[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 32 (Wednesday, February 27, 2008)]
[House]
[Page H1078]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




ACHIEVEMENTS OF AFRICAN AMERICANS IN CELEBRATION OF BLACK HISTORY MONTH

  (Mr. BRALEY of Iowa asked and was given permission to address the 
House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. BRALEY of Iowa. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the 
achievements of African Americans in celebration of Black History 
Month. I find it quite fitting to address the House on this particular 
date when, in 1869, John Menard, the first African American elected to 
Congress, presented his case for being unfairly denied his seat as a 
Representative for the Second Congressional District of Louisiana. His 
testimony made him the first African American to address Congress on 
the House floor.
  Now, almost 140 years later, we bear witness to the fruits of his 
labor by having 41 African American Members of the U.S. House and 1 
African American Member of the United States Senate. That's why I'm so 
proud to represent the First District of Iowa where, in this great 
State, we have created a legacy of diversity and our own mark in 
history.
  Iowa was home to Lulu Johnson, the first African American woman to 
receive a Ph.D. It is also home to 12 of the Tuskegee Airmen. Iowa 
State University, my alma mater, educated George Washington Carver and 
also houses Jack Trice Stadium, the only division 1-A football stadium 
to be named in honor of an African American. Iowa State also educated 
the current highest ranking African American health policy adviser in 
the U.S. House of Representatives, Mr. Aranthan Jones.
  It's these types of accomplishments that inspire me to continue to 
work and stand up for people of all backgrounds fighting for justice 
and working toward equality.

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