recognize her tonight, and I
certainly commend her. She is from Eunice, LA. I was just so proud of
the fact that I had a citizen in my district that was so old, but yet
so wise and so energetic.
I also want to talk about those African-American women who work with
children in the district and in the State that I represent. It brings
me to the name of Hazel Freemen, who was the past president of the
Delta Sigma Theta sorority. She also was a high officer in the LINKS
organization. The gentleman from New Jersey knows about these two
organizations. This lady works night and day to try to encourage young
people to stay in school and stay away from drugs and alcohol, so I
certainly want to talk about her as we celebrate black history and
recognize women.
I want to talk about another woman from my district out of Baton
Rouge, LA, Ms. Eva Legarde. Ms. Legarde was the first female black
president of the school board. She was elected to the school board. She
put a heavy emphasis on education. She encouraged kids to stay in
school. She should be commended tonight. She is no longer on the school
board. She still works with community groups. She still works with the
Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts and with her church, St. Francis Xavier, a
church in Baton Rouge. She tries to encourage kids to stay away from
drugs and alcohol.
I want to talk about Annie Smart, who started a legal defense fund in
Baton Rouge, LA, because there were so many indigent people in the city
that did not have legal representation. She started not only a legal
defense fund, but she started a legal aid program in Baton Rouge. What
she decided to do as a result of that, she started encouraging more
young people to go to college and major and get a legal education. She
encouraged kids to go to law school. We certainly commend Annie Smart
tonight.
Ms. Lula B. Coleman. She was the mother of civil rights for Baton
Rouge. She worked so hard to open up many doors of opportunities that
many of us have benefited from today. I can speak as one of those
individuals who is a direct beneficiary of her hard work.
Janice Clark, who is a judge in Baton Rouge, LA, today. She works
night and day to work with kids before they are confronted with the
judicial system. The way she deals with it, she goes into schools and
she talks to kids about the consequences of committing crimes and doing
drugs, so she should be commended at Black History Month.
Diana Bajoie, who is a female State senator who serves in the
Louisiana State Senate, the first African-American woman elected to the
Louisiana State Senate. She works night and day to try to improve
education in the State of Louisiana by introducing bills that are in
the best interests of educating our children.
Ms. Georgia Browne, who is a former librarian at Southern University.
She had a program where she brought kids from high schools from across
the State of Louisiana, and had them to interface with the library on
the college campus. She had many programs that included kids from
churches, so they can understand how to use the card catalog, so I want
to commend Ms. Georgia Browne tonight.
Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the gentleman for yielding to me.
Mr. PAYNE of New Jersey. Mr. Speaker, I think all our time has
expired. I appreciate the gentleman coming.
Mr. GILMAN. Mr. Speaker, as has been my traditional practice for many
years, I am pleased to again participate in this special order on the
occasion of Black History Month. It is an appropriate time to pay
tribute to the many contributions made by Afro-Americans throughout the
history of the United States, and to remind all Americans that the many
gifts of black culture are and have always been a significant
strengthening factor in the overall development of American society.
Thomas Carlyle wrote that ``the history of the world is but the
biography of great people.'' Many historians contend that men and women
do not make events, but rather events make men and women. I do not
subscribe to that theory. I believe that every advance made by
civilization, as well as every setback, came about because men and
women made conscious decisions either to do something or not do
something. The decisions made and actions taken by black Americans ever
since our colonial times have impacted greatly on the development and
the history of our Nation. Black History Month is an appropriate time
to inform the American people of the many outstanding black individuals
who have made a better life for all of us throughout the years.
As examples of outstanding blacks who throughout our history have
contributed to our way of life, let us not forget: Crispus Attuckus, a
free black man who gave his life at the Boston Massacre, which signaled
our War for Independence in 1770, and Peter Salem, a hero of the Battle
of Bunker Hill.
Let us also note Benjamin Banneker, an astronomer and mathematician;
Jean Baptiste Point du Sable, a pioneer trader and trapper; Harriet
Tubman and Sojourner Truth, who helped found and run the Underground
Railroad for escaping slaves; Frederick Douglass, an escaped slave who
became one of the great American diplomats and leaders of all time; and
the thousands upon thousands of Afro-Americans who fought and in many
cases gave their lives in the Civil War.
Other brilliant Afro-Americans include: Jan Matzeliger who invented
shoemaking machinery; Henry Blair, who invented farm machinery; and
Granville T. Woods, whose inventions made subway travel safe and
practical. Noteworthy Black educators include: Dr. Mary McCleod
Bethune, Frederick D. Patterson, and Benjamin Mays; A. Philip Randolph
was an outstanding labor leader. Bayard Rustin helped him in organizing
the marches on Washington in 1941 and 1963 which raised the
consciousness of all Americans.
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., whose birthday we celebrated last month,
was in a class all by himself. An individual whose message of love and
non-violence was valid for all races and for all nationalities for all
time, Dr. King has been and will always remain an inspiration to all of
us.
Outstanding African-Americans writers include: Toni Morrison,
Langston Hughes, Alice Walker, James Baldwin, Charles Fuller, Lorraine
Hansberry, Paul Dunbar, and Alex Haley.
And we have not even begun to list the many black Americans who made
an impact in the fields of education, sports, entertainment, music,
politics, the graphic arts, and so many other spheres of human
endeavor.
Mr. Speaker, I am certain that many of our colleagues noted the guest
editorial which appeared in the Washington Post just this morning by
the gifted black writer, Jonetta Rose Barras. Ms. Barras comments with
alarm and disdain regarding some of the efforts of businesses to
capitalize on Black History Month. She also notes the unfortunate
tendency of many of our institutions to concentrate all activities
regarding Afro-Americans into Black History Month, as if the
achievements of gifted blacks could and should be ignored the other 11
months of the year.
I tend to agree with Ms. Barras' chagrin. It is bad enough that the
memory of our fallen heroes on Memorial Day and Veterans Day is too
often desecrated by sales pitches and advertising blitzes which totally
ignore the significance of those occasions. Let us not allow this same
fate to befall Black History Month.
Black History Month is an appropriate time to note that the
contributions of blacks to our culture and our society are truly
significant. It is a time to note that our world would be different
today were it not for the contributions of so many gifted men and
women.
However, it is not an appropriate time to cheapen the sacrifices and
the hardships endured by many black Americans throughout the years to
advance the causes of equality, liberty, and justice for all.
Mr. Speaker, for the benefit of any of our colleagues who may have
overlooked Ms. Barras' editorial, I request that it be inserted in full
in the Record at this point.

