[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 25 (Wednesday, February 28, 2001)]
[Senate]
[Pages S1678-S1682]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
BLACK HISTORY MONTH
Mr. DASCHLE. Mr. President, I rise today to recognize the celebration
of Black History month. It began in the 1920's when Dr. Carter G.
Woodson, a historian and educator, proposed the idea of creating
``Negro History Week'' during the second week of February to
commemorate the history and achievements of the black community. He
chose this week to honor the birthdays of Abraham Lincoln and Frederick
Douglass, both of whom had a great impact on the lives of African
Americans across the country. Since 1976, we have dedicated the entire
month of February to celebrating the contributions of African Americans
throughout our Nation's history.
Today, African Americans represent about 13 percent of our total
population, and they greatly contribute to the increasingly dynamic
cultural tapestry of America. Over the years, they have actively shaped
the future of our country in the roles of teachers, parents, judges,
doctors, lawyers, religious leaders, and factory workers.
Although the African American population of my home State is smaller
than most, the cultural heritage of South Dakota has been enriched by
our African American community.
I am proud to tell you about Oscar Micheaux, the first African
American to produce a feature-length film, as well as the first African
American to break the ``sound barrier'' with a ``talkie'' motion
picture, the earliest form of film with sound. Born to freed slaves in
1884, Micheaux grew up in Illinois as one of 11 children, before he
moved to South Dakota to become a farmer. It was on the South Dakota
prairie that he began to write, publish, and sell his first novels.
At a time when blacks were not welcome in the film industry, Micheaux
started his own company, where he wrote, directed, and produced at
least 43 movies during the course of his life. He dealt with such
controversial subjects as white-on-black crime, intra-racial
discrimination, and lynching. In 1919, he released ``The Homesteader,''
a movie based on his autobiographical book that describes his
experiences on the South Dakota plains. This became the first feature
length film produced by an African American.
Because Hollywood discriminated against blacks, Micheaux was forced
to do all of the work for his films independently. He was responsible
for not only producing, but distributing his films which were only
viewed in segregated black theaters. Some of his films that addressed
issues like real estate discrimination and inter-racial relationships
were censored and confiscated for being too ``controversial.'' Despite
facing discrimination, Micheaux paved the way for blacks in the film
industry.
Micheaux is revered by such entertainment industry figures as Spike
Lee, Robert Townsend, Tim Reid, and Carl Franklin. South Dakota holds
an annual film festival in Micheaux's honor. A true pioneer in every
sense, he is a hero to all Americans who have a dream.
I salute this accomplished, self-made man. His achievements serve as
a wonderful example of how barriers can be overcome and how dreams can
be attained. Micheaux and other figures in the African American
community remind us of the difference an individual can make to the
Nation, and that dreams can still be attained, even in the face of
adversity. Micheaux's life encompasses Dr. King's vision when he said
that he had a dream that ``. . . children will one day live in a Nation
where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the
content of their character.''
We are still working today to realize this dream. Black History Month
not only celebrates the individual achievements of the African American
community, but reminds us all that we need to come together as a
greater community to ensure that everyone has equal rights, freedoms,
and the resources to achieve their dreams.
Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, I rise today in recognition, honor and
celebration of Black History Month. This year's theme is ``Creating and
Defining the African-American Community: Family, Church, Politics and
Culture.'' We should use the forum this month to educate all Americans
that African-American history is American history. African-Americans
have played a key role in shaping America by their known and untold
contributions to science, art, education, politics, commerce and
culture.
Dr. Carter G. Woodson is the founder of Black History Week which has
expanded to Black History Month. Dr. Woodson, the son of slaves,
realized that the rich and detailed history of African-Americans was in
danger of fading to obscurity, so he became an impassioned teacher and
advocate of African-American history, and created some of the first
courses and textbooks devoted to this topic. He also founded what is
now known as the Association for the Study of African-American Life and
History. A firm believer in the importance of education, he studied at
Harvard, the Sorbonne in Paris and the University of Chicago. Dr.
Woodson was also Dean at Howard University in Washington DC.
