[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 28 (Thursday, February 16, 2017)]
[Senate]
[Pages S1296-S1297]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                          BLACK HISTORY MONTH

  Mr. CARDIN. Mr. President, today I wish to celebrate Black History 
Month, a time to honor and reflect on the many achievements and 
sacrifices of African Americans throughout our Nation's history.
  This February, we highlight the titans of African-American history. 
We honor the culture-shifting accomplishments of civil rights icons 
such as Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Dr. Dorothy Height, and our 
esteemed colleague, Congressman John Lewis.
  As the senior Senator from Maryland, I would be remiss if I didn't 
also honor Harriet Tubman, Thurgood Marshall, and--perhaps one of the 
greatest Marylanders in our long history--Frederick Douglass. There are 
some out there who may not know it, but Douglass was born in Maryland 
around 1818. He learned to read and write in Baltimore before escaping 
slavery. Despite unknowable hardship and systemic discrimination, he 
went on to become one of the most influential writers, orators, 
publishers, and abolitionists of his time. Though Douglass fiercely and 
vocally opposed slavery, he would want us to remember that he stood for 
the rights of all Americans, regardless of race, color, religion, 
gender, or national origin. These views--revolutionary for the time--
gained him increasing prominence, leading to 1872, when Victoria 
Woodhull chose him as her Vice Presidential nominee.
  Frederick Douglass was the first Black American ever to hold that 
title. His legacy continues to make Maryland proud.
  While we take time to recognize Frederick Douglass and others this 
month, we must also celebrate the countless men and women whose names 
and heroism will never grace the history books. Let us never forget all 
of those who suffered discrimination in silence, who endured civil 
rights abuses without recognition, who sat-in and stood up to 
oppression without accolade. We should use this month to lift up their 
memories and to recommit to the causes of justice and equality for 
which they also fought so diligently.
  In particular, we should honor the Black teachers who taught 
generations of children in the dark, against the odds and sometimes the 
law, with little more than old, secondhand books and makeshift 
buildings. We honor the businessowners who laid the foundations of the 
Black community in places like Baltimore, Harlem, Chicago, Washington, 
DC, and Tulsa. We honor the civil rights movement foot soldiers who 
rejected subservience and embraced rebellion by marching in the streets 
of Selma and Birmingham. We honor the factory workers who left the 
South behind with hopes of a brighter

[[Page S1297]]

future, only to struggle in Northern cities for pennies.
  For too long, Black Americans' rich and vibrant history has been 
ignored or obscured by the specter of prejudice. But today, and for the 
rest of the month, in classrooms and cities across our Nation, we will 
shine a spotlight on that history.
  We will vow to honor it here, now, in the present and in the future, 
through protecting both the legacy of civil rights and the Americans 
who are counting on us to uphold them. As lawmakers and as leaders, it 
is our duty to fight on their behalf. It is our duty to pass laws that 
will protect all Americans, support all Americans, and defend all 
Americans, especially those who have been victims of institutional and 
systemic prejudice.
  That is why I introduced the End Racial Profiling Act in 2011. It is 
incumbent upon every Member in this Chamber to be an advocate for the 
men and women of color who are singled out every day simply because of 
their skin color and appearance. These individuals are your 
constituents. They are my constituents. They are our fellow Americans.
  They deserve our commitment and an attention span that lasts longer 
than 1 month a year.
  Discriminatory profiling based on race--or religion or gender 
identity, nation of origin, sexual orientation--has no place in our 
society. It is un-American; it is also counterproductive. Racial 
profiling doesn't keep us safer. To the contrary: it breeds hostility 
and distrust, and it turns communities against law enforcement and 
against each other. It wastes resources that our law enforcement 
agencies can't afford to spend. And the more time we waste targeting 
Americans because of their race or religion, the less time we are 
devoting to those who are actually committing crimes or trying to harm 
us.
  My End Racial Profiling Act, which I plan to reintroduce this week, 
would eliminate this harmful practice and instead offer resources for 
more police training, mandate greater accountability, and offer 
recourse for Americans who have been unduly profiled.
  Our duty to African Americans does not end there. That is why, as 
ranking member of the Foreign Relations Committee, I intend to 
introduce the National Security Diversity and Inclusion Workforce Act, 
which would codify and build upon President Obama's efforts to 
diversify our national security workforce. Having a workforce that 
looks like America is not just good personnel policy, it is also a 
national security imperative.
  Our diversity is one of the strongest assets that the United States 
has. It allows us to connect and work with different communities and 
countries across the globe; it helps us to foster the relationships we 
need to fight terrorism across the globe. And having a diverse set of 
backgrounds, skills, knowledge, perspectives, and experiences 
contributes to better national security decisionmaking. We should lead 
the world and protect our homeland not just by preaching pluralism and 
tolerance, but by practicing it.
  While we embark on that mission, we should take with us the words of 
Frederick Douglass: ``If there is no struggle, there is no progress.'' 
Everyone in this body has a responsibility to be part of the struggle 
and, through it, to be part of progress. Everyone in this body has a 
responsibility to embrace struggle, even when it occurs right here on 
this floor, if it is in the name of progress.
  I am talking about protecting the Voting Rights Act. The right to 
vote is fundamental to every democracy. Every vote counts and must be 
counted fairly.
  I am talking about ending the senseless and discriminatory practice 
of racial profiling. It is painful that, in 2017, we still need to 
explain that Americans should not be considered suspects or targets 
because of the color of their skin.
  I am talking about criminal justice reform--and prioritizing criminal 
justice reform in this Congress.
  I am talking about recognizing the incredible contributions of 
Frederick Douglass, Dorothy Height, Harriet Tubman, Katherine Johnson, 
Mae Jemison, and others in our public school curricula.
  Many Americans would not even recognize their names, and that is a 
tragic failure on our part to honor Black history.
  I am talking about not just talking, but committing to these causes 
through actions around our States and through legislation right here in 
this Chamber. Whether through passing my End Racial Profiling Act or my 
National Security Diversity and Inclusion Workforce Act or any other 
bills introduced by my colleagues, Black History Month reminds us that 
we can and must do more. Let us begin by remembering that Black history 
is American history. Their story is our story. When we celebrate Black 
pioneers and activists and inventors and artists, we celebrate the 
diversity and the strength of character that are the reasons we are 
here today.

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