[From the Washington Post, Feb. 28, 1996]

Black History Month Gone Wrong

(By Jonetta Rose Barras)

My mother says I'm a glutton for punishment; she's not half
wrong. Except this time, I didn't go looking for trouble. I
went into the CVS (formerly Peoples Drug Store) for a pair of
hose, which except for the Safeway is the only place to find
them in Adams-Morgan.
I'm waiting in line, my hands filled with hosiery, a
regular box of Junior Mints and nail polish remover. I'm
reading everything in sight, which is Part I of my mother's
glutton assessment; Part II is that I often react to what I
read, even when I try not to.
As the cashier rings up my merchandise, I continue reading.
The sign that catches my eye seems benign: ``Look for these
and other great values throughout the month,'' it reads at
the top. I scan down the list--I'm always after a good sale.
Luster Silk Right on Curl Moisturizer
Let's Jam Conditioning Gel
Luster's S Curl

[[Page H1501]]

Soft Sheen
Afro Pride No-Lye Relaxer
Nothing for me, I conclude; I've worn my hair natural since
1968. It's not a political statement, more of a beauty thing.
I think I look great with nappy hair.
But I relax too quickly; the last few lines of the sign are
lethal: ``CVS Pharmacy Supports Black History Month,'' it
reads, What the hell do S Curl and No Lye have to do with
Carter G. Woodson, Harriet Tubman, Sojourner Truth, my aunt
Loweska or any of the other tens of millions of black people
who have lived and died in this country? I nearly shout at
the cashier, She turns the sign around toward her so she can
see what set off my alarm. I'm ready to call the manager, the
owners, someone, anyone. I am exhibiting 150 percent of
righteous indignation (if Madame C.J. Walker were mentioned
somewhere on the poster, I might accept the listing of
products as a passable salute--although that would be
stretching it). I demand justice.
I am tired of Black History Month; tired of being squeezed
between 28 days (29 this leap year). I'd started this month
declaring I would not try to convert anyone else. I'd quietly
achieve my own version of justice, albeit rather peculiar. I
would boycott any Black History Month event. No Alvin Ailey
or Dance Theater of Harlem or Smithsonian lectures or tours
or special exhibitions of Bearden and Tanner or dinners
honoring ``Great Black Leaders.'' There'd be none of that for
me.
Although I never spoke with Dr. Carter G. Woodson, who
originated the concept of a Black History Month (in his day
it was called Negro History Week), I am sure he would
proclaim his dream a nightmare.
Some think it's progress that African Americans are honored
for an entire month. But is it progress when the Smithsonian
Institution waits until Black History Month to dump most of
its programming targeted for African American audiences and
those interested in black culture into one month--forcing
every black writer, academician, dancer or whatever to
compete with one another because across town at some other
institution there is another black history event they want to
catch?
Is it progress when mainstream publishers wait for February
to unload books they could have released in the fall, just to
make their marketing strategy easier?
Maybe it's progress when some drugstore chain decides the
best way to celebrate the history of millions of Americans
whose ancestors helped build this country into the capital of
the free world is to stick up some placard advertising S Curl
and Let's Jam Conditioning Gel and call it a salute.
It wasn't supposed to be this way.
I'm absolutely positive Woodson intended that at some point
Negro History Week, Black/African-American History Month
would become obsolete. He expected the stories of the 5,000
blacks who fought in the Revolutionary War to be right there
alongside Washington's. He believed that when the history of
World War II was written, it would contain the names of Mary
McLeod Bethune, Gen. Daniel Chappie James Jr., the Tuskegee
airmen and hundreds of other colored Americans who fought
valiantly. And that in every anthology of American poets,
Sterling Brown, James Weldon Johnson, Georgia Douglas Johnson
and Countee Cullen would be among the writers. Instead, they
are in separate books, pulled out during February and
considered ``additional suggested reading, variations on
themes'' They are not integral components of America's
historical discourse.
This I am certain of: Woodson never intended for his
concept aimed at instilling race and cultural pride to become
a marketing strategy for museums, publishers and hair-care
companies. It's much too precious for that, which is why I
had decided to do my own quiet protest.
But CVS changed all of that; I'm now publicly advocating
that Americans who no longer want a segregated history of
this country boycott Black History Month and demand full
representation throughout the year--the key word here is
full, not some weak-kneed, half-committed expression. Full,
nothing less.
After we've righted the misdirection of Black History
Month, let's set our sights on Women's History Month--I mean,
where does that come from, anyway?

