[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 104 (Wednesday, July 14, 2010)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1312]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 CONGRATULATING 17 AFRICAN NATIONS ON 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF INDEPENDENCE

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                               speech of

                          HON. DANNY K. DAVIS

                              of illinois

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, June 30, 2010

  Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, today I celebrate the fiftieth 
anniversary of the Year of Africa--that pivotal year of 1960 when 
seventeen African nations gained independence from European colonial 
rule. On this day, in this year, and in the many years to come, we mark 
this milestone given that, as Americans, we know first-hand how 
precious freedom truly is, and the heavy price it often takes to attain 
it.
  At the center of our connection to Africa is a simple concept: to be 
free. What does it mean to be free? For centuries, philosophers, 
revolutionaries, and politicians alike have debated this very question. 
While I do not claim to be an expert, I humbly believe that being free 
means having the freedom to reach one's full potential. Whether that 
means having the resources to pursue a passion in academia or the 
support and finances to raise a healthy family, this freedom can mean 
many things to many people, and for a lot of us, we were gifted with 
this freedom from birth.
  For many, however, freedom is not a gift, but a goal. In the United 
States alone, more than thirty-seven million citizens live in poverty 
and look so far ahead as to the next meal, much less dreams for the 
distant future. For Africa, the numbers and the situations are even 
more daunting. In the Republic of Madagascar, one of the first African 
nations to gain independence in 1960, more than two-thirds of the 
population lives below the international poverty threshold of $1.25 a 
day. Throughout Africa, instability and poverty persist. Between the 
unprecedented rates for various deadly diseases, the bloody ethnic 
clashes, languishing economies, and notoriously corrupt government 
bodies, it is hard to celebrate this ``freedom'' that they have 
attained without realizing the long-lasting consequences of Colonial 
rule and injustice. For these people, in the same countries that 
celebrated freedom from European powers just decades and years ago, 
true freedom is still, but a goal.
  As policymakers, we work toward fulfilling the promises of our 
founding fathers and the generations of leaders that have come after 
them. Their message is simple: to achieve freedom. We must remember 
today, tomorrow, and for every day of the foreseeable future that while 
we have come far from our colonial days, there are still many people 
who have not yet achieved that freedom. We must remember, too, that our 
Nation was once in the same situation as the many African nations are 
in today, and that we must support their progress and efforts toward 
helping their citizens fulfill their potential. While we celebrate this 
year as a cornerstone of their struggle toward attaining freedom, we 
must also remember that more change is needed to attain our shared 
promise.

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