[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 28 (Thursday, February 21, 2008)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E215]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

[[Page E215]]



          RECOGNIZING THE SIGNIFICANCE OF BLACK HISTORY MONTH

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                          HON. ADAM B. SCHIFF

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, February 6, 2008

  Mr. SCHIFF. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to celebrate Black History 
Month. The theme of this year's Black History Month is ``Carter G. 
Woodson and the Origins of Multiculturalism.'' Dr. Carter Godwin 
Woodson was a brilliant African-American historian, educator, author, 
and publisher. Born in 1875 to former slaves, Dr. Woodson grew up 
working on railroads and mines in Virginia. At the age of 20, he had 
finally earned enough money to afford to attend high school. He went on 
to college, and became a teacher in the U.S. and Philippines. In 1912 
he graduated from Harvard, and after W.E.B. Du Bois, became the second 
African-American to receive a Ph.D.
  Dr. Woodson advocated for education reform to empower African-
Americans to unite around shared history. He wrote, ``Those who have no 
record of what their forebears have accomplished lose the inspiration 
which comes from the teaching of biography and history.'' Thanks to Dr. 
Woodson, we have a record of the accomplishments of our African-
American forebears, and we are continually inspired by our knowledge of 
their biographies and history.
  This month, we call to our memories the triumphs of Dr. Woodson 
himself, as the ``Father of Black History.'' His efforts to research, 
teach, and celebrate African-American history gave us our current 
celebration of Black History Month. In 1926, he established Negro 
History Week, held during the second week of February to honor the 
birthdays of Frederick Douglass and Abraham Lincoln. In 1976, this 
annual celebration expanded and became Black History Month.
  Celebrating Dr. Woodson's accomplishments inspires us to examine our 
present work toward racial justice and equal opportunity. Today, 
African-Americans serve our country in myriad ways. For example, 2.4 
million military veterans are black. The U.S. has about 1.2 million 
black-owned firms, generating around $88 billion annually. Paving the 
way for our future, 2.3 million college students are African-American, 
an increase of over 1 million students over the last 15 years.
  Congress must continue to work to improve the lives of all Americans. 
Last year, it took the important step of raising the federal minimum 
wage to $5.85/hour, which will increase this year to $6.55/hour and in 
2009 to $7.25/hour. Congress also strengthened the middle class by 
making college educations more affordable, such as by investing $510 
million over five years in minority-serving institutions, including 
Historically Black Colleges. The House introduced legislation to 
provide $410 billion in the federal marketplace to small businesses. By 
passing the Energy Security Bill, Congress lowered energy costs for 
consumers, reduced global warming, and created hundreds of thousands of 
new jobs. The Economic Stimulus Package, recently passed by the House, 
will put money back into the hands of 117 million American families to 
reinvigorate the economy. We have made great strides, but we must 
continue our commitment to serving the American people.
  Writing almost 100 years ago, Dr. Woodson possessed the insight to 
understand the immense benefits of nationally celebrating black 
history. The path he forged paved the way for our great African-
American leaders, including Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Rosa Parks, 
and Thurgood Marshall. As we celebrate all African-Americans this 
month, let us specially recognize Dr. Woodson. May his memory inspire 
us to continue our work to achieve racial justice and to ensure 
equality of opportunity for all Americans.

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