Mr. BENTSEN. Mr. Speaker, I rise to join my colleagues and our Nation
in celebrating Black History Month. I appreciate this opportunity to
pay tribute to African-Americans who have contributed so much to making
our Nation what it is today. The theme of this year's special order
observance is African-American women: yesterday, today and tomorrow.
I want to take this opportunity to honor the memory of one very
special woman--a fellow Texan and Houstonian and former Member of this
House--who has long been an inspiration to me. That woman is Barbara
Jordan.
We all felt a deep loss when she passed away recently. But I have no
doubt that Barbara Jordan's life and accomplishments will continue to
inspire many generations to come.
As a legislator, Ms. Jordan built a reputation of being a skilled
politician and forceful and dynamic individual. She was the first
African-American woman in Texas to be elected to the Texas Senate and
the first African-American from the South to serve in the Congress of
the United States since Reconstruction.
During her tenure in the House, she served as a member of the House
Judiciary Committee, the House Committee on Government Operations and
the Steering and Policy Committee of the House Democratic caucus. In
reflecting on this year's theme, I cannot think of another woman who
truly embodies our Nation's greatest traditions and our deepest
aspirations than Barbara Jordan.
Barbara Jordan championed the ideal of America being a country where
legal rights and equal opportunities were available for everyone. She
furthered that ideal for herself, for African-Americans, for African-
American women, and for persons of all races.
Ms. Jordan has earned a place in American history, alongside Dr.
Martin Luther King, Jr. in pushing forward the dream of equal
opportunity for all Americans. She never ceased to remind us what ``we
the people'' truly means.
Texas and the Nation, have lost a powerful voice of conscience and
integrity. Barbara Jordan was a champion of our freedom, the
Constitution and the laws of our country. We will miss her unflinching
intelligence and integrity, her passion for justice, the power of her
voice, and the sheer force of the truth for which she spoke. From
Watergate to the U.S. Commission on Immigration Reform, our Nation
relied on her time and again to give us straight answers. And she never
left us disappointed.
In another significant first, she delivered the keynote address at
the 1976 Democratic Party Convention--the first black woman in the 144-
history of our party to do so. She repeated that performance some 16
years later at the 1992 Democratic Convention when she challenged
delegates and the Nation to transform our decaying inner cities into
places where hope lives.
Also, let us not forget Ms. Jordan's eloquent defense of the
Constitution when she sat on the House Judiciary Committee that
investigated the Watergate break-in and the White House coverup that
lead to the resignation of President Nixon. She made all of us proud to
be Americans. I am most reminded of a speech in which she stated that,
``My faith in the Constitution is whole, it is complete, it is total
and I am not going to sit here and be an idle spectator to the
diminution, the subversion, the destruction of it.''
History will remember Barbara Jordan as a dynamic leader, powerful
politician, riveting orator, a pioneer for all, and the ultimate public
servant. Her impact transcended age, sex, and ethnicity. Barbara Jordan
also had a more personal side that friends and associates will remember
most. The side that was not fully seen by the public eye.
For example, many do not know that she loved to sing gospel, top 40,
and country songs at the parties she threw for her graduate students in
Austin. Many do not know of her sharp intellect, dry wit, and childlike
curiosity. But one thing is certain, the State of Texas, The city of
Houston, and the Nation have lost a true treasury in Barbara Jordan.
She lived the dream of fairness and equal opportunity enshrined in our
Constitution, and she committed her life to helping all Americans share
in that dream.
I last saw Barbara Jordan in San Antonio last spring where we both
addressed the College Democrats of America. While it was a unique
exchange involving three generations of Americans, I was most thrilled
that my two younger daughters, Louise and Meredith, a fourth generation
and fellow Houstonians, had a chance to meet a real trailblazer in our
American History. She did not let them down.
The best way to honor her is to rededicate ourselves to making that
dream come true for all Americans.
Mr. RAHALL. Mr. Speaker, since 1976, February has been celebrated as
Black History Month, but the origins of this event date back to 1926,
when Dr. Carter G. Woodson who was born in Huntington, WV, set aside a
special period of time in February to recognize the heritage,
achievements, and contributions of African-Americans. This occasion
provides the opportunity for our country to celebrate the past and
present contributions and accomplishments of African-Americans. As I
reflect on these contributions and accomplishments, I am quickly drawn
to my district and a gentleman who has demonstrated time and time again
a tireless effort to be of exemplary service to all mankind. Ernest C.
Moore is a husband, father, legislator, activist, humanitarian, role
model, and friend to all who know him. For over 20 years Delegate
Ernest C. Moore has championed the causes of justice and equity as a
West Virginia State legislator representing McDowell County, 22d
district.
Delegate Moore was born on July 12, 1922 in Winston-Salem, NC but
moved to Thorpe, WV at age 4 when his father, a railroad worker heard
about a good paying job in the coal mines. His father spent the rest of
his life working at U.S. Steel's No. 4 mine in Gary, WV and Moore
followed suit when he was old enough, starting at No. 4 and then moving
to the No. 10 mine. Along the way he became active in the United Mine
Workers, eventually serving as district 29, vice president for 14\1/2\
years.

[[Page H1502]]

