[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 142 (Tuesday, October 21, 1997)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2044]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




          SALUTE TO BROWARD COUNTY'S AFRICAN-AMERICAN LIBRARY

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. ALCEE L. HASTINGS

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, October 21, 1997

  Mr. HASTINGS of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I am honored to pay tribute 
today to the Broward County African-American Library, which opens in my 
congressional district this Saturday, October 25. One of the great 
milestones in learning opportunities, this sanctuary of history, 
learning, and cultural promises to become one of south Florida's 
greatest libraries. Its purpose is to showcase the immeasurable 
contributions of African-Americans in this country as well as in our 
native Africa. Beyond that, however, it will stand as a beacon for the 
educational uplift of an entire community.
  The great historian, educator, and author David Walker, once 
commented about the importance of libraries for African-Americans:
  ``I would crawl on my hands and knees through mud and mire, to the 
feet of a learned man, where I would sit and humbly supplicate him to 
instill into me that which neither devils nor tyrants could remove, 
only with my life--for colored people to acquire learning in this 
country makes tyrants quake and tremble on their sandy foundations.''
  This is the kind of idealism that propels the outstanding individuals 
who have devoted their lives to making the Broward County African-
American Library a reality. I am pleased to salute their achievement, 
and to praise their enormous efforts in this significant undertaking.
  The significance of this project to the growth and development of 
Broward County is immeasurable. I am pleased to commend the individuals 
who have committed their lives and their livelihood to making this 
library a dream come true, a dream founded upon the notion that to 
study each other--our accomplishments, our traditions, our culture--is 
to know each other.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to the Broward County 
African-American Library, as it steers our community toward greater 
progress and understanding