[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 28 (Tuesday, February 13, 2024)]
[House]
[Pages H575-H578]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  1945
            EVOLUTION OF BLACK EXCELLENCE THROUGHOUT HISTORY

  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Hunt). Under the Speaker's announced 
policy of January 9, 2023, the gentlewoman from Florida (Mrs. 
Cherfilus-McCormick) is recognized for 60 minutes as the designee of 
the minority leader.


                             General Leave

  Mrs. CHERFILUS-McCORMICK. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that 
all Members have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks 
and include any extraneous material on the subject of this Special 
Order hour.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentlewoman from Florida?
  There was no objection.
  Mrs. CHERFILUS-McCORMICK. Mr. Speaker, it is with great honor that I 
rise today to coanchor this CBC Special Order hour along with my 
distinguished colleague, Representative Jonathan Jackson.

[[Page H576]]

  For the next 60 minutes, members of the CBC have an opportunity to 
speak directly to the evolution of Black excellence throughout history, 
an issue of great importance to the Congressional Black Caucus, 
Congress, the constituents we represent, and all of America.
  As we celebrate the evolution of Black excellence, I rise today to 
pay homage to the significant events and trailblazers who played a 
central role in shaping south Florida's history. In Fort Lauderdale, 
you can find the historic Sistrunk neighborhood--what we have known to 
be the heart and soul of the city. Since the very beginning, this 
vibrant and beloved neighborhood has been the epicenter of Broward 
County's Black culture and heritage.
  Sistrunk's early days can be traced back to the individuals from 
Georgia, South Carolina, and the Bahamas who migrated to the region. 
Some of the neighborhood's earliest inhabitants were railroad workers 
who resided in shanties prior to the beginning of the 20th century.
  After the railroad tracks were finalized, some workers found other 
employment and became Fort Lauderdale residents once the city was 
officially incorporated in 1911.
  If you take a trip down to this neighborhood, you will find yourself 
on Sistrunk Boulevard, which is named after the trailblazer who changed 
the trajectory of our region for the better.
  Born in 1891, Dr. James Franklin Sistrunk is a pioneer to whom our 
community owes a debt of gratitude.
  He graduated from Meharry Medical College in Nashville, Tennessee. 
Dr. Sistrunk later served his Nation in World War I before relocating 
to Dunnellon to practice medicine. He later moved to Fort Lauderdale.
  Despite being a qualified surgeon, the color of his skin prevented 
him from working in White hospitals.
  In 1938, he joined Dr. Von D. Mizell to establish Fort Lauderdale's 
first medical facility to treat Black patients, Provident Hospital. It 
opened after a farm truck carrying dozens of Black workers overturned 
near a Whites-only hospital. The workers were told that they could only 
receive treatment outside. Once again, let me repeat that. The Black 
workers could only receive treatment outside.
  During his 44 years of practice, Dr. Sistrunk delivered over 5,000 
babies. Throughout Broward County, Dr. Sistrunk would tend to patients 
in their homes and assist those who were financially strained. After 
the desegregation of public hospitals, Dr. Sistrunk became an active 
member of Broward General Hospital.
  This summer, I visited the Holy Cross Health Center located at the 
L.A. Lee YMCA /Mizell Community Center. It sits on historic land where 
Provident Hospital once stood and is building on its legacy in 
providing accessible healthcare.
  As we celebrate Black excellence, I am honored to pay tribute to Dr. 
James Franklin Sistrunk, who transformed the health of Broward County 
in more ways than one.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Payne).
  Mr. PAYNE. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from Florida for her 
leadership in this Congress on these important Special Order hours that 
the CBC has been involved in. She has done an exemplary job in making 
sure she is able to rally the cattle and keep them in order, and I just 
wanted to acknowledge that.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise today to discuss the evolution of Black 
excellence during Black History Month.
  I have said on this floor that the African American story is the 
greatest success story in our country's history, and we are here to 
highlight some of those many examples of that success.
  First, I want to discuss why it is important to have this discussion. 
Black excellence is a term born out of the difficulties Black Americans 
have faced since the very beginning. It is a term that helps change the 
historical perception of Blacks in America, and it focuses on the 
millions of Black Americans that have helped change that perspective.
  Since the first Africans set foot on American soil, we have fought 
for everything that we have in this country. First, we had to fight for 
the right to be considered people. Then we had to fight to make sure 
the promises of the Constitution applied to us. We are still fighting 
those fights every single day.
  In essence, Black excellence is not a series of actions, it is a 
state of being that evolved from struggle. It is a response to critics, 
and it is a mantra that reminds millions of Black children and teens 
that there are doors open to them that were closed to their ancestors.
  Usually Black history and Black excellence focuses on the most famous 
Black Americans, like Frederick Douglass, Dr. Martin Luther King, 
Shirley Chisholm, Jesse Owens, Maya Angelou, Michael Jordan, and Oprah 
Winfrey. However, history is filled with Black Americans who need to be 
recognized more often. Americans like Bayard Rustin, who organized the 
March on Washington. Bessie Coleman, the world's first licensed Black 
pilot. Alice Coachman, the first Black woman to win an Olympic gold 
medal. Benjamin Davis, Sr., the first Black General in the U.S. Army. 
Dr. Rebecca Lee Crumpler, the first Black woman to earn a medical 
degree in the U.S. Frederick McKinley Jones, a Black inventor who made 
it possible to transport blood and donated organs across this country. 
His invention alone saved tens of thousands of lives.

