[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 25 (Wednesday, February 28, 2001)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E245]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


                          BLACK HISTORY MONTH

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                            HON. ALLEN BOYD

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, February 28, 2001

  Mr. BOYD. Mr. Speaker, the month of February is known as ``Black 
History Month.'' It celebrates, not only the black race, but also the 
spirit and contributions of African-American culture.
  The beauty and strength of America is rooted in her people. Each 
ethnicity contributes to the diverse patchwork that is our nation. I 
find it particularly important that we recognize the history of black 
Americans during the month of February. From the egregious stories of 
abduction that brought so many ancestors to this nation, to Jackie 
Robinson tearing down the barriers of color in Major League Baseball, 
the story of black America, with its' highs and lows, is one that 
should be revived and remembered.
  As Black History Month in the year 2001 comes to a close, I embrace 
the future with a stronger knowledge of the past and look forward to 
the day Dr. Martin Luther King dreamed of ``when all of God's children, 
black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, 
will be able to Join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro 
spiritual, `Free at last! Free at last! Thank God almighty, we are free 
at last!' ''

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