Black History Month gives Americans an opportunity not only to learn
of great African-American leaders like Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., but
also to learn of lesser known African-Americans who have played key
roles in molding our great country. For instance, most Americans do not
know that Jean Baptist Pointe DuSable
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founded the city of Chicago. Mr. DuSable was born in 1745 in Haiti to a
white French sea captain and a black former slave. After his mother's
death, Mr. DuSable went to France with his father to be educated and at
the age of 20 sailed to America. Eventually, Mr. DuSable settled in
what would become the great State of Illinois and became a fur trader.
In 1779, Mr. DuSable built a trading post in a location that the
Indians called Eschikcago or ``place of smelly waters.'' The trading
post eventually developed into the settlement now know as Chicago.
Similarly, Lewis Howard Latimer made great contributions to society.
Mr. Latimer perfected Thomas Edison's invention of the electric light
bulb by creating the carbon filament light bulb. Mr. Latimer was the
sole African-American member of Edison's team of inventors. His 1881
creation of the carbon filament light bulb alleviated the electric
light bulb's design flaws of a short life span and a tendency to
shatter when becoming too hot.
In addition, African-Americans like Daniel Hale Williams have
accomplished astounding breakthroughs in the medical field. One night a
deliveryman, who had been stabbed in the heart, was rushed into the
emergency room at Chicago's Provident Hospital. Dr. Williams decided to
open the man's chest and operate. He successfully repaired the torn
tissue in the man's heart and completed the operation. Dr. Williams
made history that night as the first doctor to perform open-heart
surgery. His patient went on to live for another 20 years.
Dr. Charles Richard Drew also made contributions that revolutionized
the medical field. Dr. Drew was a world-renowned surgeon, medical
assistant and educator. He transformed the practice of medicine by
creating a way to preserve blood. Dr. Drew also created the first blood
bank and developed a way to efficiently store blood plasma.
While most American know of the courageous story of Rosa Parks, not
as many are aware of the bravery of her predecessor, Ida B. Wells-
Barnett. Ms. Wells-Barnett was a school teacher who refused to give up
her seat on a Memphis-bound train. After being physically forced out of
her seat, Ms. Wells-Barnett brought a suit against the railroad for
their actions, and won. Later, however, the State court overruled the
decision of the circuit court. Ida Wells went on to become an
influential journalist. She moved to Chicago at the turn of the century
and worked tirelessly to fight against the horrible scourge of
lynching, and to fight for fair treatment of African-Americans. The
Chicago Housing Authority named one of its first housing developments
the Ida B. Wells Homes, and in 1990, the U.S. Postal Service honored
her life's work by issuing the Ida B. Wells stamp.
I am pleased to be able to speak today about the accomplishments of
these great Americans. Black History Month can help us look back and
recognize the great obstacles African- Americans have overcome. It can
also help us look ahead and recognize the great obstacles that still
hinder African-Americans today.
The disenfranchisement of thousands of African-American citizens in
Florida this past election year clearly illustrates this point. Instead
of being proud that they participated in the democratic process, many
African-Americans were outraged because their voices were silenced.
Their votes did not count. A disproportionate number of the invalidated
votes cast for President in South Florida were from African-American
and Caribbean communities. In all, an astounding one third, 22,807, of
the rejected ballots were cast in predominantly black areas.
Many African-Americans rightfully believe their disenfranchisement
resulted from the use of antiquated voting equipment. Analysis of the
Florida election plainly shows that Americans who voted in areas that
utilized punch card ballots had a much greater chance that their vote
would be invalidated than those who voted in areas that utilized more
modern equipment. In this great democracy, it is unacceptable that
thousands of legally qualified voters were disenfranchised because of
obsolete voting machinery.
Unfortunately, this problem was not limited to Florida. In Fulton
County, GA, a community with a large African-American population,
punch-card voting equipment was used which resulted in one out of every
16 votes cast for President being invalidated. However, Fulton's
neighbors, two largely white counties, utilized more modern equipment
which resulted in only one in every 200 votes cast for President being
invalidated.
