[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 15 (Wednesday, February 25, 1998)]
[Senate]
[Page S1029]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        TRIBUTE TO JUANITA YATES

 Mr. CLELAND. Mr. President, it was my pleasure recently to 
attend worship services at the Riverside Baptist Church here in 
Washington, D.C. It was a blessing to me that I attended services on 
the Sunday in which the sermon and lay message related to the church's 
observance of Black History Month.
  I was particularly impressed by the lay message of Ms. Juanita Yates, 
a Riverside parishioner who is the sister of the Reverend Ronald Yates 
of Marietta, Georgia. Ms. Yates is a distinguished civil servant with 
the Food and Drug Administration.
  This sermon reminded us all of the African American men and women who 
have had such a profound impact on American culture. Black History 
Month is a celebration of their contributions and accomplishments that 
have informed us, educated us, inspired us, challenged us and have made 
us all proud.
  As we honor the contributions of African Americans during Black 
History Month, we should all celebrate America's rich diversity and 
many accomplishments.
  I believe Ms. Yates has a message that is important for all 
Americans, and I ask that her remarks from that Sunday morning be 
printed in the Record.
  The remarks follow:

                          Black History Month

                           (By Juanita Yates)

       As we begin our celebration of Black History Month, it's 
     wonderful to have our young people actively participate in 
     this morning's service. We certainly pay tribute to our 
     leaders of the past:
       Thurgood Marshall, who argued the Brown vs. Board of 
     Education of Topeka, Kansas case before the Supreme Court. 
     The Court proclaimed that segregation in public schools was 
     unconstitutional; Rosa Parks, whose defiance led to the year-
     long Montgomery Bus Boycott; Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., who 
     became the leader of the Civil Rights Movement and whose 
     birthday we celebrated last month with a national holiday; 
     and the countless others whose actions have led to a better 
     life for African Americans.
       But we must also recognize the contributions of young 
     people. More than any other social movement in American 
     history, the Civil Rights Crusade of the 1960's was driven by 
     young people who marched, demonstrated, and walked through 
     white mobs to attend newly desegregated schools. Young people 
     sat-in, road buses, were jailed and were even killed.
       A few weeks ago, the story of Ruby Bridges was shown on 
     television. She was the 6-year-old who walked pass a white 
     mob for a year to successfully integrate the New Orleans 
     public schools.
       A few months ago, Spike Lee released a documentary of the 
     ``4 Little Girls,'' who were killed in the bombing of the 
     16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, AL. That 
     documentary first aired in theaters around the country. It 
     will be shown on HBO this month.
       I believe that it was the television sights and sounds of 
     America's children being beaten with batons, hosed down, 
     attacked by dogs, jailed and killed that ultimately caught 
     the attention and sparked the outrage of the American people. 
     So, it is altogether fitting and proper that our young people 
     are taking part in this celebration.
       During the month we will hear great music--beautiful 
     spirituals and gospels--music unique to the African American 
     experience. And I'm looking forward to enjoying it.
       We can also expect to see film clips, documentaries, and 
     photography that chronicle the plight of African Americans in 
     this country. The Smithsonian's National Museum of American 
     History currently has a very moving exhibit entitled, ``We 
     Shall Overcome: Photographs From the American Civil Rights 
     Era.'' It runs through February 8 and is well worth seeing.
       The music, film clips and photographs are all wonderful 
     treasures. But it is through the literature--the prose and 
     verse--that I believe we are most able to see the pain and 
     suffering, problems, fears, struggles, faith, hopes and 
     dreams of our ancestors.
       The writers of yesterday poured out their innermost 
     thoughts and left us an extraordinary body of work. The 
     writers of today articulate our frustrations and pride as a 
     people. Of the wonderful writers of by-gone years, Langston 
     Hughes was unique. He wrote 9 full-length plays, 10 books of 
     poetry, 9 books of fiction, 9 juvenile books, and 2 
     autobiographies.
       My favorite Hughes poem, ``I Too, Sing America,'' shows 
     determination not to stay in the corner that an individual or 
     country want to put you in. But you must prepare yourself to 
     move forward.

                          I, Too, Sing America

     I was the darker brother,
     They send me to eat in the kitchen when company comes.
     But I laugh and eat well and grow strong.
     Tomorrow I will eat at the table when company comes.
     Nobody will dare say to me, eat in the kitchen then.
     For they will see how beautiful I am and be ashamed.
     I, too, am America.

       All America is enriched by the tremendous body of work from 
     African American writers like: W.E.B. Dubois: ``The Souls of 
     Black Folks''; Lorraine Hansberry: ``A Raisen In the Sun''; 
     James Baldwin: ``The Fire Next Time,'' and ``Notes From A 
     Native Son''; Shirley Chrisholm: ``Unbought and Unbossed''; 
     Price Cobbs: ``Black Rage''; Angela Davis: ``Autobiography''; 
     Samuel Yette: ``The Choice: The Issue of Black Survival In 
     America''; Alex Haley: ``Roots'' and ``The Autobiography of 
     Malcolm X''; Toni Morrison: ``Beloved''; Maya Angelou: ``I 
     know Why the Caged Bird Sings''; Bell Hooks: ``Killing Rage: 
     Ending Racism In America.''
       And one of the most eloquent writers of them all, Dr. 
     Martin Luther King, Jr. In his ``Letter From the Birmingham 
     Jail,'' King wrote: ``For years now, I have heard the word, 
     Wait. It rings in the ear of every Negro with piercing 
     familiarity. This wait has almost always meant, Never. We 
     must come to see with one of our distinguished jurist that, 
     ``Justice too long delayed is justice denied.''
       African Americans have taken part in building this country 
     and have often gone unnoticed. But yet, we have come a long 
     way in making unforgettable marks in history.
       We pay tribute this month to our brothers and sisters who 
     have had such a profound impact on American culture. We thank 
     God for them and for their body of work which informs us, 
     educates us, inspires us, challenges us and makes us proud. 
     Their writings should awaken in all of us the very best 
     qualities of the American spirit.
       In his State of the Union address last week, President 
     Clinton discussed his National Initiative on Race designed to 
     help us recognize our common humanity and interests. As we 
     come together during February to recognize and honor the 
     contributions of African Americans, we should all celebrate 
     America's rich diversity.
       ``We are many, we must be one.''

                          ____________________