[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 20 (Thursday, February 1, 2007)]
[Senate]
[Page S1517]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      HONORING BLACK HISTORY MONTH

  Mr. CRAPO. Mr. President, today I join millions of people across our 
Nation to commemorate Black History Month.
  Black History Month is a time to honor those heroes of the past and 
present who have played pivotal roles in African American history. 
During this month, we celebrate the lives of these extraordinary 
individuals and pay tribute to their many sacrifices and great 
accomplishments in strengthening the diverse cultural history we have 
in America. We are especially reminded during this month to renew our 
commitment to ensuring equality and justice for all Americans.
  Black History Month was originally established as Negro History Week, 
later known as Black History Week, in 1926 by Dr. Carter G. Woodson, a 
son of former slaves who became the second African American to earn a 
Ph.D. from Harvard University. Woodson chose the second week in 
February in remembrance of the birthdays of two prominent individuals 
in the history of African Americans--President Abraham Lincoln, who 
promulgated the Emancipation Proclamation, and Frederick Douglass, one 
of the most renowned black abolitionists. In 1976, Black History Week 
was officially expanded to a month-long celebration--Black History 
Month, or African-American History Month.
  Since 1926, the Association for the Study of Afro-American Life and 
History, ASALH, has established the national theme for Black History 
Month. This year's theme is ``From Slavery to Freedom: The Story of 
Africans in the Americas.'' Long after slavery was abolished, people of 
African descent struggled for the basic rights afforded American 
citizens. This year's theme brings to light this quest for equality and 
freedom during the age of emancipation, when Africans throughout the 
Americas were emerging from the bonds of slavery to take their rightful 
place in society. The path was not an easy one--independence and 
liberty remained elusive for many. Yet through the work of visible 
leaders and heroes and those individuals who quietly persevered, we see 
great achievements in the African-American experience--triumph that 
went hand in hand with some of the greatest struggles and most severe 
obstacles.
  In Idaho, many individuals have continued Woodson's vision to educate 
and inform our communities about the great contributions of African 
Americans. For over 85 years, Idaho's National Association for the 
Advancement of Colored People, NAACP--comprised of some of Idaho's 
finest citizens and humanitarians--has served as a leader for promoting 
cultural diversity and awareness in our state.
  I also commend the work at the Idaho Black History Museum. 
Established in 1995, this museum is the only one of its kind in the 
Pacific Northwest. Through its exhibits and community outreach programs 
such as lectures, workshops, literacy courses, and musical 
performances, the Idaho Black History Museum successfully fosters a 
deeper understanding of cultural diversity in the State of Idaho.


                         Honoring Mamie Oliver

  Today, I join with the Idaho Black History Museum in honoring a 
special Idahoan--Dr. Mamie Oliver--for her outstanding record of 
achievement and efforts on behalf of Idaho's communities. A historian, 
professor, and community leader, Dr. Oliver truly embodies what Black 
History Month is all about.
  When Mamie Oliver accepted a position at Boise State University in 
1972, she became Idaho's first African-American professor. At Boise 
State, Dr. Oliver and her students completed foundational research on 
African-American history in Idaho, launching the early development of 
what was previously untold history.
  Dr. Oliver was influential in getting the St. Paul Baptist Church 
building on the Historical Register. The church, established in 1909, 
was one of two African-American churches in Idaho and is now the home 
of the Idaho Black History Museum. Together with her husband and fellow 
community leader, Dr. H. Lincoln Oliver, Ph.D., B.D., she sought to 
meet the needs of the less fortunate in the community by founding the 
Treasure Valley Council for Church and Social Action 25 years ago.
  For her remarkable service, Dr. Oliver was recognized as a 
Distinguished Citizen by the Idaho Statesman and as one of the ten 
Outstanding Women in Idaho by the Boise March of Dimes. Dr. Oliver was 
selected for the Jefferson Award for Outstanding Public Service 
Benefiting Local Communities by the American Institute for Public 
Services and received the 2004 Women of Today and Tomorrow Award from 
the Girl Scouts of Silver Sage Council (Boise).
  Dr. Oliver was appointed by Governor Evans to chair the first Martin 
Luther King, Jr., Task Force and by Governor Kempthorne to serve two 
terms on the Governor's Coordinating Council for Families and Children.
  Dr. Oliver and her late husband, Dr. Lincoln Oliver, have two adult 
children and two grandchildren. Currently, she teaches at Northwest 
Nazarene University in Nampa, ID.
  We in Idaho are proud to have individuals such as Dr. Mamie Oliver in 
our community. It is through the dedication of people like Dr. Oliver 
that we realize as a Nation our strengths and are empowered by what is 
integrally part of our American history and brought to the forefront 
this February--Black History Month.
  Our Nation has made great strides in putting civil and human rights 
challenges behind us. But we must be ever vigilant in pursuing the 
fundamental principles of equality and justice and in continuing the 
legacy that so many individuals have worked so hard to achieve. In 
Congress, one of our most important duties is to protect these core 
personal freedoms that we as American citizens enjoy.

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