[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 59 (Wednesday, April 22, 2009)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E926]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




        IN TRIBUTE TO JOHN HOPE FRANKLIN, HISTORIAN AND ACTIVIST

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. CHARLES B. RANGEL

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, April 22, 2009

  Mr. RANGEL. Madam Speaker, I rise today in recognition of the life 
and achievements of John Hope Franklin, and his dedication to, ``weave 
into the fabric of American history enough of the presence of blacks so 
that the story of the United States could be told adequately and 
fairly.'' In March 2009, the passing of John Hope Franklin removed from 
the world a scholar whose academic excellence was profound in its 
effect on modern U.S. history. Though he is no longer with us we will 
not forget the contributions he has made to this country and the world.
  John Hope Franklin succeeded in his intention to recognize the 
presence of African Americans in our history and through his 
scholarship which was unparalleled in its brilliance and so complete 
that it was universally acclaimed. He created an awareness of the role 
of the African American in American history that did not exist prior to 
his work.
  John Hope Franklin was born just fifty years after the Emancipation 
Proclamation in Rentiesville, Oklahoma on January 2, 1915. He graduated 
from Fisk University in 1935 and earned a PhD from Harvard University 
in 1941. From Slavery to Freedom: A History of African-Americans, 
perhaps his most famous book, traces the African-American journey from 
the African continent to their struggle for equality in the twentieth 
century. Through his efforts to explain that African-American history 
is American history, John Hope Franklin himself became an integral 
actor in that history not only through his published scholarly papers 
but through his engagement in the Civil Rights Movement, beginning with 
the part he played in the landmark case of Brown vs. Board of Education 
and subsequently as an activist scholar providing an eloquent voice for 
the Movement.
  John Hope Franklin was a true scholar and activist. Through his life 
he has inspired generations of historians. Today, I am proud to pay 
tribute to the life of Mr. John Hope Franklin.

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