[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 15 (Wednesday, February 25, 1998)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E226]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


          1998 CONGRESSIONAL OBSERVANCE OF BLACK HISTORY MONTH

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                               speech of

                           HON. GLENN POSHARD

                              of illinois

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, February 11, 1998

  Mr. POSHARD. Mr. Speaker, I am honored to join my colleagues today in 
a celebration of Black History Month. We have come together today to 
remember the struggle of African-Americans, to commemorate their 
accomplishments and to honor their contributions. While it is my 
sincere hope that my fellow citizens do this every day of the year, it 
is nonetheless appropriate that we set aside the month of February to 
pay special attention to both the history and future of African-
Americans in this country.
  As a former history teacher and a longtime scholar of American 
history, I am very familiar with and deeply grateful for the countless 
contributions that African-Americans have made to American identity, 
culture, science, literature, arts and so much more. I am continually 
fascinated by the depth and intricacy of the American experience 
throughout history, and I recognize the critical role that the African-
American community has played in its development.
  I represent the great state of Illinois, and in particular a 
congressional district rich in history. Illinois is fittingly known as 
the Land of Lincoln, a state which boasts the childhood home of Abraham 
Lincoln, the site of his first law practice, the venue for the Lincoln-
Douglass debates, and the State Capitol in Springfield, where Mr. 
Lincoln spent a portion of his venerable political career. I am 
enormously proud to have served in that same legislative body, working 
always in the shadow of the memory of the man who had the courage to 
declare that under a system of slavery, our nation could never be truly 
free.
  Near Shawneetown, Illinois, there is a unique historical landmark 
known as the Old Slave House, which was built in 1834. During the pre-
Civil War era, the Old Slave House served as a holding place for 
escaped slaves who had been captured and were awaiting return to their 
owners. The Slave House is the only known remaining structure to have 
been used by kidnappers operating a sort of ``reverse'' Underground 
Railroad and is considered a key site by researchers and historians 
seeking to preserve relics of this critical time in American history. I 
am committed to ensuring that the Old Slave House and other sites 
receive the recognition and protection necessary for their 
preservation, so that future generations may benefit from the important 
lessons they have to teach.
  Mr. Speaker, let me close by urging my colleagues and all Americans 
to embrace the opportunities provided by the celebration of Black 
History Month. This is a chance to educate a new generation about the 
experiences and contributions of African-Americans. This is an 
opportunity to pay tribute to the prominent African-Americans who have 
given so much to this country throughout its history. And perhaps most 
importantly, this month should serve as a somber reminder of a grim 
history of hundreds of years of slavery. Let us never forget what came 
before and let us never cease our efforts to rid this great nation of 
the racial discrimination that has for so long been used to justify it.

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