[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 146 (2000), Part 12]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 16902]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



           HONORING THE CLARK COUNTY, ARKANSAS REUNION PICNIC

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. DALE E. KILDEE

                              of michigan

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, July 26, 2000

  Mr. KILDEE. Mr. Speaker, today I speak of a group of people who share 
a common history and a rich heritage. On July 29, my hometown of Flint, 
Michigan, will be the site of the Clark County, Arkansas Reunion 
Picnic.
  Following the Civil War, many former slaves settled in an area of 
Clark County called ``Okolona.'' They had endured slavery by developing 
and strengthening their bond with God, and with each other. Regularly, 
they would gather at Rome Spring Hill where they would sing, pray, and 
eat together as a community. They began to depend on each other as a 
family.
  This tradition continued until the end of World War II, as many 
Americans moved from southern agricultural communities to the more 
industrialized cities of the North. Residents of Clark County often 
moved together in groups, allowing them to retain the bond they had 
established for so many years. In 1974, the tradition of the Clark 
County Reunion was resumed in the Northern states. This picnic has 
since become an annual event, held in five locations around the 
country, Clark County, AR, Chicago, IL, Seattle, WA, Los Angeles, CA, 
and Flint, MI. The last time the Reunion Picnic was held in Flint was 
1995, and the Flint delegation was joined by over 500 members of their 
extended family, and they anticipate repeating this accomplishment, if 
not surpassing it.
  Mr. Speaker, the Clark County Reunion Picnic serves many purposes. It 
provides an opportunity for family to come together, intensify old 
bonds, and forge new ones. It gives the younger members a chance to 
learn of their ancestry, and grow emotionally and spiritually. I am 
proud to know that Flint is a central point in their effort to maintain 
a strong sense of unity. I am pleased to ask my colleagues in the 106th 
Congress to join me in congratulating all the Reunion participants.

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