Mr. Speaker, Delegate Moore is the longest serving legislator in the
West Virginia House of Delegates. However, because of health reasons on
January 22, 1996 Moore retired. He was first elected to the West
Virginia House of Delegates in 1971 by McDowell County voters. Except
for the one 2-year term from 1979 to 1980, he has served continuously
in the House. During his tenure he served on the following committees:
Enrolled Bills (chairman), Banking and Insurance, Constitution
Revision, Judiciary (chairman), Industry and Labor (chairman) for the
67th-69th legislatures.
Delegate Moore the legislator and humanitarian worked hard to help
create the much needed Tug River Health Clinics in Gary and Northfork,
WV along with building of the new Welch Emergency Hospital. The
significance of this accomplishment is that in McDowell County the
hospital and three clinics are among the three highest employers in the
county.
Delegate Moore the legislator and activist was also a key player in
the civil rights legislation that led to designating Dr. Martin Luther
King's birthday a State holiday.
Delegate Moore the legislator and role model has received almost
every type of reward and recognition, to name a few. In 1976, he
received the Distinguished Citizen's Award from Mountain State Bar
Association. In 1992, the Distinguished West Virginia Award and, in
1993, Twenty Years of Dedicated Service Award from the West Virginia
Legislature.
Delegate Moore the husband and father is married to Mittie Kellum and
is the father of four, Judy, Douglas, Clifton, and Gail. He has
maintained that God and his family are the cornerstone of his success.
Delegate Moore the legislator and friend has not only served as a
role model to his family and colleagues, but also his constituents. He
has demonstrated this through his involvement in community
organizations such as the Brother's Club, the McDowell County Health
Board, president, Public Defender's Corporation--8th Circuit, and the
NAACP. His contribution has symbolized the importance of community
involvement and helped to develop future leaders who will challenge
this Nation to reach its great potential.
Mr. Speaker, Delegate Moore like so many others we honor this month
is a rare and wonderful individual, who, through words and deeds has
helped make a difference to countless lives in West Virginia and the
Nation. I would now like to share with you Moore's recent response to a
news reporter question of regrets during his 23 years of service. More
responded by saying, ``I don't regret a day, a lot of people would
probably be shedding tears of sorrow, but if I would be shedding any
tears, it would be tears of joy. And I know in my heart that I have
done everything possible to help McDowell County and the State of West
Virginia.
Finally, Mr. Speaker, there are countless men and women who like
Delegate Moore improve the lives of many people on a daily basis, they
may not be famous, but they are extraordinary individuals in the same
tradition. I ask my colleagues to join me during Black History Month as
I salute the excellence of Delegate Ernest C. Moore, an outstanding
example of civic responsibility, courage and commitment of whom the
African-American community, and indeed Americans everywhere should be
proud.
Mr. VISCLOSKY. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to participate today in this
special order to commemorate Black History Month. In March, we will
celebrate Women's History Month, and, in that vein, I would like to pay
tribute to a number of African-American women who have overcome
adversity to achieve great success.
African-Americans have made great strides since the Civil Rights
movement of the 1960's. However, we have a ways to go before the
economic disparity between the African-American community and the rest
of America is eliminated. Black women, in particular, still struggle in
disproportionately high numbers with the challenges of raising children
while living in poverty.
Fortunately, we can look at shining success stories in the African-
American community to show young people how to improve their lives and
communities. In the words of the late Congresswoman Barbara Jordan:
``We need to change the decaying inner cities from decay to places
where hope lives.''
A pioneer in American politics, Barbara Jordan was the first black
State senator in Texas history, and the first woman from Texas, as well
as the first black, to be elected to the U.S. House of Representatives
after Reconstruction. Barbara Jordan was a champion of freedom and of
the Constitution. Her beliefs were epitomized when, during the
Watergate hearings, she declared, ``My faith in the Constitution is
whole, it is complete, it is total, and I am not going to sit here and
be an idle spectator to diminution, the subversion, the destruction of
the Constitution.''
After serving three terms in Congress, Barbara devoted her energy to
teaching and continued to strive, in her own words, ``to do something
unusual.'' This was certainly an understatement. Later in life, Barbara
struggled with multiple sclerosis, and while the disease crippled her
body, she refused to allow it to conquer her spirit. Barbara Jordan's
life and success have left a legacy of opportunity for countless
American women.
A number of African-American women from Indiana's First Congressional
District have also been pioneers. These women have achieved economic
and personal success, and they serve as role models for the young
people in northwest Indiana. I would like to bring a few of them to
your attention now.
Katie Hall served as U.S. Representative for Indiana's First
Congressional District from 1982 to 1984. During her tenure in
Congress, Katie Hall played an instrumental role in creating the Martin
Luther King National Holiday. She currently serves as the Gary city
clerk.
Earline Rogers has been elected to serve as a Gary City Council
member, State representative, and State senator. Ms. Rogers was only
the second African-American woman to be elected a State representative.
She continues to serve as a State senator.
Judge Karen Freeman-Wilson is the presiding judge of the Gary City
Court. She is also a practicing attorney and has served as a public
defender in the Lake County Superior Court.
Eloise Gentry is the president and CEO of the Urban League of
Northwest Indiana. She has also served as executive director for
Community Coordinated Child Care and helped instigate the movement to
integrate Gary's public schools.
Judge Shelia Moss was nominated in 1993 by Governor Bayh to be the
presiding judge of the Lake County Superior Court. She has also held
the position of deputy director of the Child Support Division for the
Lake County Prosecutor's Office.
Hilda Richards is the first African-American chancellor of Indiana
University Northwest. She was installed in this position in May of
1994.
Pauline Hutson was the first African-American woman to become a
member of the Gary Police Department in 1936, and the first black woman
to be promoted to detective in 1969. She has gone on to become
commander of the Women's Division of the Gary Police Department.
Y-Gene Chambers was the first African-American woman appointed to the
Lake County Crime Commission and the first black woman appointed to the
advisory board of Bank One. Ms. Chambers also chartered and was the
first president of the board of directors of the Gary Educational
Development Foundation.
Dr. Waltee Douglas was one of the first women to become an ordained
minister in the Baptist Church in 1985, at St. John Baptist Church in
Gary.
Imogene Harris is the publisher of the Gary Info Newspaper and
president of the Harris Printing Co. The Gary Info Newspaper is an
African-American news weekly which has been in continuous publication
for 34 years.
Kellee Patterson was the first African-American woman to win the
title of Miss Indiana in 1971.
Vivian Carter was the first African-American woman to host a 5-hour
radio show. She is a cofounder of Vee Jay Record Co., which was the
first record company to distribute the early recordings of the Beatles.
Dorothy Leavell was the second female president of the National
Newspaper Publishers Association, an organization of more than 200
African-American newspapers in the United States.
Del Marae Williams is currently east Chicago's city judge. She has
also served in the Lake County Public Defender's Office and as an East
Chicago human rights attorney.
As we celebrate Black History Month, we celebrate an America more
culturally enriched, intellectually developed, and technologically
advanced because of the contributions of African-Americans. In closing,
I would like to commend my colleagues, Representatives Louis Stokes and
Donald Payne, for organizing this important special order on Black
History Month.
Ms. BROWN of Florida. Mr. Speaker, in the grand tradition of Mary
McLeod Bethune, Shirley Chisholm, and Dorothy Height, former
Congresswoman Barbara Charline Jordan carried our Nation's baton for
freedom, justice, and equality as one of the first female African-
American Member of Congress. When she retired from Congress in 1977,
she left an incredible void and a legacy that my colleagues and I have
worked tirelessly to fulfill.
Jordan, who died last month in Houston, TX at age 59, was a true
inspiration for past, present, and future female African-American
Members of Congress. Both as a Texas State senator and as a U.S.
Congresswoman, Jordan sponsored bills that championed the cause of
poor, black, disadvantaged, and working people.
Barbara Jordan would be saddened today by the challenges to minority
voting districts,

