[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 47 (Wednesday, March 11, 2020)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E299]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     RECOGNIZING GHANAIAN AMERICANS

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. DANNY K. DAVIS

                              of illinois

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, March 11, 2020

  Mr. DANNY K. DAVIS of Illinois. Madam Speaker, I rise to recognize 
the Ghanaian Americans and their contributions.
  The United States of America is home to hundreds of thousands of 
people of Ghanaian heritage--including those who were born on this 
soil, those whose family emigrated for economic opportunity, and those 
who recently traced their roots to ancestors taken from Ghana as part 
of the Transatlantic slave trade.
  The U.S. and Ghana share a long history with Kwame Nkrumah studying 
in American universities and working alongside Civil Rights leaders 
before becoming President of the first sub-Saharan African country to 
gain independence from colonization on March 6, 1957.
  Today, the relationship between the two countries has deepened with 
the Year of Return and Ghana being among the top five African countries 
with a fast-growing immigrant population in the U.S. Last year Speaker 
Pelosi led a Congressional delegation to Ghana, where she called the 
trip ``transformative,'' recognizing the great strides the country has 
made since gaining independence.
  However, today more than ever, Ghanaians living in the United States 
worry about immigration policies as well as accessing health and 
economic opportunities once promised by the American dream. In 2020, 
when everyone should be counted by the U.S. Census, many Ghanaians will 
surely be undercounted and underrepresented due to viral 
misinformation.
  Ghanaian Americans are an essential fabric in the tapestry of America 
from the cab driver to the medical doctor. You will find them in all 
parts of the country from Chicago to New York to suburban Ohio and 
Massachusetts. The culture is hard to ignore with sumptuous food, the 
iconic Kente cloth, storytelling, inventions, architecture, and music.
  This is important to remember as the United States continues to 
encourage democracy and bolster partnerships with Ghana in recognizing 
the 63rd anniversary of Ghana's independence, its thriving heritage, 
and the longstanding positive relationship between our two countries.

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