[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 18 (Wednesday, February 27, 2002)]
[House]
[Page H565]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   HONORING THE ACCOMPLISHMENTS AND CONTRIBUTIONS OF BLACK AMERICANS

  (Ms. SANCHEZ asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute.)
  Ms. SANCHEZ. Mr. Speaker, today I rise to honor the accomplishments 
and contributions of black Americans to this Nation.
  February is Black History Month. Established in 1926 by Carter G. 
Woodson, Black History Month raises awareness of the history of black 
Americans in our schools and across our Nation.
  As a child, Mr. Woodson had to earn money for his family, and so he 
was not able to start school until very late in life. His motto of ``it 
is never too late to learn'' is something that all of us can use every 
day in our learning and growing, especially when it comes to the 
history of this Nation.
  February is also a significant month for the birthdays of great 
African Americans, pioneers in many ways to our Nation. These include 
the birthdays of Frederick Douglass, W.E.B. DuBois, Langston Hughes, 
Eubie Blake, the NAACP, and the first Pan African Congress.
  During Black History Month, we should take the time to continue 
learning about the contributions, the struggles and the perseverance of 
African Americans here in our Nation. Our country would not be as 
culturally diverse without their contributions.

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