[[Page H1503]]
including the very district Jordan once represented and is now
represented by my colleague, Sheila Jackson-Lee. Minority voting
districts have been instrumental in ensuring that we are all included
in ``We the People.'' Jordan used to say that perhaps George Washington
and Alexander Hamilton had left her out by mistake when drafting the
Constitution to begin ``We the People.'' Much of her career was spent
working to fully implement the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Jordan met
with much success. ``Through the process of amendment interpretation
and court decision,'' she said, ``I have finally been included in `We
the people.' ''
Now, our Nation faces threats to the inclusion of all people in
challenges to minority districts in many States, including Florida. The
Third Congressional District of Florida is a truly representative
district and I believe that my constituents have been well served.
In Congress today, I would argue that we need more inclusion, more
compassion, and more minority voting districts to ensure that ``We the
People'' includes us all. If the current Republican-led Congress could
be injected with the spirit of Congress' most powerful heroes, the U.S.
Congress and its American citizens would be better off today.
Those who have come after her have struggled to fill her giant shoes.
Barbara Jordan was a true American hero. Let us never forget her legacy
of equal opportunity, dreaming and living our dreams, and including all
people as we interpret the U.S. Constitution.
Mr. MARTINEZ. Mr. Speaker, I join my colleagues tonight in saluting
the accomplishments and contributions of African-American women, who
have enriched the lives of all Americans. As we hear the end of Black
History Month, we should keep in mind that this Nation was built with
the blood, sweat and tears of African-Americans.
Black Americans have made enormous contributions in fields as diverse
as science and the arts to politics and sports. From the sublime poetry
and writings of Maya Angelou to the athletic prowess and wizardry of
Magic Johnson, African-Americans continue to contribute to the
economic, cultural and political fabric of the Nation.
Tonight, I would like to highlight the achievement of an exceptional
African-American woman and former Member of the House of
Representatives--the Honorable Barbara Jordan.
Barbara Jordan excelled in every field of endeavor she focused her
considerable talents in pursuing. Her distinguished career spanned the
areas of politics, law and education. Barbara Jordan tragically passed
away a few months ago, however, she has left an indelible mark on the
country. Her intellectual brilliance, eloquence, clarity of thought and
principled stand on so many vital issues facing the country continue to
resonate today. Barbara Jordan was a trailblazer setting the stage for
other women, be they black, white, Hispanic or Asian, to follow in her
stead.
In the mid-1960's, Barbara Jordan became the first black elected
official to the Texas State senate since 1883. During her tenure in
that chamber, she authored the first Texas minimum wage law and
spearheaded the first package of urban legislation through that
chamber. And on June 10, 1972, Barbara Jordan, as President pro tem,
became Governor for a day when both the Texas Governor and Lieutenant
Governor were out of State, adding another ``first'' to her long list
of accomplishments.
In 1972, Barbara Jordan was elected to the U.S. House of
Representatives where she would soon be propelled to national
prominence. During the Watergate and impeachment hearings,
Representative Jordan distinguished herself by delineating before the
entire Nation why she believed the committee on judiciary should vote
to indict President Richard Nixon. Newsweek called her speech ``The
most memorable indictment of Richard Nixon to emerge from the House
impeachment'' proceedings.
Jordan's memorable keynote address in the 1976 Democratic National
Convention sealed her reputation as one of the great political orators
in the country. Her decision to retire from the House in 1978 in order
to accept a teaching post at the University of Texas' Lyndon B. Johnson
School of Public Affairs, represented a loss for American politics and
a tremendous gain for the world of academia. More recently, Barbara
Jordan was called upon once again to serve our country as chairman of
the U.S. Commission on Immigration Reform. She performed her task with
the integrity and utter professionalism that marked her whole life.
Barbara Jordan led by example; she led by her sheer will to
persevere; and she led by her intellect and oratorical skill. Barbara
Jordan was truly a great American. Her legacy is now and forever a part
of the rich history of African-American accomplishments and
contributions to our country.
Mr. FARR. Mr. Speaker, since 1976, February has been celebrated as
Black History Month, but the origins of this event date back to 1926,
when Dr. Carter G. Woodson set aside a special period of time in
February to recognize the heritage, achievements, and contributions of
African-Americans. It is with great pleasure that I rise to recognize a
resident of my district who has made an outstanding contribution to
both the African-American community, and the central coast region in
general.
Rev. Herbert Hoover Lusk, Sr., a native of Memphis, TN, has served as
a minister and professional community organizer in the City of Seaside,
CA for over 30 years. Widely known for his speaking ability and
leadership skills, he has been an instrumental figure in the growth and
development of the city of Seaside.
Reverend Lusk received his formal education at Henderson Business
College in business administration, 1951, and the Right School of
Religion, 1955, both located in Memphis, TN. Later, he received his
bachelor of science degree in human relations and organizational
behavior from the University of San Francisco, 1984, and his master of
science degree in management and school administration from Pepperdine
University.
As an organizational planner and administrator, Reverend Lusk founded
Operations Shoe-Strings, Inc. Of Seaside 25 years ago, along with
Operation Tobacco Education and Operation Second Chance. These
organizations are designed to provide essential services to aspiring
youth, their parents and other interested community residents.
Reverend Lusk has served as minister and pastor of the Bethel
Missionary Baptist Church of Seaside, CA since 1961. During this period
he has designed and organized church educational programs, a day-care
and pre-school program, assisted in community organizational efforts
and developed and administered successful proposal and grant-funding
efforts. He is also vice-moderator of the St. John District
Association, which consists of the States of California, Nevada, New
Mexico, and parts of Africa. In February of 1993, Reverend Lusk
participated in the first African American national conference ever
held on South African soil. In addition, he has served as either a
leader or member of such community organizations as the Monterey
Peninsula Ministerial Alliance, the Seaside Chamber of Commerce, the
Seaside Club International, the National Association for the
Advancement of Colored People [NAACP], the Southern Christian
Leadership Conference, the National Baptist Convention U.S.A. and the
National Alliance for Black Observation Day.
As a result of his inspirational leadership and tireless efforts
Reverend Lusk has been widely recognized for his achievements. Among
the many awards and honors bestowed upon him are the Outstanding
Services Award of the Anti-Poverty Council, Monterey Peninsula--1971,
the NAACP Man of The Year, 1971, the Seaside Chamber of Commerce Award,
1978, the Elvirita Lewis Foundation Award, 1980, the Delta Sigma Theta
Sorority, Inc. Award, 1985 and the California Legislative Resolution
Commendation that I sponsored in 1988.
Mr. Speaker, I have known Reverend Lusk for many years. He has
demonstrated time and time again a tenacious commitment to bettering
the lives of the less fortunate in Seaside and surrounding central
coast communities. His zeal and enthusiasm have inspired cooperation
and commitment for the betterment of the community. As we celebrate our
1996 observance of Black History Month, we celebrate an America that is
richer and more culturally aware because of the undertaking and
accomplishments of people like Reverend Lusk.
Mr. DELLUMS. Mr. Speaker, as we remember our former colleague, the
Honorable Barbara Jordan, it is particularly fitting that the theme of
this special order in observation of Black History Month is ``African-
American Women: Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow.'' This institution has
benefited greatly from the contributions of Congresswoman Jordan, as
well as our other strong African-American female members. So, too, has
America benefited from the presence of African-American women in her
midst over the past almost 400 years. During slavery the blood, sweat,
and tears of African-American women became literally and figuratively a
part of the very foundation upon which out great Nation is built.
Throughout her story in America, the African-American woman has
played an integral role in the survival of the family, community, and
country. Women such as Harriet Tubman, Sojourner Truth, Rosa Parks, Ida
B. Wells, Mary McLeod Bethune, and countless others, struggled to
obtain freedom and racial equality for African-Americans and all
Americans, and to make America a Nation true to its principles and
ideas.
African-American women embody the pride and strength of a people who
have experienced and survived great oppression. The tradition of
leadership and struggle continues today among African-American women as
evidenced by Marian Wright Elelman, Eleanor

