[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 19 (Monday, February 28, 2000)]
[Senate]
[Pages S892-S893]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS

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                     AFRICAN AMERICAN HISTORY MONTH

 Mr. LEVIN. Mr. President, every February nationwide we 
celebrate African American History Month. We do so because in 1926, Dr. 
Carter G. Woodson, son of former slaves, proposed such a recognition as 
a way of preserving the history of the Negro and recognizing the 
enormous contributions of a people of great strength, dignity, faith 
and conviction--a people who rendered their achievements for the 
betterment and advancement of a Nation once lacking in humanity towards 
them. Throughout the Nation, we celebrate the many important 
contributions African Americans have made in all facets of American 
life.
  Lerone Bennett, editor, writer and lecturer recently reflected on the 
life and times of Dr. Woodson. In an article he wrote earlier this 
month for Johnson's Publications, Bennett tells us that one of the most 
inspiring and instructive stories in African American history is the 
story of Woodson's struggle and rise from the coal mines of West 
Virginia to the summit of academic achievement:

       At 17, the young man who was called by history to reveal 
     Black history was an untutored coal miner. At 19, after 
     teaching himself the fundamentals of English and arithmetic, 
     he entered high school and mastered the four-year curriculum 
     in less than two years. At 22, after two-thirds of a year at 
     Berea College [in Kentucky], he returned to the coal mines 
     and studied Latin and Greek between trips to the mine shafts. 
     He then went on to the University of Chicago, where he 
     received bachelor's and master's degrees, and Harvard 
     University, where he became the second Black to receive a 
     doctorate in history. The rest is history--Black history.


[[Page S893]]


  Mr. President, in keeping with the spirit and the vision of Dr. 
Carter G. Woodson, I would like to pay tribute to two courageous women, 
claimed by my home state of Michigan, who played significant roles in 
addressing American injustice and inequality. These are two women of 
different times who would change the course of history.
  Mr. President, Sojourner Truth, who helped lead our country out of 
the dark days of slavery, and Rosa Parks, whose dignified leadership 
sparked the Montgomery Bus Boycott and the start of the Civil Rights 
movement are indelibly echoed in the chronicle of not only the history 
of this Nation, but are viewed with distinction and admiration 
throughout the world.
  Sojourner Truth, though unable to read or write, was considered one 
of the most eloquent and noted spokespersons of her day on the 
inhumanity and immorality of slavery. She was a leader in the 
abolitionist movement, and a ground breaking speaker on behalf of 
equality for women. Michigan recently honored her with the dedication 
of the Sojourner Truth Memorial Monument, which was unveiled in Battle 
Creek, Michigan on September 25, 1999. I commend Dr. Velma Laws-Clay 
who headed the Monument Steering Committee and Sculptor Tina Allen for 
making their dream, a true monument to Sojourner Truth, a reality.
  Mr. President, Sojourner Truth had an extraordinary life. She was 
born Isabella Baumfree in 1797, served as a slave under several 
different masters, and was eventually freed in 1828 when New York state 
outlawed slavery. She continued to live in New York and became strongly 
involved in religion. In 1843, Baumfree, in response to a command from 
God, changed her name to Sojourner Truth and dedicated her life to 
traveling and lecturing. She began her migration West in 1850, where 
she shared the stage with other abolitionist leaders such as Frederick 
Douglass.
  In 1851, Sojourner Truth delivered her famous ``Ain't I a Woman?'' 
speech at the Women's Convention in Akron, Ohio. In the speech, Truth 
attacked both racism and sexism. Truth made her case for equality in 
plain-spoken English when she said,

       Then that little man in black there, he says women can't 
     have as much rights as men, cause Christ wasn't a woman? 
     Where did your Christ come from? Where did your Christ come 
     from? From God and a woman! Man had nothing to do with Him.

  By the mid-1850s, Truth had settled in Battle Creek, Michigan. She 
continued to travel and speak out for equality. During the Civil War, 
Truth traveled throughout Michigan, gathering food and clothing for 
Negro volunteer regiments. Truth's travels during the war eventually 
led her to a meeting with President Abraham Lincoln in 1864, at which 
she presented her ideas on assisting freed slaves. Truth remained in 
Washington, D.C. for several years, helping slaves who had fled from 
the South and appearing at women's suffrage gatherings. Due to bad 
health, Sojourner Truth returned to Battle Creek in 1875, and remained 
there until her death in 1883. Sojourner Truth spoke from her heart 
about the most troubling issues of her time. A testament to Truth's 
convictions is that her words continue to speak to us today.
  Mr. President, on May 4, 1999 legislation was enacted which 
authorized the President of the United States to award the 
Congressional Gold Medal to Rosa Parks. The Congressional Gold Medal 
was presented to Rosa Parks on June 15, 1999 during an elaborate 
ceremony in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda. I was pleased to cosponsor this 
fitting tribute to Rosa Parks--the gentle warrior who decided that she 
would no longer tolerate the humiliation and demoralization of racial 
segregation on a bus. Her personal bravery and self-sacrifice are 
remembered with reverence and respect by us all.
  Forty four years ago in Montgomery, Alabama the modern civil rights 
movement began when Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat and move to 
the back of the bus. The strength and spirit of this courageous woman 
captured the consciousness of not only the American people but the 
entire world.
  My home state of Michigan proudly claims Rosa Parks as one of our 
own. Rosa Parks and her husband made the journey to Michigan in 1957. 
Unceasing threats on their lives and persistent harassment by phone 
prompted the move to Detroit where Rosa Parks's brother resided.
  Rosa Parks' arrest for violating the city's segregation laws was the 
catalyst for the Montgomery bus boycott. Her stand on that December day 
in 1955 was not an isolated incident but part of a lifetime of struggle 
for equality and justice. For instance, twelve years earlier, in 1943, 
Rosa Parks had been arrested for violating another one of the city's 
bus related segregation laws, which required African Americans to pay 
their fares at the front of the bus then get off of the bus and re-
board from the rear of the bus. The driver of that bus was the same 
driver with whom Rosa Parks would have her confrontation 12 years 
later.
  The rest is history--the boycott which Rosa Parks began was the 
beginning of an American revolution that elevated the status of African 
Americans nationwide and introduced to the world a young leader who 
would one day have a national holiday declared in his honor, the 
Reverend Martin Luther King Jr.
  Mr. President, we have come a long way toward achieving justice and 
equality for all. But we still have work to do. In the names of Rosa 
Parks, Sojourner Truth, Dr. Carter G. Woodson, Dr. Martin Luther King, 
Jr., and many others, let us rededicate ourselves to continuing the 
struggle on Civil Rights and to human rights.

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