[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 175 (Tuesday, December 6, 2016)]
[Senate]
[Page S6761]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         SUBMITTED RESOLUTIONS

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  SENATE RESOLUTION 631--CELEBRATING THE HISTORY OF THE DETROIT RIVER 
    WITH THE 15-YEAR COMMEMORATION OF THE INTERNATIONAL UNDERGROUND 
    RAILROAD MEMORIAL MONUMENT, COMPRISED OF THE GATEWAY TO FREEDOM 
  MONUMENT IN DETROIT, MICHIGAN, AND THE TOWER OF FREEDOM MONUMENT IN 
                        WINDSOR, ONTARIO, CANADA

  Mr. PETERS (for himself and Ms. Stabenow) submitted the following 
resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural 
Resources:

                              S. Res. 631

       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 torn from their 
     families and loved ones and stripped of their names and 
     heritage;
       Whereas the faith and strength of character demonstrated by 
     former slaves and the descendants of former slaves are an 
     example for all people of the United States, regardless of 
     background, religion, or race;
       Whereas tens of thousands of people of African descent 
     bravely and 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 Counties in Ontario, Canada, to 
     memorialize the courage of these freedom seekers with an 
     international memorial to the Underground Railroad, comprised 
     of the Tower of Freedom Monument in Windsor, Ontario, and the 
     Gateway to Freedom Monument in Detroit, Michigan;
       Whereas the deep roots that slaves, refugees, and 
     immigrants who reached Canada from the United States created 
     in Canadian society are a tribute to the determination of the 
     descendants of those slaves, refugees, and immigrants to 
     safeguard the history of the struggles and endurance of their 
     forebears;
       Whereas the observance of the 15-year commemoration of the 
     International Underground Railroad Memorial Monument was 
     celebrated during the month of October 2016;
       Whereas the International Underground Railroad Memorial 
     Monument represents a cooperative international partnership 
     dedicated to education and research with the goal of 
     promoting cross-border understanding, 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 and their fight for 
     freedom is interwoven with the fabric of democracy and 
     freedom in the United States: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) celebrates the history of the Detroit River with a 15-
     year commemoration of the International Underground Railroad 
     Memorial Monument, comprised of the Gateway to Freedom 
     Monument in Detroit, Michigan, and the Tower of Freedom 
     Monument in Windsor, Ontario, Canada; and
       (2) supports the official recognition, by national and 
     international entities, of the Detroit River as an area of 
     historic importance to the history of the Underground 
     Railroad and the fight for freedom in North America.

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