  Today, Black Americans carry on their tradition of excellence in a 
variety of fields and professions. Dr. Kizzmekia Corbett helped create 
a COVID-19 vaccine. Victor Glover was the first Black astronaut to live 
and work at the International Space Station for an extended period of 
time. Rashida Jones is the president of MSNBC and is the first Black 
executive to run a major news network.
  Brian Stephenson, executive director of the Equal Justice Initiative, 
has helped hundreds of wrongfully-convicted Americans get the justice 
and freedom they deserve. Tristan Walker cofounded an organization to 
help minority students get jobs with the country's leading technology 
firms.
  Today's Congressional Black Caucus is filled with political leaders 
who have triumphed over adversity. Their stories are exceptional 
examples of Black excellence. Yet, these Black Americans are only a few 
of the millions who have worked to help our communities and our country 
every day. Their work inspires African-American school children 
everywhere to find their own means to achieve Black excellence.
  Mrs. CHERFILUS-McCORMICK. Mr. Speaker, I thank the Honorable Donald 
Payne.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from Georgia (Mrs. McBath).
  Mrs. McBATH. Mr. Speaker, I thank Representative Cherfilus-McCormick 
for diligently holding the Congressional Black Caucus Special Order 
hour. I don't know what we would do without her.
  Mr. Speaker, I am proud to participate in this evening's Special 
Order hour celebrating the evolution of Black excellence throughout 
history. The stories and triumphs of Black Americans deserve to be 
commemorated all year long, but especially during Black History Month.
  The legacies of the men and women who shaped this Nation's history 
impact our daily lives in countless ways. It is my honor to take just a 
few moments to share highlights from the communities that I am proud to 
represent.
  I grew up in the heart of the civil rights movement. I was the baby 
in the stroller at the March on Washington. My father was the president 
of the Illinois chapter of the NAACP, and my mother was a nurse. My 
parents' teachings and example made such a strong impression on me even 
as a little girl. Some of my fondest memories were watching them direct 
meetings in our home and prepare for marches while caring for and 
lifting up each and every person that they interacted with. As the 
daughter of civil rights leaders, I know how hard-fought our freedoms 
are.
  In Georgia, we proudly claim two of this Nation's most prominent 
civil rights leaders: Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and the great 
Congressman John Lewis, whose presence and influence this legislative 
body misses every single day. Georgia's legacy of Black excellence 
extends far beyond Atlanta and reaches every corner of our State in a 
multitude of ways.
  In my district, Georgia's Seventh Congressional District, I am proud 
of the incredible transformation in Black

[[Page H577]]

history that has taken place over the last 200 years. In Gwinnett 
County, Salem Missionary Baptist Church was founded in Lilburn around 
1834, when slaves constructed a meeting place to gather and worship.
  Three decades later, Hopewell Baptist Church was founded by freed 
slaves. The original building was destroyed in a fire in 1920, but its 
congregation continued to grow. The current church building was 
dedicated in 1993.
  In the early 1920s, entrepreneur Robert Livsey purchased the Maguire-
Livsey House, a former plantation in South Gwinnett, and dubbed it 
``The Promised Land.'' As the decades passed, this property became a 
thriving farm and Black business hub in the region, bringing a sense of 
independence and empowerment for the local Black community.
  In Lawrenceville, the Hooper-Renwick School was the only Black public 
high school in Gwinnett County until the end of school segregation. The 
Hooper-Renwick School merged with the Gwinnett County school system in 
the 1960s. Plans are currently underway to transition this building 
into a library and Black History Museum.
  In Johns Creek, the Macedonia Cemetery is a historical site of deep 
local significance. It is the resting place of dozens of enslaved 
individuals and their descendants.
  Black Americans continue to excel and reach new heights through the 
leadership of notable figures in our community, whether it be in 
education, medicine, government, science, technology, sports, or fine 
arts.

