[Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 97 (Friday, June 6, 2025)]
[House]
[Page H2519]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        DEFENDING BLACK HISTORY

  (Mr. KHANNA asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. KHANNA. Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor the nine Black worshippers 
murdered at Mother Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, South Carolina. 
June 17 marks the 10-year anniversary of that horrific act by a white 
supremacist.
  Representative Wendell Gilliard has introduced a hate crime bill. It 
still hasn't been passed. We must pass it.
  Today isn't just about remembering the Emanuel Nine. It is also about 
confronting the attacks on Black history. President Trump called the 
African-American history museum oppressive and gave Vice President 
Vance the power to erase Black history.
  Mr. Speaker, 44 States now are debating laws to limit the teaching of 
Black history. One Pennsylvania district even banned children's books 
about Rosa Parks and Dr. King.
  As we honor the Emanuel Nine, we must stand up for teaching honest 
Black history. I think of my friend, Representative JA Moore, who lost 
his sister, Myra Thompson, today. His call is not just to remove 
symbols of hate but to dismantle the systems of hate that Dr. King 
talked about.
  Let the Emanuel Nine inspire us today to teach honestly about Black 
history and confront the systems of hate.

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