[[Page H1504]]
Holmes Norton, Dorothy Height, Myrlie Evers, and others. Today, I join
my colleagues to recognize and salute the strength, pride, resilience
and commitment of African-American women.
Mr. DURBIN. Mr. Speaker, on behalf of myself and Congressmen Glenn
Poshard and Jerry Costello, I rise to honor Capt. William R. (Bill)
Norwood of Carbondale, IL, for his distinguished career and his
contributions to Illinois and the Nation. Captain Norwood is retiring
after more than 30 years with United Airlines. I want to take this
opportunity to acknowledge his significant achievements.
Bill Norwood's life has been one of great individual achievements,
which have helped to pave the way for others to follow. He was the
first black pilot hired by United Airlines, and the first to reach the
rank of captain. Today, there are 236 black pilots at United Airlines
who have followed in Bill Norwood's footsteps.
He was born in Centralia, IL, where he attended Lincoln Elementary
and Centralia Township High School. He started working at the age of
10, selling newspapers, and worked with his father in carpentry. He
graduated from Southern Illinois University in Carbondale with a degree
in chemistry, where he was also the first black quarterback on the
football team, and went on to earn a master's in business
administration from the University of Chicago. He was hired by United
Airlines in 1965 and has flown all the cockpit positions and many
different airplanes, beginning with the 727 and ending with the DC-10.
He was inspired to become a pilot by a teacher in grammar school who
had flown with the Tuskegee Airmen black fighter squadron. He joined
the ROTC and served 6 years in the U.S. Air Force, where he flew for
the Strategic Air Command.
He is the recipient of many honors and awards, including the United
Airlines Flight Operations Division Special Achievement Award; the
United Airlines 1991 Community Relations Award; the Certificate of
Merit from the Chicago Merit Employment Committee; the Illinois
Concerns for Blacks in Higher Education Special Merit Award; membership
in the Southern Illinois ROTC Hall of Fame; the Southern Illinois
Athletic Hall of Fame; and the Centralia, Illinois Historical Hall of
Fame. He was profiled in Chicago's ``Successguide 1991'' as one of the
top 10 black professionals making outstanding contributions to the
community. He is named in the first editions of ``Who's Who Among Black
Americans,'' ``Profiles in Black,'' ``The African Americans,'' and
``African American Firsts.'' He is also pictured in the National Air
and Space Museum's permanent display called ``Black Wings.''
Beside these many honors are the contributions he has made to our
community. Bill serves on the board of trustees of Southern Illinois
University and the Southern Illinois University Aviation Advisory
Committee. He is a member of the Illinois Board of Higher Education;
immediate past president and former treasurer of the State Universities
Retirement System Board; and he works with the Illinois Committee on
Black Concerns in Higher Education. He is a member of the Airline
Pilots Association; he has served many terms as treasurer, president,
and chairman of the board of the Organization of Black Airline Pilots;
he is a life member of the NAACP; he serves on several committees at
the Prince of Peace United Methodist Church; and he frequently takes
time to visit schools and give career and motivational talks to young
people.
Bill is retiring from United Airlines to spend more time with his
family, which he raised with his lovely wife, Molly Frances Cross
Norwood, who is also president and CEO of the Blue Ribbon Press. His
two adult sons, William, Jr., who is an air traffic controller, and
George Anthony, an attorney, are following in their father's footsteps
of high achievement. On behalf of his many friends and admirers, I
congratulate Capt. William R. (Bill) Norwood and wish him and his
family the very best in the future.
Mr. COYNE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to join in this special order to
observe and celebrate Black History Month. Observing Black History
Month each year helps Americans educate ourselves about the important
role that African-Americans have played in our Nation's history. Given
the unique experience of African-Americans in this nation of
immigrants, it is important that all Americans understand and
appreciate the nature of their struggle for freedom and equality--and
the accomplishments in art, science, education, business, and politics
that African-Americans have achieved despite the extraordinary
obstacles that they have been forced to overcome.
I want to thank Representatives Louis Stokes and Donald Payne for
organizing this special order today. As a result of their efforts,
Members of Congress can take this opportunity to celebrate the many
important contributions that African-Americans have made to our
country's cultural, economic, and political life.
Black History Month was initiated by Dr. Carter G. Woodson, who
established the Association for the Study of Afro-American Life and
History in 1915 in order to encourage the proper appreciation for the
contributions that African-Americans had made to their country. Black
History Month has been celebrated in some form since 1926.
The Association for the Study of Afro-American Life and History has
made African-American women the focus of this year's observance
because, as Mary Church Terrell observed, African-American women had to
overcome the obstacles of both racial and gender discrimination.
Consequently, I would like to focus my remarks today on some of the
remarkable African-American women who have overcome tremendous
obstacles to achieve success in their chosen fields. Brave, smart,
strong, and determined--these women were truly giants.
African-American women have been active in every field of human
endeavor in this country, and yet, more often than not their
contributions have gone unrecognized. African-American women in this
country have been activists, educators, professionals, entrepreneurs,
artists, and elected officials. Moreover, they have succeeded in these
fields in the face of a combination of obstacles more intimidating that
those that most other Americans have had to confront.
Women like Harriet Tubman, and Sojourner Truth were born into
slavery, but they refused to submissively accept their designated place
in society. Both of these women became dedicated abolitionists and
contributed to the growing opposition to slavery in this country in the
mid-1800's. Harriet Tubman returned to the South many times to help
many other African-Americans escape the bondage of slavery. As a result
of their efforts to change public attitudes about slavery, millions of
African-Americans were eventually freed from slavery.
Emancipation was not the end of African-Americans' struggle for
freedom and equality in this country, however. Sadly, even 131 years
after the end of the Civil War, that struggle is not over.
Nevertheless, tremendous strides have been made. Just as in the battle
against slavery, African-American women were active participants in the
struggle to end segregation and secure their political rights. Ida B.
Wells, for example, was an influential activist and journalist in the
late 19th and early 20th centuries. She braved threats of physical
violence to organize African-Americans against segregation and protest
the lynchings that characterized the post-Reconstruction era. Fannie
Lou Hamer was threatened, shot, and beaten as a result of her efforts
to secure the right to vote for African-Americans, and yet she never
wavered in her pursuit of social justice. Rosa Parks was arrested for
her refusal to submit to the racist Jim Crow laws that, sadly, enjoyed
wide support in the South for most of this century. These are only a
few of the women who were active in breaking down the political and
legal system that discriminated against African-Americans in this
country; it would be impossible to mention the names of all the
African-American women who contributed to this effort, but it would be
wrong not to point out the important role that they played.
As a result of the struggle for civil rights, African-American women
have been able to begin participating fully in the political process.
Mary McLeod Bethune, a noted African-American educator, was appointed
by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt to administer the African-
American division of the New Deal era National Youth Administration. In
1969, Shirley Chisholm became the first African-American woman to be
elected to the U.S. House of Representatives, and in 1992,
Carol Moseley-Braun became the first African-American woman elected to
the U.S. Senate. Shirley Chisholm also has the honor of becoming the
first African-American woman to run for the Presidency. It didn't take
long for African-American women like Barbara Jordan to make their mark
on Congress. Today there are a number of African-American women in
Congress, the judiciary branch, and the administration--as well as in
State and local government.

