[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 126 (Thursday, August 2, 2007)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1693]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




           RECOVERING THE LEGACY OF THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD

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                               speech of

                         HON. CHARLES B. RANGEL

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                         Monday, July 30, 2007

  Mr. RANGEL. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 2707, Mr. 
Kucinich's resolution to reauthorize the Underground Railroad 
Educational and Cultural Program. I praise the initiative contained in 
this resolution to point out the historical, cultural, and educational 
legacy behind the Underground Railroad. It is through that network of 
tunnels and secret hiding places that many African Americans escaped 
slavery. As a symbol of freedom, the Underground Railroad deserves 
greater recognition and appreciation; regrettably many of its artifacts 
and secrets remain hidden and lost.
  I have long believed in and fought for more and better education of 
African American history. Well, an important part of that history is 
contained in the struggle for freedom that characterized the slave 
experience. Some would have us believe that slaves passively accepted 
their captivity in the plantations in the South. The truth is there was 
an active resistance to slavery; which included periodic uprisings and 
constant efforts to escape. The full role and extent of the Underground 
Railroad has yet to be discovered and remains unknown. The legislation 
authorizes the Secretary of Education to sponsor studies and make 
grants for programs that promote knowledge of the Underground Railroad.
  With the resources and technology available today, we owe it to the 
history of African Americans and the history of the United States to 
study, preserve, and make available to all the hidden secrets of the 
Underground Railroad. Secret routes and safehouses still remain 
unknown--secrets that may remain buried in our backyards.
  The establishment of this facility would allow significant missing 
pieces in African American history to be properly studied and 
commemorated.
  Through the passage of this legislation, the work of the National 
Park Service and its study of the phenomenon known as the Underground 
Railroad will be continued. Established by Congress in 1990, the 
National Park Service has made major progress in learning more about 
the secret routes and the processes used in escorting these fugitive 
slaves to freedom.

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