[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 147 (2001), Part 2]
[House]
[Pages 2644-2645]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



                     ROLE MODELS AND BLACK HISTORY

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Arkansas (Mr. Ross) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. ROSS. Mr. Speaker, promoting awareness of black history 
throughout the month of February allowed all of us an opportunity to 
not only learn from the past, but also remind ourselves and others 
about the importance of practicing acceptance and inclusion. However, 
while black history is recognized in February, it does not stop today, 
on March 1. If it truly is history in February, it is also history in 
March through January. That is why I decided to make these remarks 
today, rather than in February.
  I am pleased that our Nation has chosen to recognize and celebrate 
the history of the African American culture. History teaches us that 
every culture and every society endures good and bad, and it is 
essential that we continue to learn from our past.
  From the days of early American statehood, when African Americans 
like Harriet Tubman and many others fought to gain freedom from 
slavery, to the inspiring civil rights movement fostered by the 
determination of individuals such as Rosa Parks, Daisy Bates, and Dr. 
Martin Luther King, Jr., to our current times today, African Americans 
have played a vital role in America's history.
  Last month, as we celebrated Black History Month, I was reminded of 
how the contributions of African Americans have had a particular 
influence on my life. Growing up during the 1960s and 1970s in south 
Arkansas in small towns like Emmet, Hope, and Prescott, I was fortunate 
to be among the first generation to attend integrated public schools.
  Those were difficult times for our Nation, but as the son of public 
school educators, I was taught early on that blacks and whites could 
live and work together and value each other's differences.
  As many small schools did at that time, our elementary school in 
Emmet combined two grades in each classroom. The teachers had close 
relationships with the students, and had a profound influence on our 
young lives.
  I remember that two particular teachers played a special role in my 
upbringing as a young student, perhaps because they were both African 
American, or perhaps because they were simply warm, caring individuals. 
Their names were Velma Rowe and Corrine Gilbert.
  Ms. Rowe and Ms. Gilbert always went the extra mile to make a 
difference in our lives as students, whether it was providing 
encouragement when we were having trouble keeping up, guidance and 
discipline when we stepped out of line, or congratulations for a job 
well done.
  I may have been too young at that time to fully understand the 
history of racial inequality in our country, but looking back, they 
gave me a special insight into the important role of African Americans 
in our community and in our society. The impact of their example as 
teachers and as leaders in the African American community helped to 
shape my view, as I grew older, that we must all work together to 
accept each other and respect our differences.
  In class, Ms. Rowe and Ms. Gilbert taught all of us that we were each 
important as individuals, no matter what our race or background, no 
matter

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whether we were rich or poor, and that we must show respect for all 
those around us. They instilled in us the value of a good education, 
and that, with hard work, determination, and a good heart, we could 
build a better world.
  On Sunday, February 18, my wife, Holly, and our two children, Sydney 
Beth and Alex, joined me in attending the black history program at 
Greater Pleasant Hill Baptist Church in Arkadelphia, Arkansas. I had 
the privilege of participating with African Americans, young and old, 
in the program, which highlighted historical accomplishments of African 
Americans, named by using each letter of the alphabet from A to Z.
  The service was a great opportunity for my family and me to reflect 
on how far we have come in the last 150 years towards the goal of 
racial harmony in this country, and yet, how far we still have to go in 
the continued battle for civil justice.
  As I told Pastor Lewis Shepherd's congregation following the program, 
we must continue to reflect on black history throughout the year as we 
work together to foster greater understanding so that we can bridge the 
racial gaps that still exist in today's world.
  I can only imagine what it was like for Ms. Rowe and Ms. Gilbert when 
they were growing up in the segregated South, and what challenges and 
obstructions they had to face each and every day.
  As adults, they used their lives and experiences to bring people 
together and to serve as role models for me and so many students. Our 
challenge is to be the Ms. Rowes and Ms. Gilberts of today.

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