[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 39 (Wednesday, March 1, 2023)]
[House]
[Pages H993-H995]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
EXPLORING BLACK RESISTANCE
The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mrs. Houchin). Under the Speaker's announced
policy of January 9, 2023, the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Green) is
recognized for 60 minutes as the designee of the minority leader.
Mr. GREEN of Texas. Madam Speaker, and still I rise. I rise today as
a part of this month wherein we will honor women.
This is Women's History Month, but I am going to do something that is
a little unusual, and I apologize for the encroachment upon Women's
History Month that I shall engage in today. It is an encroachment
because I want to extend Black History Month by 1 day, and I do so
because, actually, in reality, Black history should be an everyday
event.
To the women of the world, my apologies--1 day of encroachment as I
speak about Black history.
Of course, I rise as a proud descendant of the enslaved people who
built America, made America the great country it is, the foundational
mothers and fathers. Yes, there were others here who did work, but they
did it for hundreds of years without remuneration, so I rise to honor
them during this Black History Month.
I rise because it is necessary and proper that we put Black history
in its proper perspective, that the story be truthfully told about the
history of Africans in America, because it hasn't. The truth is, we say
that Black history is American history, and I agree it is. The truth
is, Black history is world history. It is bigger than the United States
of America. It is global in scope.
Today, however, I shall focus on Black history as it relates to the
United States of America. I do believe that it is important for us to
give a little bit of history on Black History Month itself.
The precursor to Black History Month was Negro History Week. This was
during the second week in February. It was started in 1926 by the
honorable historian Carter G. Woodson in concert with the Association
for the Study of Negro Life and History, the ASALH.
Madam Speaker, this organization has endorsed this year's Black
history resolution that we have. This organization is one that I am
proud to associate with for guidance and instruction.
I would add that Negro History Week was founded on this week, the
week that I called to your attention that relates to Black history, and
coincided with the birthdays of Frederick Douglass and Abraham Lincoln.
Black History Month was first proposed by Black educators and Black
United Students at Kent State University in February 1969. The first
celebration took place at Kent State a year later, in 1970.
This year's theme for Black history is ``Black Resistance.'' The
theme explores how African Americans have resisted historic and ongoing
oppression.
My original Black history resolution has passed this House four
times: first, May 12, 2007, where it was agreed upon by a voice vote;
again, May 6, 2008, where it received 367 yeas, no nays, 62 persons not
voting; and a third time on February 24, 2009, where we had 420 yeas,
no nays, and 12 not voting. The final time that it actually passed the
House was on February 23, 2010, with 402 yeas, no nays, and 30 not
voting.
{time} 1200
Since then, we have not been recording votes for resolutions,
generally speaking, which is why we don't get a vote on Black History
Month resolutions now. I am proud to tell you that for this resolution
this year, we have 104 cosponsors. And I am proud to tell you that this
resolution has been approved by the organization that has been
sponsoring this month for many years now associated with Carter G.
Woodson.
Please allow me to read some excerpts from this year's resolution:
``Whereas this resolution may be cited as the Original Black History
Month Resolution of 2023;
``Whereas this resolution has been endorsed by the Association for
the Study of African American Life and History;
``Whereas the theme for Black History Month 2023 is `Black
resistance,' which chronicles how African Americans have resisted
oppression in all its invidious forms including: enslavement, lynching,
mob violence, police brutality, Black codes, convict leasing, Jim Crow
laws, lawful segregation, and invidious discrimination;
``Whereas slavery was a brutal and inhumane system that treated human
beings as property and stripped them of their inalienable human rights
of liberty, life, and the pursuit of happiness;
``Whereas the history of Black resistance in the United States
predates the civil rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s, as it
historically spans centuries from colonial slavery through contemporary
