[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 19 (Thursday, February 13, 1997)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E285-E286]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




        BLACK HISTORY MONTH: RECOGNITION, RESPECT, AND RELIANCE

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. MIKE McINTYRE

                           of north carolina

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, February 13, 1997

  Mr. McINTYRE, Mr. Speaker, as the Members know, February is Black 
History Month, which our Nation has devoted to recognizing and honoring 
the contributions and accomplishments African-Americans have made to 
this country. Across our great Nation, schools, businesses, churches, 
and civic organizations are making a special effort to proclaim the 
importance of African-Americans to this Nation's progress and success.
  We make this special effort for two fundamentally important reasons. 
First, black people of this Nation have suffered unfairly through 
generations of slavery and oppression. Today, I am grateful that we are 
working together to ensure that all people are treated equally, both in 
word and deed. The second reason we mark this time with Black History 
Month is that African-Americans have made substantive and vitally 
important contributions to this Nation's progress and success. Quite 
simply, we would be much diminished as a nation if it were not for the 
hard work, insight, activism, leadership, and excellence found within 
the African-American community.
  Today, I want to focus on the pattern of black history that begins 
with our Nation's earliest days and ends in a future that is brighter 
for all of us. That pattern has three fundamental components: 
Recognition, Respect, and Reliance. I believe that we must recognize 
African-Americans for their contributions. I believe that respect for 
African-Americans flows out of our recognition of their importance in 
America. Finally, recognition and respect creates a healthy reliance on 
African-Americans that crosses all racial and economic groups. I stand 
here today in order to help move forward our efforts to recognize Black 
historical accomplishments, to urge respect for our African-American 
neighbors, and to promote a cross-racial reliance that fosters a more 
perfect Union.

  Recognition begins with an understanding that African-Americans have 
made substantive and vitally important contributions to the cultural, 
economic, athletic, scientific, and spiritual advancement of the United 
States. They have been a positive factor in nearly all major events in 
American history and have both influenced and changed American life and 
culture. Unfortunately, many contributions made by African-Americans 
remain unknown among most Americans.
  We could spend many hours exploring African-American contributions to 
American life. Today, I urge you to take some time and explore the 
remarkable achievements of African-Americans on your own. When we 
recognize the continuous and important impact they have had on our 
nation, we will agree that a future full of African-American 
accomplishments is a good one.
  Consider the impact African-Americans have had in politics and civil 
rights. Of course, Blacks have always been politically active. Today, 
we should call special attention to Blacks who serve their nation and 
communities in ways unimaginable one hundred years or even fifty years 
ago. Blacks now serve in unprecedented numbers in elected and appointed 
positions at all levels of government. Mayors David Dinkins, Tom 
Bradley, Coleman Young, and others have had a positive impact on some 
of our most important cities. Douglass Wilder served as governor of 
my neighbor state of Virginia. In my home district, several black 
leaders have served on the city council, school board, board of county 
commissioners, community college board members, state board of 
transportation, numerous other state boards and commissions, state 
legislature, and in government positions at all levels, including 
Congress, for many years with distinction. The civil rights advances in 
our nation could not have been made without these fine citizens. We 
must recognize the importance Blacks have in shaping our political 
lives.

  We should also recognize Blacks for their contributions to advancing 
American science and technology. Blacks have been vitally important 
inventors and scientists from our nation's earliest days. Did you know 
that Onesimus, a black slave, was experimenting with smallpox vaccines 
in the 1720s? This pioneer of modern medicine was followed by others 
such as Dr. Charles Drew, who engineered blood transfusions; and Samual 
Kountz, who made kidney transplants more

[[Page E286]]

successful. In technology, Blacks have invented the incandescent light 
bulb, truck refrigeration, polymer fabrics, and automated manufacturing 
machines used in making shoes, telephones, and other items essential to 
our daily lives. In space, Lt. Colonel Guion Bluford was the first 
Black to fly in space. Hoping to advance human services, astronaut 
Ronald McNair tragically died in the Challenger shuttle explosion. 
These individuals and many many other African-Americans must be fully 
recognized for their contributions to American life.
  Once we recognize African-Americans for their accomplishments, we 
must respect them as valuable contributors to American society. In my 
home state of North Carolina, the African-American community emerged 
from the shadows of slavery to quickly take positions in government, 
education, entertainment, and media. The progress has not always been 
easy or free of hardship and danger, but the results for North Carolina 
include a vibrant and diverse sense of community that benefits every 
citizen.

  Take, for example, two North Carolinians who should have our respect. 
First, in the early 1900's Dr. Charlotte Hawkins Brown founded a school 
for African-American children. Although she was attacked and oppressed 
with Jim Crow laws, her faith in God and her commitment to her 
community gave her the strength to ensure that her school, known as the 
Palmer Institute, educated Black children in the sciences, language, 
and culture. She received many honors, and was a friend of Eleanor 
Roosevelt, W.E.B. DuBouis, Booker T. Washington, and other leaders of 
the day. I have nothing but respect for people like Dr. Hawkins, who 
spend their lives committed to God and community.
  There is one more person who exemplifies the sort of success that we 
should respect. Hiram Rhoades Revels is especially significant to me 
for three reasons. First, he committed his life to God and proclaiming 
the truth of the Christian Gospel. Second, he was born in Fayetteville, 
North Carolina, only 30 miles from where I was born. Third, he was the 
first Black member of the United States Congress. It is remarkable that 
his adult life spanned the Civil War, Reconstruction, and ended in 1901 
during the Progressive Era. He was a true pioneer of American political 
life.
  All the people I have mentioned today--the scientists, teachers, 
politicans, and every African-American--should be respected members of 
our Nation.
  Finally, we should consider America's future in light of the 
recognition and respect due African-Americans. America works best when 
every American can act responsibly, work well, and live in a safe 
community. When Black History Months ends, we must not end the 
recognition and respect earned by African-Americans. Our recognition 
and respect for African- Americans leads to a reliance on African-
Americans for their valuable contributions to American life.

  Today, there are nearly 400,000 African-American children in the 
North Carolina public schools. We must work together to ensure that 
their future is full of success and opportunity. Through the efforts of 
their forebearers, this Nation has come closer to fully understanding 
our Declaration of Independence: That all men are created equal under 
God and are entitled to the opportunity for life, liberty, and the 
pursuit of happiness. For many years, these words rang hollow to 
African-Americans. Let us be wise enough to now recognize their 
accomplishments, respect their value to society, and rely on them to be 
equal members in the great work of this Nation.
  And may we remember the words of Adlai Stevenson, who was the 
Democratic nominee for President in 1956, this year I was born, when he 
said:

       Trust the people, trust their good sense, their decency, 
     their faith. Trust them with the facts; trust them with the 
     great decisions; and fix as our guiding star the passion to 
     create a society in which no American is held down by his 
     race or color, by worldly condition or social status from 
     earning that which his character earns him as an American 
     citizen, as a human being as a child of God.

                          ____________________