                              {time}  2000

  Other history-makers in my district, such as Beauty Baldwin, was one 
of the first Black teachers at Central Gwinnett High School. She later 
served as the State's first Black female school superintendent.
  Mr. Speaker, Baldwin Elementary and the Gwinnett Voter Registration 
and Elections buildings are named in her honor.
  Everton Blair made history by becoming the youngest person and the 
first Black and LGBTQ+ person ever elected to the Gwinnett School 
Board. He graduated from Shiloh High School and Harvard University and 
was a policy fellow in the Obama administration.
  Nicole Love Hendrickson is the first African American and the third 
woman to serve as Gwinnett County's chair. Hendrickson has issued 
proclamations celebrating Juneteenth and, for the first time in 
Gwinnett's history, acknowledging the 1911 lynching of Charles Hale in 
Lawrenceville, Georgia.
  Gwinnett County District 3 Commissioner Jasper Watkins is the first 
African American in the Armed Forces in the State of Florida to achieve 
board certification with the American Society of Health-System 
Pharmacists' Nuclear Pharmacy Residency Program.
  This region's athletes and entertainers include Alvin Kamara, a 
Norcross native and running back for the New Orleans Saints; George 
Rogers, a Duluth native and Heisman Trophy winner; and Ezzard Charles, 
a Lawrenceville native who is widely regarded as the greatest light 
heavyweight boxer of all time.
  Migos, an American hip-hop trio composed of rappers Quavo, Offset, 
and Takeoff, was founded out of Lawrenceville in 2008. I was privileged 
to work with Quavo in my work to end gun violence following the tragic 
death of Takeoff in 2023.
  Mr. Speaker, I hope it is clear just how rich and diverse the history 
of Black Americans in my district truly is. Each and every day, men and 
women are making a tremendous impact and shaping the future of our 
growing community. As their congresswoman, I am committed to doing my 
part to protect the rights that have brought us this far and advancing 
the progress that Black Americans continue to make every single day in 
America. I will march on until victory is won.
  Mrs. CHERFILUS-McCORMICK. Mr. Speaker, I thank Mrs. McBath for her 
remarks.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Ivey).
  Mr. IVEY. Mr. Speaker, I thank the Representative for yielding and 
allowing me to participate in celebrating Black History Month.
  Mr. Speaker, this week, I will be introducing the Frederick Douglass 
Congressional Gold Medal Act, which would honor Frederick Douglass with 
a long overdue expression of appreciation and celebrate his legacy with 
a Congressional Gold Medal.
  I am proud to offer this bipartisan legislation with my colleague, 
Congressman   Andy Harris, whose district includes the historic 
birthplace of Mr. Douglass.
  Mr. Speaker, nearly 130 years since his passing, Frederick Douglass' 
remarkable life remains a beacon of inspiration to all Americans.
  Born into slavery on Maryland's Eastern Shore, Mr. Douglass overcame 
countless obstacles to become one of the most powerful and impactful 
figures in 19th century America.
  Douglass was enslaved for the first two decades of his life. During 
this period, he taught himself to read and write, skills which would 
later play a critical role in his life as an abolitionist and civil 
rights leader.
  In his twenties, Douglass escaped slavery, first to New York and then 
eventually settling in Massachusetts. Douglass dedicated the remainder 
of his life to furthering the cause of freedom for others in America.
  Beginning in the 1840s, Douglass became active in the abolitionist 
movement, often utilizing his profound oratory and writing skills to 
captivate and inform his audiences.
  As a writer and publisher, Frederick Douglass used the power of his 
written works to document the cruelty of slavery and push for 
abolition. He was the publisher of The North Star, a newspaper that he 
authored, and multiple autobiographies in which he shared the brutality 
of his enslavement in Maryland.
  Douglass exposed the oppression of enslaved Americans, speaking 
powerfully at abolition conventions and meetings with civic leaders.
  In 1852, Douglass delivered his famous Fourth of July address in 
Rochester, New York. In his speech, Douglass asked the question: What 
to the slave is the Fourth of July? While commending the ideals of the 
Founding Fathers, he also noted the hypocrisy of such ideals in 
relation to the treatment of enslaved Americans as he had been.
  Perhaps some of Douglass' most impactful achievements came as our 
Nation was torn apart by the Civil War. Douglass was a key advocate in 
ensuring that the Civil War brought about the end of slavery in the 
United States.
  As the war began, Douglass recruited African-American men to join the 
Union Army, including his own sons.
  After the war, he fought for equal pay and equal treatment for 
African-American soldiers. This advocacy included several meetings with 
President Abraham Lincoln at the White House, to whom Douglass became a 
trusted confidant.
  After the war, Douglass continued his work as a dedicated fighter for 
equality and the extension of the rights of the U.S. Constitution to 
all Americans. He was a prominent and powerful advocate for the 13th, 
14th, and 15th amendments.
  One of his most powerful postwar moments came in 1876 at the 
dedication of the Emancipation Memorial here in Lincoln Park in 
Washington, D.C., where Douglass delivered the keynote address.
  Later in his life, Douglass was also a public servant. He was 
appointed to several influential government posts, including U.S. 
Marshal for the District of Columbia, Recorder of Deeds, and Minister 
to Haiti.
  Frederick Douglass dedicated his life to furthering the cause of 
freedom in the United States. Few Americans have shaped our Nation so 
profoundly and permanently as Frederick Douglass. To this very day, 
Douglass' message and principles remain a guiding light for our country 
as we continue to seek fulfillment of our Nation's promise and 
potential for justice and equality.
  Although the immeasurable impact of Frederick Douglass elevated him 
to the pantheon of some of the greatest Americans, he has never 
received a proper, official commendation from Congress for his 
contributions to our Nation.
  If awarded, Douglass' medal would be displayed at the National Museum 
of