invidious discrimination;
``Whereas this resolution illuminates some of the momentous recondite
history of Black resistance that predates the resistance movements of
the 20th and 21st centuries;''
Whereas Black resistance to slavery was a constant presence
and it was persistent throughout the history of enslavement
in the United States, and it took many forms, including the
acts of rebellion, escape, some persons committed suicide,
sabotage, litigation, work slowdowns, persons with feigned
illness, misplacing or damaging tools, people would literally
do anything that they could in the form of noncompliance to
resist their being enslaved;
``Whereas there is historical evidence of as many as 250 instances of
slave revolts involving 10 or more slaves during the history of
American slavery;
``Whereas the Nat Turner and Gabriel Prosser, rebellions were two of
the most significant acts of armed resistance to slavery in the United
States, inspiring other enslaved people to resist and making clear the
determination of enslaved people to fight for their freedom'' was
something that would be persisted with;
``Whereas Gabriel Prosser's rebellion against Virginia and the United
States in 1800 was a landmark event in the history of Black resistance
to slavery in the United States and, although he and his followers were
hanged, his bravery and leadership continue to inspire generations of
activists and advocates;
``Whereas the Stono Rebellion, the New York City Conspiracy, and the
German Coast Uprising are other instances of significant slave
uprisings in the United States and its predecessor colonies;
``Whereas in the fight for freedom, liberty, justice, and equality
the righteous resistance of many Black freedom fighters has been
depreciated, downplayed, deprecated, disparaged, denigrated,
disrespected, and demonized;
[[Page H994]]
Whereas one such instance of depreciation in an effort to
minimize the history of such a person is that of Claudette
Colvin, who refused to give up her seat on a segregated bus
months before the incident wherein Rosa Parks refused to do
the same thing, but one person was depreciated and
disrespected, the other has been noted in history as a
historic and heroic person;
``Whereas Bayard Rustin, a lifelong civil rights advocate and lead
organizer of the March on Washington, was nearly written out of history
merely because of his sexual orientation;
``Whereas religion was a form of resistance to slavery as it allowed
the enslaved to assert their humanity, dignity, and independence;
``Whereas spiritual songs were often used as a form of resistance by
building community and maintaining good spirits, as a means of healing,
and even to communicate secret messages;
``Whereas the song `Steal Away' was used by Nat Turner to call people
to him to discuss plans for his rebellion, and the same song was also
sung by slaves who planned on escaping'' at some time that was in their
immediate future;
``Whereas a song, `Get on the Gospel Train', provided courage for
slaves to escape, citing room for many people, a train available to
everyone, and a promise that also alluded to the fact that both Blacks
and Whites provided assistance to fugitive slaves as they traveled the
Underground Railroad;
``Whereas the song `Sweet Chariot' was said to be a personal favorite
of Harriet Tubman's as it indicated to slaves that they would be
escaping soon;
``Whereas the song `Follow the Drinking Gourd' was used to remind
slaves of the clues they would need to find their way north;
``Whereas those slaves who resisted their enslavement by running away
were not only recaptured, punished, and returned to their torment, but
also exposed in newspaper ads, which assured enslavers that all was
well;
``Whereas the following is a selection of ads on captured suspected
fugitive slaves run in the Montgomery Advertiser from 1849 to 1865;''
One such ad: ``Whereas John, 23, ran away from Levi Williams, and had
a $25 reward offered for John's return.''
Remember, these are newspaper ads indicating that all is well because
the slaves are being captured.
``Whereas George, 20, was captured in Mobile County after he had
escaped from owner, James Edward Wilson in Memphis, Tennessee;
``Whereas Hannah, arrested in Pickens County, was a 75-year-old woman
who was said to belong to John Smith of Lowndes County, Mississippi;
``Whereas Frank, whose age was described only as a boy, was an at-
large runaway with a $15 reward for his capture;
``Whereas Lucinda, 20, was jailed in Mobile County, Alabama, belonged
to Mrs. Elizabeth Hinsley of Sumter County, Alabama, and had multiple
scars on her right arm.''
Remember, these are ads indicating that all is well because Blacks
who attempt to escape are being captured.