Even my home State of Illinois was plagued with problems stemming
from outdated voting equipment, especially in largely African-American
communities. For instance, in Chicago, one out of every six votes cast
for President was invalidated while almost none of the votes in some of
the city's outer suburbs were rejected. This indefensible disparity is
one of the reasons that I am proud to cosponsor the Federal Election
Modernization Act of 2001. This Act will supply funding to States to
help replace obsolete voting equipment. I personally believe the price
to equip every voting precinct in the country with user-friendly and
reliable mechanism to cast and count ballots is well worth it. The
millions of dollars in estimated costs to ensure accuracy pale when
compared to the value of protecting each individual's right to vote and
the price paid by those who fought and gave their lives to secure this
right.
As Americans, we must realize that even though discrimination is
legally eradicated from American society, vestiges of the decades of
discrimination still remain today. We need only look at the voting
difficulties that plagued African-Americans in the 2000 election to
demonstrate this point. If America is ever to achieve its full
potential, we must acknowledge, address and eliminate the obstacles
that African-Americans face not only during Black History Month, but
every day.
Mrs. CARNAHAN. Mr. President, every February, our Nation pauses to
recognize the tremendous contributions of African-Americans to the
history of our Nation. In 1926, Dr. Carter G. Woodson established Negro
History Week because he saw that most of the contributions African-
Americans had made to American culture and industry were being ignored
by historians.
We have come a long way since 1926. More and more of our history
books acknowledge the contributions of African-Americans. Our schools
have made it part of their curriculum, libraries and museums create
exhibits, and our celebration of African-American history has been
expanded to an entire month.
But we still have a long way to go.
We need African-American History Month because many people don't know
about African-American heroes like Crispus Attucks, who led the Boston
uprising in 1770 and became the first casualty of the American
Revolution. Equally forgotten are African-American inventors like
Garrett Morgan, who developed the traffic light and gas mask.
These Americans have added to the richness and greatness of our
country. It is appropriate that as we stand in our Nation's Capitol, a
structure which was built by the back-breaking labor of both free and
slave African-Americans, we talk about the contributions African-
Americans have made to this country's history and to its future.
I want to take a moment to focus on the contributions of Missourians.
Any Missourian can name George Washington Carver's most famous
invention, peanut butter, but few realize the role Carver played in the
agricultural revolution that occurred in the South in the early 1900's.
Carver's work to wean the South from its single-crop cultivation of
cotton and his development of commercial uses for alternate crops like
peanuts and sweet potatoes helped modernize Southern agriculture,
paving the way for a better life for the entire South.
Scott Joplin led a revolution of a different kind. While living in
Sedalia, MO he created a blend of classical and folk music that took
America by storm. Ragtime, as his style came to be called, has become
America's unique contribution to classical music and is a driving force
behind jazz and blues.
In literature, Missourians are proud of the heritage of Langston
Hughes of Joplin, Missouri. One of the major American writers of the
20th century, Hughes was a poet, novelist, editor, playwright, and
journalist.
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Another African-American Missourian became famous not only as an
inventor but also as the most outstanding jockey of his time. Tom Bass,
of Mexico, MO trained some of the finest race and show horses of his
day. At the peak of his career he rode in the Inauguration of President
Grover Cleveland and gave a command performance before Queen Victoria.
In addition to being a famous jockey, he invented the ``Bass bit''
which is still used today.
Missouri has borne some notable civil rights leaders as well. Perhaps
the most prominent of them is Roy Wilkins. Wilkins served as executive
director of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored
People from 1955-1977. Appointed during the most turbulent era in the
civil rights movement, Wilkins kept the NAACP on the path of
nonviolence and rejected racism in all forms. His leadership and
devotion to the principle of nonviolence earned him the reputation of a
senior statesman in the Civil Rights Movement.
All of these great Missourians, and others too numerous to mention,
struggled against bigotry and violence, but each showed, through their
natural talents, that racism was not just wrong, but un-American. So it
is fitting that we take this month to learn more about the history of
African-Americans in this country, and recognize the contributions of
African-Americans to our great Nation.
Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, February is Black History Month. For the
last several years I have worked with other Senators and the
Administration to help make history by breaking down the remaining
vestiges of barriers to African-Americans and other minorities and
women on the Federal courts around the country. We have had a number of
successes in that regard over the last few years. I recall, in
particular, the confirmations of Judge Sonia Sotomayor to the Second
Circuit, Judge Julio Fuentes to the Third Circuit, Judge Eric Clay to
the Sixth Circuit, Judge Ann Williams to the Seventh Circuit, Judges
Richard Paez, Marsha Berzon, Johnnie Rawlinson, Kim Wardlaw and
Margaret McKeown to the Ninth Circuit, Judge Charles Wilson to the
Eleventh Circuit and a number of others.
Many took too long. Many were delayed by anonymous holds. Many other
outstanding nominees were never accorded a hearing, a Committee vote or
a vote by the United States Senate. One of my greatest regrets during
my service in the Senate was the Republican caucus vote against Judge
Ronnie White in 1999. I was glad to be able to provide him with the
opportunity to testify and correct the record and clear his reputation
and good name in the course of confirmation hearings on the Attorney
General nomination in January.
As important as it is to remember our history, it is also important
to make progress and add to that history. We continue to have the
opportunity to do that here in the United States Senate. On January 3,
2001, President Clinton renominated Roger Gregory to serve on the
United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit. Even though the
Fourth Circuit, covering Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina,
Virginia, and West Virginia, contains the largest African-American
population of any circuit in this country, it had never had an African-
American appellate judge.
Last December, during an extended congressional recess, the President
exercised his constitutional power to make recess appointments and
appointed Roger Gregory to the Fourth Circuit.
In early January, when the Senate convened to begin this new season,
the President resubmitted Judge Gregory's nomination to us.
In the ensuing weeks, the new President has seen fit to leave that
nomination before the Senate for our consideration and action. Both
Senator Warner and Senator Allen support this nomination. Last year
Senator Robb also strongly supported it.
Senator Warner, Senator Allen, Senator Robb and Senator Edwards and
others have all spoken in the last several months in support of the
confirmation of Roger Gregory. Now it is time for the Senate to step up
to the challenge and act on Judge Gregory's nomination to a full,
lifetime appointment to that important judicial position.
Mr. Gregory was not the first African-American nominated to the
Fourth Circuit. President Clinton nominated four qualified African-
Americans to the Fourth Circuit: Judge James Beatty, of North Carolina
was nominated in December 1995, and re-nominated in January 1997; Judge
James Wynn, of North Carolina, was nominated in August 1999; Roger
Gregory was nominated in June 2000; and Judge Andre Davis was nominated
in October 2000. None of these exceptional candidates ever received a
Judiciary Committee hearing, let alone a vote on the Senate floor.
Senator Allen, in one of his first speeches on the Senate floor, came
here to talk about Roger Gregory's qualifications, and the importance
of acting in a bipartisan way to confirm him. Here is what Senator
Allen said:
[I]t is my belief that in Roger Gregory, the Fourth
Circuit--and, indeed, America--has a well-respected and
honorable jurist who will administer justice with integrity
and dignity. He will, in my judgment, decide cases based upon
and in adherence to duly adopted laws and the Constitution. I
respectfully urge my colleagues and the administration to
join me in supporting Judge Gregory.
Senator John Warner joined the discussion, rising to say that he
agreed with what Senator Allen had said on the need to confirm Roger
Gregory. As reflected in letters that Senator Warner shared with the
Senate, he and Senator Allen have written to Senator Hatch and to
President Bush urging that Judge Gregory receive a hearing and be
confirmed. I commend them for their commitment to this nomination.
Roger Gregory was an outstanding lawyer, and he will be an
exceptionally good judge on the Fourth Circuit. From Richmond,
Virginia, Judge Gregory was the first in his family to finish high
school. After college and law school, he returned to be a professor at
a school where his mother had worked as a maid. He entered private
practice, and later founded his own, highly-respected law firm in
Richmond, where he handled a wide variety of complex litigation matters
in State and Federal court for individual and corporate clients. Roger
Gregory built a reputation as a seasoned litigator and widely respected
member of his community.