Even in the darkest days of segregation, however, African-American
women were successful entrepreneurs and professionals. C.J. Walker, for
example, became America's first self-made female millionaire. In the
1800's and early 1900's, thousands of talented African-American women
became school teachers and administrators. More recently, African-
American women have begun taking advantage of the hard-won
opportunities to pursue careers in less traditional fields; Katherine
Johnson, for example, has achieved renown for developing navigational
procedures for tracking NASA spacecraft. Today, there are no legal or
institutional limits on the professions African-American women can
pursue.
Finally, I want to mention talented African-American artists like
Maya Angelou, Zora Neale Hurston, Alice Walker, and Toni Morrison, who
have given powerful voice to the shared experiences of African-American
women.

[[Page H1505]]

This country has made tremendous progress in race relations in the
last 50 years. Much more needs to be done, of course, but let us not
forget the substantial advances that have been made, thanks in no small
part to the African-American women that I have mentioned here today.
I have focused today primarily on African-American women whose
accomplishments are in the more or less distant past. That is
understandable--we don't have the perspective necessary to objectively
evaluate contemporary events, and we cannot know with any certainty
what the future holds. It would be inappropriate, however, to conclude
without some mention of the future. The future is inextricably linked
to the past--it holds so much potential for African-American women
today precisely because of the struggles and sacrifices undertaken by
their mothers and their grandmothers. As a result, their future
successes will be that much brighter--and the challenges they face
will, hopefully, be very different that the obstacles that their
mothers and grandmothers were forced to overcome. It is only fitting
that we take this time to recognize the contributions that African-
American women have made to this country--and will continue to make.
Mr. STOKES. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank our distinguished colleague
from New Jersey, Congressman Donald Payne, who chairs the Congressional
Black Caucus, for his leadership with regard to today's special order.
We gather today to mark the congressional observance of Black History
Month. I join Congressman Payne, members of the Congressional Black
Caucus, and our colleagues on both sides of the aisle as we acknowledge
the contribution of African-American men and women to the building and
shaping of this great Nation.
African-American have a rich and magnificent history. It is a history
which is inextricably woven into the economic, social, and political
fabric of this Nation. In 1926, the late Dr. Carter G. Woodson
understood that African-Americans were not receiving proper recognition
in history for their contributions. Therefore, he proposed setting
aside 1 week during the month of February to commemorate the
achievements of African-Americans. In 1976, the observance was changed
to Black History Month. The Association for the Study of Afro-American
Life and History, which Dr. Woodson founded, has selected the theme,
``African American Women: Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow,'' for the 1996
observance of Black History Month.
Mr. Speaker, we gather to pay tribute to African-American women who
have contributed to the building and shaping of America. The list is
long and the names are many. In most instances, these individuals had
to overcome tremendous obstacles and challenges in order to succeed.
Let us pause to recognize some of these outstanding Americans and their
extraordinary achievements.
In January, the Nation mourned the passing of a great African-
American achiever. For many years, Barbara Jordan's voice was heard in
these Halls, speaking out on the issues of the day and defending the
Constitution. Not only was she a knowledgeable legislator, but she was
also sincere and compassionate. She was a tireless advocate for those
who had no voice in the congressional deliberations.
Barbara Jordan began her political career with her election to the
Texas State Senate, becoming the first African-American elected to that
legislative body. In 1972, Barbara Jordan again made history when she
and Andy Young became the first African-Americans from the South to be
elected to Congress since Reconstruction.
Mr. Speaker, those of us who were fortunate to serve in the U.S.
Congress with Barbara Jordan loved, admired, and respected her greatly.
She was a lawmaker of the highest caliber and integrity. Her eloquent
voice and legal scholarship will be greatly missed.
As we celebrate Black History Month, we also recall the perseverance
of Shirley Chisholm who, in 1969, became the first African-American
female to be sworn in as a Member of the U.S. Congress. Her election
offered hope that women of color could be elected to all branches of
government. Shirley Chisholm went on to become the first African-
American woman to run for the highest office of the land when she
sought the Democratic Presidential nomination in 1972.
Equally noteworthy is the election of the Nation's first African-
American female Senator. In 1992, Carol Moseley-Braun was elected to
the U.S. Senate from the State of Illinois. A committed public servant,
she has served with honor and distinction as a Member of that
legislative body.
Mr. Speaker, along with Senator Moseley-Braun, we also pay tribute to
the African-American female lawmakers within the ranks of the
Congressional Black Caucus. The CBC continues to benefit from their
strong leadership and commitment. Like pioneers before them, these 10
lawmakers have been willing to take strong stances on behalf of their
constituencies and those who have no voice in the political process.
Mr. Speaker, we know that there are many other African-American women
trailblazers who set the pace and cleared the course for those who
followed. We need only sift through the ashes of history to find
African-American women who withstood the challenges and rose to great
heights.
We recall the perseverance of Harriet Tubman, the engineer of the
Underground Railroad. This tightly organized, highly secretive network
of safe houses provided shelter and support for slaves in their escape
from the South to freedom in the northern States and Canada. Harriet
Tubman propelled a mass of people to seek better lies for themselves,
and to demand something more for future generations. She never gave up,
and she never gave in.
During this special observance of Black History Month, we remember
the strength of Mary McLeod Bethune, a woman who founded one of
America's foremost education institutions, Bethune-Cookman
College, with a total capital of $1.50; a woman who during her lifetime
held Presidential appointments, and became a friend and advisor to
Presidents.