[[Page H578]]

African American History and Culture right here in Washington, D.C., 
where Americans can view the medal and learn more about Douglass' 
legacy.
  It is long past time for Congress to bestow this honor upon an 
American whose indelible impact is still felt today and will continue 
to be felt for generations to come. Therefore, I urge my colleagues on 
both sides of the aisle to support this bill.
  Mrs. CHERFILUS-McCORMICK. Mr. Speaker, as we celebrate Black history, 
I rise today to recognize the cornerstone of Black achievement in 
America: historically Black colleges and universities, known as HBCUs.
  As a proud alumna of Howard University, proud wife of a Howard Law 
graduate, and proud mother of a Howard University student, I speak from 
personal experience when I say that HBCUs have the transformative power 
to shape the leaders of tomorrow. HBCUs have a long and illustrious 
history deeply intertwined with the struggle for civil rights and the 
fight for equality.
  From their inception during the era of segregation to the present 
day, these institutions have remained safe havens where Black scholars, 
in spite of systemic barriers, can flourish intellectually, 
academically, and culturally.
  My own journey to Congress, firmly rooted in the halls of Howard 
University, is a testament to the power of an HBCU education.
  It was at Howard University that I received not only a world-class 
education but also absorbed the values of community, service, and 
social justice.
  It was at Howard University that I witnessed how education can be a 
catalyst for change and help others realize the American Dream.
  HBCUs have generated half of the Black lawyers, 40 percent of Black 
engineers, 80 percent of Black judges, and 70 percent of Black doctors 
nationwide. They graduate 27 percent of Black Americans with bachelor's 
degrees in STEM subjects, putting them at the forefront of innovation.
  These figures demonstrate the undeniable impact of HBCUs in nurturing 
talent, fostering academic excellence, and empowering Black students to 
realize their fullest potential.
  However, HBCUs are significant for reasons far beyond academics. They 
are focal points for the preservation of culture, where a rich legacy 
and history of the Black community are honored.
  HBCUs serve as catalysts for economic empowerment, providing 
disenfranchised groups with upward mobility.
  As we reflect on the importance of HBCUs, let us not forget the 
ongoing challenges they face. Despite their contributions, HBCUs 
grapple with inadequate funding and crumbling infrastructures.
  It is incumbent upon us all, as advocates for equality and stewards 
of education, to ensure that HBCUs receive the support they need to 
continue shaping future leaders. I am grateful that the Biden-Harris 
administration has invested over $7 billion in HBCUs, unlocking 
opportunities for millions of Americans.
  HBCUs represent the very best of Black excellence. We can all draw 
inspiration from the unwavering resilience that underpins these 
institutions.
  Their steadfast commitment to equality and greatness inspires us all 
to tear down barriers and build a future where everyone may openly 
follow their ambition, regardless of the color of their skin.
  In closing, Mr. Speaker, we have heard from my distinguished 
colleagues about the evolution of Black excellence throughout history 
an issue of great importance to the Congressional Black Caucus, our 
constituents, Congress, and all Americans tonight.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

                          ____________________