Judge Gregory's recess appointment as the first African-American
judge on the Fourth Circuit also places him firmly in a tradition of
using such appointments to bring diversity to the federal bench. Four
of the five first African-American appellate judges were recess
appointed to their first positions as Federal judges. That includes the
appointment of William Henry Hastie as the first African-American on
the Federal bench by President Harry Truman in 1949. Not long after
that appointment, a little over 51 years ago, the Senate confirmed
Judge Hastie, showing itself to be, as I have said many times, the
conscience of the Nation.
The roster of trailblazing African-American recess-appointees also
includes President John Kennedy's 1961 appointment of Thurgood Marshall
to the Second Circuit Court of Appeals; Spottswood Robinson to the D.C.
Circuit; and President Lyndon Johnson's 1964 appointment of Leon
Higginbotham to the Third Circuit. Other well-known and well-respected
judges to be appointed during a recess are: Judge David Bazelon to the
D.C. Circuit; Judge Augustus N. Hand to the Second Circuit; Judge
Griffin Bell of the Fifth Circuit; and Supreme Court Justices William
Brennan and Earl Warren.
Today, during the month of February, Black History Month, I come to
the Senate floor to call on my colleagues to once again shine as the
conscience of the nation, and move quickly toward making Roger
Gregory's lifetime appointment to the Fourth Circuit. He is eminently
qualified to sit on the court, he has received praise for his integrity
and legal talent, and he has been strongly endorsed by both of his home
state Senators.
Roger Gregory should be given a hearing before the Judiciary
Committee without further delay. In deference to the position that
President Bush took during the campaign, the Senate should act on this
nomination in the next couple of weeks. The excuse from last year, that
his nomination in June came too late in the year for Senate action, is
inapplicable now. Let his be the first judicial nomination to
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come before the Committee and the Senate this year. His papers have
long since been submitted to the Committee--we have had them in hand
for eight months now. There can be no reason not to commit today,
during this month when we honor the achievements and contributions of
African-Americans, to move Roger Gregory swiftly to a hearing, through
the Committee and then on to the Senate floor for a full Senate vote.
After all of the delays meted out to the previous African-American
nominees to the Fourth Circuit, the Senate has another chance to make
history. As history has been made in so many other occasions for
African-American judges, let us not squander this opportunity to make
Roger Gregory the first African-American to be confirmed by the United
States Senate to the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals.
Mr. LEVIN. Mr. President, I am very pleased to commemorate African
American History Month. Each year, doing the month of February, we
remember and reflect on the rich and extraordinary achievements of
African Americans. We also remember and reflect on the suffering,
degradation and brutality of slavery, which cannot be repaired, but the
memory can serve to ensure that no such inhumanity is ever perpetrated
again on American soil.
We remember and celebrate the brave and determined African American
conductors of the Underground Railroad, like Harriet Tubman. In 1849,
Tubman escaped from the Eastern Shore of Maryland and became known as
``Moses'' to her people when she made 19 trips to the South and helped
deliver at least 300 fellow captives to liberation. We remember and
celebrate John Parker of Ripley, Ohio who frequently ventured to
Kentucky and Virginia to help transport by boat hundreds of runaway
slaves across the Ohio River; and William Still, Robert Purvis and
David Ruggles who in the 1830s organized and stationed vigilance
committees throughout the North to help guide slaves to freedom
destinations. And we remember and celebrate James Fairfield, who went
into the deep South and rescued enslaved African Americans by posing as
a slave trader, risking his life and property. We remember and
celebrate the City of Detroit in my home state of Michigan where the
Underground Railroad assisted over 40,000 slaves in reaching freedom in
Canada.
Let us not forget, that we celebrate African American History Month
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 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.
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.
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 etched 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.
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.
Truth continued to live in New York and became strongly involved in
religion. In 1843, in an act of religious faith, she 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, MI. 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.
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 five years ago in Montgomery, AL 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. Prompted by unceasing threats on their lives and persistent
harassment, Rosa Parks' and her husband moved to Detroit in 1957 where
Parks' brother resided.
Rosa Parks' arrest in Alabama 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.
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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.
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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