[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 20 (Tuesday, February 9, 2010)]
[Senate]
[Pages S534-S535]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                          BLACK HISTORY MONTH

  Mr. President, I rise today to recognize the many accomplishments and 
contributions of black Americans to our Nation.
  This month, we honor the brave citizens who struggled and fought 
throughout the years for a better day for their children. A day when 
everyone is treated with respect and dignity.
  One of those brave citizens was Portland resident Dr. J.N. Merriman, 
who in 1914--united with a few pioneering sprits--commissioned Oregon's 
first NAACP chapter, a mere 5 years after the nationally acclaimed 
organization was formed.
  The work of Portland's NAACP chapter and Urban League helped to spur 
a grassroots movement that succeeded where many previous campaigns had 
failed, repealing in 1926 and 1927 the State's sordid exclusion laws. 
These Jim Crow laws, written into the State's Constitution, prevented 
African Americans from living freely in the State, settling, owning 
property or voting.
  It is in the spirit of these pioneering Oregonians and so many brave 
citizens of every color across this country, that

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we remember and reflect on the history and contributions African 
Americans have made.
  Our American identity is tied to the music of outstanding artists 
like Sarah Vaughan and Duke Ellington, the literary work of authors 
like Maya Angelou and Langston Hughes, the groundbreaking 
accomplishments of athletes like Jackie Robinson and Jackie Joyner-
Kersee, and the discoveries and inspiration of scientists like Benjamin 
Banneker and Mae Jemison. Thanks to the inventions of African 
Americans, we now ride on elevators, preserve food in refrigerators and 
travel safely on the road with traffic lights.
  The contributions of these and millions more Black Americans are part 
of the very fabric of our Nation.
  It is in the spirit of these brave citizens, and in recognition that 
their remarkable accomplishments are that much more remarkable for 
having overcome a history of racial discrimination, that we must 
continue to forge ahead on the path of justice and equality. We have 
come a long way in Oregon and in America--but there is far more to be 
done.
  As the Urban League of Portland recently pointed out in their 
commissioned ``State of Black Oregon'' report: 30 percent of Black 
Oregonians are living in poverty--5 percent higher than the national 
average; only 34 percent of Black Oregonians own their own homes--12 
percent lower than the national average; and the unemployment rate of 
Black Oregonians is nearly double the State unemployment rate.
  These statistics are troubling and are another reminder that we must 
do much more to ensure that every citizen has the opportunity to lead a 
thriving, productive life free of institutional barriers and policies 
that prevent success. We must continue to remember the struggle so many 
have endured to push equity, fairness and justice forward. And we must 
ensure that our education system is the best in the world, and that our 
families have access to workforce and training opportunities that lead 
to living-wage jobs.
  Today, we honor the brave citizens who have made my State, our 
country and our world better. Today, we celebrate and reflect--but 
tomorrow, we must get back to work to truly reach equity.

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