[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 153 (Thursday, October 13, 2011)]
[Senate]
[Page S6515]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         SUBMITTED RESOLUTIONS

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  SENATE RESOLUTION 293--CELEBRATING THE 10-YEAR COMMEMORATION OF THE 
  UNDERGROUND RAILROAD MEMORIAL, COMPRISED OF THE GATEWAY TO FREEDOM 
  MONUMENT IN DETROIT, MICHIGAN AND THE TOWER OF FREEDOM MONUMENT IN 
                        WINDSOR, ONTARIO, CANADA

  Mr. LEVIN (for himself, Ms. Stabenow, Mr. Brown of Ohio, Mr. Casey, 
and Mr. Kerry) submitted the following resolution; which was considered 
and agreed to:

                              S. Res. 293

       Whereas millions of Africans and their descendants were 
     enslaved in the United States and the American colonies from 
     1619 through 1865;
       Whereas Africans forced into slavery were unspeakably 
     debased, humiliated, dehumanized, brutally torn from their 
     families and loved ones, and subjected to the indignity of 
     being stripped of their names and heritage;
       Whereas tens of thousands of people of African descent 
     silently escaped their chains to follow the perilous 
     Underground Railroad northward towards freedom in Canada;
       Whereas the Detroit River played a central role for these 
     passengers of the Underground Railroad on their way to 
     freedom;
       Whereas, in October 2001, the City of Detroit, Michigan 
     joined with Windsor and Essex County in Ontario, Canada to 
     memorialize the courage of these freedom seekers with an 
     international memorial to the Underground Railroad, 
     comprising the Tower of Freedom Monument in Windsor and the 
     Gateway to Freedom Monument in Detroit;
       Whereas the deep roots that slaves, refugees, and 
     immigrants who reached Canada from the United States created 
     in Canadian society remain as tributes to the determination 
     of their descendants to safeguard the history of the 
     struggles and endurance of their forebears;
       Whereas the observance of the 10-year commemoration of the 
     Underground Railroad Memorial will be celebrated from October 
     19 through October 22, 2011;
       Whereas the International Underground Railroad Monument 
     Tenth Anniversary Planning Committee is pursuing the 
     designation of an International Freedom Corridor and the 
     nomination of the historic Detroit River as an International 
     World Heritage Site;
       Whereas the International Underground Railroad Monument 
     Tenth Anniversary Planning Committee recognizes that a 
     National Park Service special resources study may establish 
     the national significance, suitability, and feasibility of an 
     International Freedom Corridor;
       Whereas the designation of an International Freedom 
     Corridor would include the States of Michigan, Illinois, 
     Ohio, Wisconsin, Missouri, Indiana, and Kentucky, the 
     Detroit, Mississippi, and Ohio Rivers, which traverse 
     portions of these States, and any other sites associated 
     within this International Freedom Corridor;
       Whereas a cooperative international partnership project is 
     dedicated to education and research with the goal of 
     promoting cross-border understanding as well as economic 
     development and cultural heritage tourism;
       Whereas, over the course of history, the United States has 
     become a symbol of democracy and freedom around the world; 
     and
       Whereas the legacy of African Americans is interwoven with 
     the fabric of democracy and freedom in the United States: 
     Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate celebrates the 10-year 
     commemoration of the Underground Railroad Memorial, comprised 
     of the Gateway to Freedom Monument in Detroit, Michigan and 
     the Tower of Freedom Monument in Windsor, Ontario, Canada.

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