[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 169 (Tuesday, September 29, 2020)]
[Senate]
[Page S5885]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               BLACK REVOLUTIONARY WAR PATRIOTS MEMORIAL

  Mr. GRASSLEY. Mr. President, I have been working for decades to 
establish a memorial on the National Mall to those Black Revolutionary 
War patriots who fought for the founding of our country. We are close 
to achieving that goal, which is needed now more than ever.
  The rationale for the memorial was summarized in congressional 
testimony in 1985 by its founder, Maurice Barboza:

       The Patriots Memorial would serve an educational purpose in 
     that it would remind Americans of the rich and meaningful 
     contributions of Blacks to the birth of America. It would 
     illuminate the past so that the present generation would 
     better understand the Nation's history. In that sense, it 
     would serve a retrospective purpose.
       The Patriots Memorial would serve a prospective purpose by 
     helping future generations of Americans understand what it is 
     that binds us . . . as a [nation].

  He then quoted then-Representative Nancy L. Johnson, the memorial's 
chief proponent in the House of Representatives. I quote her and will 
end with this quote:

       An American cannot be identified by simple physical, 
     ethnic, racial, or religious characteristics. Even our 
     cultural heritage is best defined by its rich diversity. What 
     ties us together as a nation is our commitment to individual 
     freedom and maintaining the rights and privileges guaranteed 
     by the Constitution to assure the perpetuation of our 
     freedom.

  I yield the floor.

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