As we celebrate our theme, ``African American Women: Yesterday, Today
and Tomorrow,'' we recall the efforts of the legendary Rosa Parks. Her
refusal to give a white man her seat on a bus in Montgomery, AL, in
1955, prompted a year-long protest that ultimately resulted in the
abolishment of a law that required African-Americans to sit in the rear
of the bus behind white people. Rosa Parks continues to serve today as
a role model and heroine to those who champion justice and equality.
Mr. Speaker, I take special pride in participating in today's special
order in observance of Black History Month. I join my colleagues in
saluting African-American women who have changed and, indeed, are
making history. This special order provides just a glimpse of the
historical contributions of African-American men and women to our
Nation. It is important to remember, however, that not only in
February, but every day African-Americans are contributing to the
building, shaping, and preservation of this great democracy. Our
history is America's history.
Mr. HALL of Ohio. Mr. Speaker, it is a pleasure to speak on the
accomplishments and contributions of Shirley Chisholm during this
special order on Black History Month.
Her political life took root when she decided to become a teacher.
During her years in college, she became known for her outspokenness and
was encouraged to go into politics. For several years, she worked
behind the scenes for many political candidates before she decided to
run for the New York State Assembly. Against all odds, she won.
In 1968, Shirley Chisholm entered the House of Representatives with a
bang when she refused to accept an assignment on the Committee on
Agriculture. In that one moment, she defined herself as a maverick; a
warrior who would fight for her rights and the rights of others; a
campaigner for the poor, higher minimum wages, and Federal subsidies
for day care centers. She showed her commitment, not only to the
Brooklyn community she represented, but to many communities that were
powerless and insignificant, and she turned them into forces with which
to be reckoned.
During 1981 and 1982, I had the opportunity to work with
Representative Chisholm when we served together as members of the Rules
Committee. During these committee meetings, I was able to witness
firsthand her dedication to causes greater than herself. It was an
honor to work beside her to achieve changes that improve mankind.
She began to build a road for other African-American leaders and
women who were interested in running for Congress. And when this road
seemed to come to an unexpected end, she did something few people
expected her to do. She sought a major party nomination for President.
She was unsuccessful; however, she felt success in being allowed to
carry the torch that would allow for other minorities to follow her
challenge to run for President.
Representative Chisholm retired in 1982 and returned to the teaching
profession. During these years, she has continued to work behind the
political scenes for the advancement of all people.
In her biography, ``The Good Fight,'' she stresses that she does not
want to be remembered as the first black woman to be elected to the
U.S. Congress, even though she was. She does not want to be remembered
as the first black woman who happened to be black to make a serious bid
for the presidency. She wants to be known as a catalyst for change, a
woman who has the determination and a woman who has the perseverance to
fight on behalf of the female population and the black population,
because she is a product of both.
Mr. PAYNE of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I would like to take this
opportunity to join people from

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throughout our Nation in commemorating Black History Month. This is a
time when we, as American citizens, recognize and pay tribute to the
many African-Americans who have made significant contributions in their
respective fields throughout the course of American history.
SInce our country's beginnings, every aspect of American life and
culture has been enhanced by the acts of great African-Americans.
Dating back as early as the Revolutionary War, some 5,000 blacks fought
for our Nation's independence. For much of American history they were
legally denied recognition for their accomplishments and even today,
many of their contributions are largely unknown.
For this reason, the noted black author and historian, Dr. Carter G.
Woodson of Buckingham County in my congressional district, initiated
what has become known today as Black History Month; 70 years later, Dr.
Woodson's legacy means that all children across our Nation now
understand an important part of history.
Thanks to Black History Month, children now understand that African-
Americans made significant advancements in the fields of arts, science,
entertainment, technology, communications, politics, and civil rights.
These social, economic, and educational achievements have contributed
to our Nation's prosperity and rich culture.
In addition to Dr. Woodson, we in the Fifth Congressional District
are very proud of another outstanding individual who emerged as one of
the most influential African-Americans in American history. Booker T.
Washington, born in Franklin County, VA in 1856, spent most of his life
working to achieve economic advancement for blacks. Best known for
founding the Tuskegee Normal and Industrial Institute in 1881, Mr.
Washington also advised Presidents Theodore Roosevelt and William
Howard Taft on racial injustice facing the United States. In order to
achieve a better quality of life Mr. Washington advocated vocational
and industrial training for African-Americans. This would prove to be
the most effective path for African-Americans to follow in order to
elevate their economic standing. Booker T. Washington was a voice of
compromise and moderation in a time when civil and political rights
were reserved only for a select few. He believed progress for blacks
would be achieved only if peace between the races was maintained.
Booker T. Washington was just one great African-American who helped
more of our countrymen to realize freedom and independence. Other
individuals, like Frederick Douglas and Martin Luther King, Jr. rank
among the greatest Americans in history.
I encourage all citizens to commemorate Black History Month and to
recognize always that Americans of every race, color, and creed have
helped to make this the greatest nation on Earth.

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