``Whereas Black resistance to slavery was confronted with harsh court
decisions that stripped Blacks of their human rights;
``Whereas in the 1857 Dred Scott v. Sandford decision, the Supreme
Court ruled that having lived in a free State and territory did not
entitle an enslaved person, Dred Scott, to his freedom;
``Whereas the Court further ruled in Dred Scott v. Sandford that
people of African descent `are not included, and were not intended to
be included, under the word ``citizens'' in the Constitution, and can
therefore claim none of the rights and privileges which that instrument
provides for and secures to citizens of the United States';
``Whereas in Dred Scott v. Sandford, Chief Justice Roger Taney
declared, in the Supreme Court's infamous majority opinion, that Dred
Scott, a Black slave, `had no rights a white man was bound to respect';
``Whereas the Supreme Court in the 1896 case Plessy v. Ferguson
embraced legal segregation, which advanced constitutional justification
for laws that allowed for separate and supposedly equal public
facilities for White and Black Americans;
``Whereas the Underground Railroad, led by figures such as Harriet
Tubman and Frederick Douglass, played a vital role in resistance by
helping enslaved people escape to freedom;
``Whereas, during the Civil War, Black soldiers made up approximately
10 percent of the Union Army, with approximately 180,000 Black soldiers
enlisting to fight for their freedom and the abolition of slavery;
``Whereas despite facing discrimination and being paid less than
White soldiers, Black soldiers played a crucial role in the Union's
victory in the Civil War by risking and in too many instances
sacrificing their lives in the fight for the freedom of their fellow''
men and women;
``Whereas the Black soldiers' participation in the Civil War was not
only significant in terms of numbers, but also in terms of the impact
their participation had on the fight for racial equality and civil
rights, as it challenged the notion that Black Americans were not
capable of fighting for their own freedom;
``Whereas the Civil War, as well as the 13th, 14th, and 15th
Amendments, emanated from Black resistance to slavery in the United
States;
``Whereas the abolition of slavery did not end White supremacy;
``Whereas the period between the end of the Civil War and the civil
rights movement was marked by continued discrimination and oppression
of African Americans, despite the abolition of slavery;
``Whereas the history of Black resistance in the United States has
demonstrated that the fight for racial justice and equality is ongoing
and multifaceted and that despite the massive strides that have been
made in the name of justice, there are still many areas where progress
is needed;
``Whereas Black activists in the United States have inspired many
other marginalized communities around the world to fight for their
rights and equality;
``Whereas the birthdays of Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass
inspired the creation of Negro History Week, the precursor to Black
History Month; and
``Whereas the month of February is officially celebrated as Black
History Month, which dates to 1926 when Dr. Carter G. Woodson set aside
the second week in February as Negro History Week to recognize the
heritage and achievement of Black Americans:
``Now, therefore, be it Resolved, this resolution may be cited as the
`Original Black History Month Resolution of 2023'.
``Recognizing and Celebrating the Significance of Black History
Month.
``The House of Representatives recognizes the importance of
commemorating Black History Month as it acknowledges the achievements
of Black Americans throughout the Nation's history and encourages the
continuation of its celebration to raise the awareness of this
community's accomplishments for all Americans.''
Dear friends, this month that we just had the opportunity to
recognize as Black History Month, February, is a month that we ought to
do more than simply talk about the history of Black people in the
Americas. This history is something that honestly has been overlooked
and has been underrepresented. It truly has been disrespected, and we
have to talk about it. It is important.
But we have got to do more than talk about it. We, in this Congress,
must do that which we can do to demonstrate that we have respect for
Black history. It is one thing to talk about the wonderful things that
have been done, but it is an entirely different thing to show that we
respect Black history.
Yes, having the resolution presented on the floor of the Congress is
one where we are demonstrating respect. That is not enough.
{time} 1215
Black history has to be respected in the sense that the people who
were a part of that history are respected. To this day, we have not
shown respect for the Black people who are the foundational mothers and
fathers of this country.
We have not shown respect for the hands, the humble hands, that
helped construct the Capitol Building that I stand in, that helped
construct the White House; the humble hands that planted the seeds,
harvested the crops, and fed the Nation; the humble hands that built
the roads and bridges and that laid the foundation for America's bright
future that it celebrates and has to this day.
[[Page H995]]
The Black people who made America the great country it is have not
been properly appreciated and respected. Yes, we should have Black
History Month. Yes, we will continue to show these resolutions and to
appreciate what happened, but we have to respect the people.
In this country, we have shown more respect for the enslavers than
the enslaved. In this country, we have shown respect for the
Confederate enslavers and disrespected the enslaved.
You disrespect the enslaved when you show respect for those who
enslaved them. That act in and of itself is disrespect. Every statue in
every city of Confederate soldiers is a way of disrespecting the people
who were enslaved. It is time to honor and respect those who were
enslaved in this country.
To do that, to honor them and respect them, the least we can do is
what we have done for the Confederate soldiers. In this country, in
1956, we passed a resolution in the House of Representatives to give
the Confederate soldiers a Congressional Gold Medal. No such honor has
been bestowed upon the foundational mothers and fathers and the
enslaved people who laid the foundation for America's greatness--no
such honor.
If we can accord the highest medal that the Congress can award to
Confederate soldiers, surely we can appreciate and respect the enslaved
persons who helped make America the great country it is today.
We ought to, this Congress ought to, Democrats and Republicans ought
to vote to accord a Congressional Gold Medal to the enslaved people who
helped make America great, the people who suffered one of the greatest
crimes ever committed against humanity, enslaved for centuries in this
country. We ought to show them some respect. We ought to accord them a
Congressional Gold Medal. We must do for them what we did for the
Confederate soldiers.
