[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 25 (Thursday, February 11, 2016)]
[Senate]
[Page S879]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. KAINE (for himself and Mr. Warner):
  S. 2548. A bill to establish the 400 Years of African-American 
History Commission, and for other purposes; to the Committee on Energy 
and Natural Resources.
  Mr. KAINE. Mr. President, today I am introducing the 400 Years of 
African American History Commission Act.
  During my tenure as Governor of Virginia I presided over the 400th 
anniversary of the founding of Jamestown, VA, by the English colonists 
in 1604. Last year I attended the 450th anniversary of the founding of 
St. Augustine, FL, which celebrated Hispanic heritage. Both 
commemorations included activities sponsored by federal commissions, 
which were voted on and passed by Congress. In three years, in 2019, we 
will mark another key anniversary in American history. August 2019 will 
mark 400 years after the first documented arrival of Africans who came 
to English America by way of Point Comfort, Virginia. Although in 1619 
slavery was not yet an institution the ``20 and odd'' Africans, as it 
was recorded, were the first recorded group of Africans to be sold as 
involuntary laborers or indentured servants in the colonies.
  Having commemorated the English and Spanish heritage of our founding 
there is no reason it should be any different for the arrival and 
continuous presence of Africans and African Americans in the English 
settlements in 1619. There is no dispute that the beginning of African 
and African American presence in what is now the United States was both 
tragic and regrettable. Slavery as an institution broke up families, 
resulted in the deaths of thousands, and caused irreparable damage to 
our American psyche. Though we should never forget that period of stain 
on our history, slavery is not the only part of African American 
history. We must remember the whole story. African Americans have 
contributed to the economic, academic, social, cultural and moral well-
being of this nation.
  So today with my cosponsor Senator Mark Warner, I introduce the 400 
Years of African American History Commission Act, which would establish 
a commission that would plan programs and activities across the county 
to recognize the arrival and influence of African Americans since 1619. 
It is my hope the establishment of a ``400th'' commission would create 
an opportunity to bring continued national education about the 
significance the arrival of African Americans has made to the U.S., and 
the contributions that have been made since 1619. Additionally, the 
commission would create space to discuss race relations in America and 
focus on dismantling the institutional systems that have adversely 
hindered African American progress.
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