[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 20 (Tuesday, February 29, 2000)]
[Senate]
[Page S926]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                          BLACK HISTORY MONTH

  Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, during the Civil Rights movement, Dr. 
Carter G. Woodson's idea of a Negro History Week honoring the 
achievements of African Americans was extended to the entire month of 
February.
  I rise today as a Senator from the state with the largest population 
of African Americans in the United States to speak on behalf of this 
year's Black History Month theme ``Heritage and Horizons.'' Harlem, New 
York was the center of a 1930's Renaissance period. It attracted 
aspiring individuals from across the country and the world. It is also 
the birthplace of renowned African Americans who have excelled in the 
areas of politics and business, arts and entertainment, athletics and 
activism.
  Since the expansion of the Negro History Week to Black History Month, 
countless African Americans continue to amass accomplishments and 
shatter barriers worthy of multiple months of tribute. Many of us know 
of the great strides made by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Frederick 
Douglas, Booker T. Washington, W. E. B. DuBois, Ida B. Wells, and Rosa 
Parks. Many of the Members in this chamber have worked alongside 
Shirley Chisholm, Thurgood Marshall Sr., Charles Rangel, Clifford 
Alexander, Jr., and Colin Powell.
  African Americans from New York have been pioneers in many different 
fields. In 1981, Pam McAllister Johnson was named publisher of 
Gannett's Ithaca (NY) Journal, making her the first African American 
woman to head a general circulation newspaper in the United States. In 
June 1995, Dr. Lonnie Bristow, a Harlem native, became the first 
African American appointed as president of the American Medical 
Association. American Express announced in February 1997 that Kenneth 
Chenault was named president and heir apparent to the position of CEO, 
making the Long Island native the highest-ranking African American 
executive in corporate America.
  Art Hardwick, husband of Shirley Chisholm, won the 1962 State 
Assembly race becoming the first African American to represent Western 
New York. In 1971, Carmel C. Marr became the first woman of any race to 
serve as Commissioner of the New York State Public Service Commission. 
Harry Belafonte, a Harlem native, was recently honored at the Grammy's 
for his lifetime contributions as an actor and entertainer. Denzel 
Washington, born and raised in Mount Vernon, recently won a Golden 
Globe for his role in the movie Hurricane. The critically acclaimed 
author of The Women of Brewster Place, Gloria Naylor, hails from 
Queens, New York.
  In 1957, New York City native Althea Gibson was the first African 
American woman to compete and win at the Wimbledon and Forest Hills. 
The following year, she repeated as the Wimbledon and U.S. National 
Tennis Champion. Former NBA coach and Brooklyn native, Lenny Wilkins, 
was voted into the Basketball Hall of Fame for holding the NBA record 
for the most regular season victories by a coach.
  Almost 70 years after the Renaissance began, New York continues to be 
the place where African American innovators and pioneers distinguish 
themselves, thereby continuing the Renaissance and enhancing our 
country.

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