[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 31 (Monday, February 23, 2009)]
[House]
[Pages H1639-H1640]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     AFRICAN AMERICAN HISTORY MONTH

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Davis) is recognized for 5 minutes.

[[Page H1640]]

  Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, as all of us know, February is 
African American History Month, and I rise to pay tribute to some of 
the outstanding individuals in the community that I live and represent 
for the tremendous services that they have provided.

                              {time}  1945

  I take a great deal of pride in the fact that I represent what I like 
to call 11 of the most activated communities in America. As a matter of 
fact, I have 35 advisory groups who advise me on everything that there 
is pretty much to be advised on.
  But two of the chairs I'd like to point out are the education chair, 
Dr. Lurrerta Hurt, who developed an extensive community education 
program and approach; and, of course, she put on a great black history 
program at the Greater Gallery Baptist Church 2 weeks ago. I also would 
like to acknowledge the tremendous work of Ms. Anetta Wilson, who 
chaired our Child Welfare Advisory Group. And she and her organization 
just opened last week an intergenerational living facility that will 
house 54 families of grandparents, grandchildren, young children, older 
adult, where grandparents and grandchildren can live in the same 
environment and interact with each other.
  I also want to commend Reverend Walter Bauldrich, and the Coppin 
A.M.E. Church because on the other side of my district in what we call 
the south side--I mean, we divide Chicago up into sides and areas. 
Anetta Wilson opened hers on the west side. But the other part of my 
district, which happens to be one of the most diverse in America, is on 
the south side. And Coppin A.M.E. Church opened a 74-unit development 
for the same purpose, intergenerational living.
  So when I talk about the high level of activism, and especially in 
the last few weeks around just the whole question of the celebration of 
African American history, I was fortunate to spend part of yesterday at 
the Ascension Catholic Church in Oak Park, Illinois, for their African 
American history celebration; at the Herman Avenue Baptist Church in 
downtown Chicago yesterday afternoon for their African American 
history; then, of course, yesterday the Village of Bellwood had their 
large celebration that they do every year.
  Much of the focus of some of these celebrations has been taking a 
look at the Reconstruction Period in history, which is a period that 
many people, quite frankly, don't know much about. For example, there 
are African Americans who don't know that there were 22 Members of 
Congress during the Reconstruction Period who were African American--
that is before 1900. During the 1870s, 1880s, and 1890s, there were 20 
Members of the House. There were two Members of the Senate.
  And of course, there was another Member from Louisiana who was 
elected to both the House and the Senate, P.B.S. Pinchback, but was 
never seated. As a matter of fact, Governor Pinchback was actually the 
Governor of Louisiana during this period. He didn't serve that long, 
but nevertheless, he was the governor.
  So history becomes the melding together of many thoughts, ideas, 
actions not of one group of people but of all of the groupings of 
people who have come to this Nation seeking a better life, seeking 
something that they did not have. And the fact that America has become 
the most diverse country is a tribute to all of us.
  So as we celebrate African American history, we celebrate the history 
of America.
  I thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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