[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 36 (Friday, February 24, 2023)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E142-E143]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                          BLACK HISTORY MONTH

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. DANNY K. DAVIS

                              of illinois

                    in the house of representatives

                       Friday, February 24, 2023

  Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, this February we celebrate the 
23rd Black History Month. Black History Month is a time to honor the 
past contributions of Black people in American society and also to pay 
homage to those making progress currently and in the future. It is an 
annual celebration of achievements, reflection on challenges faced, and 
recognition of the central role of Black people in U.S. history.
  Each Black History Month adopts a central theme. Last year's theme 
was ``Black Health and Wellness;'' this year, we focus on ``Black 
Resistance.'' ``Black Resistance'' is a powerful message that refers to 
how, throughout history, African Americans have withstood, com batted, 
and opposed both intermittent or ongoing disadvantages and oppression. 
We've undergone being enslaved and having human and civil rights 
stripped away. For centuries, African Americans have faced enormous 
obstacles in numerous aspects of life, including education, economic 
security, healthcare, employment, housing, and criminal justice. 
African Americans routinely experience opportunity denial due to the 
color of our skin, and we continue to struggle for justice and equality 
for ourselves and communities in the face of systematic racism. In 
Chicago, as across the nation, Black families are more likely to live 
in poverty than white families, making it challenging to access decent 
education, health care, and other essential resources for a fulfilling 
life. Being Black in the United States is a complicated and 
multidimensional experience affected by historical, social, and 
cultural influences.
  Black Resistance has helped overcome these barriers on the path to 
equality. African Americans have made enormous contributions to 
American culture, politics, and society. From the Civil Rights Movement 
to Black Lives Matter, Black people have battled for justice and 
equality. Their words and actions have molded the history and identity 
of our Nation. Black families have demonstrated Black Resistance--a 
remarkable endurance, fortitude, and perseverance in the face of 
adversity. Through all the pressures of life, Black

[[Page E143]]

parents teach their children the meaning behind the color of their 
skin, to stay on the right side of the system, and to face a world that 
fears our physique. Despite centuries of challenges, Black parents have 
raised children who grew into the workers, professionals, parents, and 
communities who made this wonderful Nation what it is.
  Black Resistance has helped us overcome barriers on the path to 
equality; yet recently, it seems that more obstacles arise with each 
hurdle we surmount. Instead of moving forward, it sometimes feels like 
we are stuck in an ongoing cycle of one-step-forward-two-steps-back. 
Black students in Chicago and across the nation are disproportionately 
likely to attend underfunded schools that lack resources and qualified 
teachers. This inequity often results in decreased academic achievement 
and diminished opportunities for success. Black parents must advise 
their children how to navigate the centuries-old barriers facing 
African Americans and hope the world doesn't take their babies from 
them. Too many Black mothers in the United States suffer from the agony 
of knowing that their child's last words were a call for them while 
being killed by the police. Further, some Republican leaders are 
aggressively pushing to eliminate the teaching of African-American 
history in classrooms, promising to exacerbate the ongoing education 
crisis and forcing the country to move backward instead of forward. 
Without education on the various accomplishments and failings of the 
past, future generations will be unprepared for the challenges ahead 
due to the lost lessons of history.
  Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., recognized that ``the arc of the moral 
universe is long, but it bends toward justice.'' Regardless of the 
obstacles encountered, the Black community has a long, cultural 
tradition of activism and advocacy, and this Black Resistance advances 
the fight for justice and equality that Dr. King spoke of. In honor of 
Black History Month, I organized a town hall gathering to recognize the 
historical heroes and heroines, those from the past who have shaped our 
world and those from the present who are paving the path for future 
sheroes and heroes. The event occurred on Sunday, February 19, 2023, at 
the Home of Life Missionary Baptist Church. During this event, l heard 
from residents about what policies on which they believe Congress 
should focus to continue bending the arc of the moral universe toward 
justice.
  As we celebrate the 23rd Black History Month, I am reminded of Sam 
Cooke's hope: ``It's been a long . . . time coming, but I know a change 
gonna come. Oh yes, it will.'' I have seen Black Resistance bring about 
such wonderful change in my lifetime. I am proud to celebrate this 
success, and I promise to continue fighting for equality and 
opportunity at every turn. Change is gonna come.

                          ____________________