[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 32 (Thursday, February 27, 2003)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E321-E322]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




              RECOGNIZING FEBRUARY AS BLACK HISTORY MONTH

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. MICHAEL E. CAPUANO

                            of massachusetts

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, February 27, 2003

  Mr. CAPUANO. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize February as Black 
History Month. As the month draws to a close, I urge my colleagues to 
join me as we commemorate and honor the achievements of African-
Americans throughout our nation's history.
  Black history month, a tradition for seven decades, is celebrated 
each February in cities and towns across the United States. During this 
time, we honor and celebrate the contributions African-Americans have 
made to music, the arts, and academics and we recall the many important 
milestones in black history. In 1915, Dr. Carter Godwin Woodson 
recognized the need for our country to gain a more complete and 
informed understanding of African

[[Page E322]]

American history. Dr. Woodson chose the second week of February because 
two people he felt had dramatically affected the lives of Black 
Americans were born during that month: Abraham Lincoln and Frederick 
Douglass. In addition, the month of February is significant for the 
birthdays of W.E.B. DuBois, Langston Hughes, Eubie Blake and the 
founding of the NAACP.
  I am pleased to join in this celebration and I hope that every person 
will take a moment to reflect on the life and legacies of individuals 
like Harriet Tubman, Rosa Parks and Thurgood Marshall. Their fight, and 
the work of so many others, helped bring social justice to communities 
throughout the country. As we celebrate this year's theme, ``The Souls 
of Black Folk: Centennial Reflections,'' we also honor the achievements 
and legacy of African-Americans and are reminded that we must continue 
to remember the contributions and sacrifices throughout history.
  I encourage all Americans to gain awareness of and appreciation for 
African-American history.

                          ____________________