We should not revere the enslavers and revile the enslaved. It is
time to respect the foundational mothers and fathers of this country. I
intend to ask all of my colleagues by way of a piece of legislation
that we filed on the last day of Black History Month with
intentionality. We wanted to give the entire month for persons to
become original cosponsors of this resolution.
It is a resolution that would call for a Congressional Gold Medal
being presented to the foundational mothers and fathers of the country.
I said resolution; it is actually a piece of legislation. It would have
to pass the House and pass the Senate. I believe it can be done.
I know to some people this is unacceptable. I understand there are
many people who won't find favor with what I am saying. I challenge
anybody to defy the truth in what I say. Defy the truth. The truth is
that we have disrespected the enslaved. The truth is we have lionized
the enslavers. That has to change.
Posterity has to receive a positive message about the people who
built this country. This is that positive message. This message is one
that will say to posterity that we want you to know that we have
respect for the enslaved people who suffered their entire lives, many
of them, from birth to death--babies born into slavery, grew up in
slavery, lived and died in slavery--respect for their lives, suffering,
and sacrifice. They should be respected.
The truth is, we have not. I want my friends to know that this piece
of legislation would allow us to present this Congressional Gold Medal.
The President would sign the legislation. I believe this President will
sign it. There are some who wouldn't; President Joe Biden is not one of
them. I would stake my life on it. If this passes the House and the
Senate, I would put my life on the notion that he will sign it. I
believe he will.
My prayer is that the House and the Senate will have the courage to
do not just the right thing and pass this but to do the righteous
thing, to show now, some hundreds of years later, the respect that we
should have shown hundreds of years before to the enslaved people who
worked, lived, and died without remuneration--the enslaved people also,
I might add, who were demeaned. One of the greatest insults ever was
that many people called them lazy. Many of the people who were doing
this, mind you, were owners of slaves.
Now, you are a slave owner. You are working people for nothing at no
cost to you, other than you have to maintain your property as you see
it. You would call them lazy because they don't work hard enough.
Lazy? Free labor. Lazy? Built the Capitol, White House, roads,
bridges; planted the crops; harvested the crops. Lazy? At no cost. What
an insult. What an insult.
Here is the opportunity for us to show the respect that, through the
window of the centuries, we should pass back to them and let them know
that we appreciate them.
If we do this, America the beautiful will be a more beautiful
America. If we do this, history will reward us with a better image of
ourselves, in the sense that we will be shown as people who will
recognize a transgression and do all that we can to correct it, even
hundreds of years later.
The least we can do is show respect for the enslaved people who built
America and helped to make it the great country that it is.
I am proud to be a descendant of the enslaved people who built this
country, who helped to make it the place that I love and the place that
I defend. I do love my country.
I will close with this. I want no one to assume that because I want
justice and because I want righteousness to prevail that I don't love
the country. I wear the flag. I salute the flag. I sing the national
anthem--I stand for it.
I am that guy who loves his country, but my saluting the flag and
singing the national anthem is almost inconsequential because, you see,
the question is: Will I defend the person who does not salute the flag,
who does not sing the national anthem, who won't stand for it and takes
a knee? Will I defend that person?
The greatness of America lies in our ability to defend those who
don't salute the flag. That is the greatness. The greatness is not in
Al Green placing his hand over his heart and saying the pledge. I do
it, but that is not the greatness.
The greatness is in recognizing that, in this country, you have the
freedom to salute or not. I love the country. I am going to fight to
defend the country.
Just as I loved my family, my mother and father loved me, and when I
was wrong, there were consequences. We have to correct the wrong. We
have to right the injustice.
I stand here today to say, as a proud American, I want to right the
wrong, correct the injustice, and accord a Congressional Gold Medal to
the enslaved foundational mothers and fathers of this country.
Removing the Name of Richard Russell from the Senate Office Building
Mr. GREEN of Texas. Allow me to speak on another topic today. This is
a topic that I have spoken on previously on this floor, and it is one,
I believe, that merits consideration every opportunity I can present it
to people of good will.
This topic has to do with the Russell Senate Office Building, a
building that I choose not to go into because I think the name should
be removed from the building. I won't go into the history of it now,
but I will say this: There will be a vote at some point in the Senate
to remove Richard Russell's name from the Russell Senate Office
Building.
There will be a vote. At some point, I will come back to this floor
and will correctly state that the name of ``Richard Russell'' has been
removed from the Russell Senate Office Building.
Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
____________________