[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 12 (Tuesday, February 12, 2002)]
[Senate]
[Pages S655-S656]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                MINNESOTA CELEBRATES BLACK HISTORY MONTH

  Mr. DAYTON. Mr. President, February is a very special month for 
people in Minnesota and throughout our country. It is ``Black History 
Month,'' when all of us recognize the many outstanding achievements of 
African-Americans and their important contributions to our nation. We 
also honor the African-American men and women who achieved these 
successes despite obstacles which would have defeated lesser people.
  In 1926, Carter Woodson, considered by many to be the ``Father of 
Black History,'' created Negro History Week. It evolved into Black 
History Week in the early 1970s. In 1976, February was chosen to be 
Black History Month, because it included the birthdays of Frederick 
Douglass and Abraham Lincoln, both of whom made heroic contributions to 
the lives of African-Americans in this country.
  So throughout this month, let us celebrate the accomplishments of so 
many African-American heroes. They dared to take risks to ensure a 
better way of life for all people, and the results of their courageous 
acts have been felt around the world.
  Though we have come a long way in our battle for equal rights for all 
Americans, there is still much to be done. We must be bolder in our 
efforts to ensure that Americans of every race have every opportunity 
to share in and contribute to our economic prosperity. That means 
quality education and health care and adequate housing for all 
Americans. It means a good job with living wages, so that everyone can 
earn the American dream. And it means that our tax and budget policies 
must spread their benefits across all social and economic lines.
  We must intensify our push toward a justice system that is color 
blind in enacting and enforcing our laws. Hate crimes, prejudice, 
racial profiling, and discrimination must be eliminated now and 
forever.
  We must continue to honor the people who have shaped our society and 
also recognize the work of today's leaders who endeavor to continue 
that crusade for equality. Minnesota takes great pride in the African-
Americans who have made our State and our country a better place. Their 
achievements abound throughout public service, the arts, sports, and 
academia.
  Sharon Sayles-Belton has just completed two terms as the Mayor of 
Minneapolis. Throughout her eight years, she provided extraordinary 
leadership. Her many accomplishments have left Minneapolis a better 
City than when she took office, and they will be her lasting legacies 
for many years to come.
  Sharon exemplifies the highest caliber of dedicated public service, 
which has been a great Minnesota tradition. As a very successful and 
visible African-American woman, she served as a role model for many 
girls and young women in the City. And her compassion for others, her 
steadfast resolve, and her effective leadership are models for all of 
us.
  Mahmoud El Kati, professor of African-American Studies at Macalester 
College in St. Paul, teaches courses such as ``The Black Experience 
Since World War II'' and ``Sports and the African-American Community.'' 
He is a frequent contributor to the opinion pages of both Twin Cities 
newspapers as well as the local Black press, and he speaks candidly 
about African-American society today. Most recently, El Kati has 
campaigned to name a street in St. Paul after Dr. Martin Luther King, 
Jr.
  Evelyn Fairbanks, a St. Paul native who died last year, was a 
Renaissance woman. She became the first Black employee at St. Paul's 
Hamline University, as a cashier. She wrote a memoir, ``The Days of 
Rondo'', which portrays her experiences growing up in the Rondo 
community, the largest Black neighborhood in St. Paul, in the 1930s and 
'40s. While still employed in various jobs such as factory worker, 
maid, and director of a neighborhood arts center, Fairbanks earned her 
undergraduate degree from the University of Minnesota at the age of 40. 
Later, her memoir was adapted for the stage, as the play Everlasting 
Arms. In 1995, Hamline University awarded this accomplished woman an 
honorary doctorate degree.
  The mission of Minnesota's Penumbra Theatre is ``to bring forth 
professional productions that are artistically

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excellent, thought provoking, relevant, entertaining and presented from 
an African-American perspective.'' That is how Lou Bellamy, Penumbra's 
founder and artistic director, runs this nationally recognized theatre. 
Under Bellamy's leadership, the Penumbra has received numerous honors, 
including the Jujamcyn Theaters Award for the development of artistic 
talent.
  As the Dean of the University of Minnesota General College, David 
Taylor does what he loves, assisting educationally disadvantaged 
students. He is also a scholar of African-American Studies whose 
greatest influences have been his mother and Dr. Martin Luther King, 
Jr. Taylor, who grew up in the Summit-University neighborhood of St. 
Paul, is often called upon to provide an historical perspective on 
Minnesota's African-American community.
  These are just a few of the Minnesotans, past and present, who 
exemplify the struggle for attainment of human dignity, justice, and 
self-determination. As we celebrate Black History Month, we can look to 
them as models of leadership, making Minnesota and this country all 
that it should be for all our citizens.

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