[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 4]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 6128-6129]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




           SALUTING THE BLACK PRESS ON ITS 180TH ANNIVERSARY

                                 ______
                                 

                       HON. CAROLYN C. KILPATRICK

                              of michigan

                    in the house of representatives

                         Monday, March 12, 2007

  Ms. KILPATRICK. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor and salute the 
80th anniversary of the Black Press, and issue the following statement 
in support of the National Newspaper Publishers Association:
  Whereas, the Black Press has been a main recorder of the history of 
Black people in America and has courageously told the violent and often 
painful history of Blacks in their struggles for freedom and equality 
in America;
  Whereas, the first Black newspaper, Freedom's Journal, was published 
in 1827, in which this abolitionist paper served as a catalytic agent 
in support of the anti-slavery movement;
  Whereas, one of the most famous and effective fighters against the 
inhumanity of American slavery, Frederick Douglass, published The North 
Star as a voice of American Blacks crying out in the wilderness of 
slavery for freedom and justice;
  Whereas, Black newspapers led the fight against lynching and other 
cruel acts against Black people at the turn of the century;
  Whereas, Black editors and publishers, as leaders in their 
communities, joined the NAACP, National Urban League, the Black church, 
and other organizations in pushing for the Federal Government and the 
U.S. Congress to take decisive steps to protect and expand the civil 
rights of African American citizens;
  Whereas, reporters of Black newspapers risked their lives in covering 
the Civil Rights Movement, including the Emmett Till trial, the violent 
integration of Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas, the 
Freedom Rides, and lunch counter sit-ins, in the South;
  Whereas, the Black Press produced a long list of outstanding 
publishers such as John H. Murphy, Sr., Robert S. Abbott, Robert V. 
Vann, John H. Johnson, John S. Sengstacke, Claude A. Bennett, Louis 
Martin, and Dr. Carlton Goodlett;
  Whereas, the Black Press continues to serve as a vital source of 
information about the lifestyle, culture, achievements, activities, and 
ongoing struggles of African American citizens for equal opportunities 
in education, employment, housing, and healthcare in order to live a 
quality life in America's democracy.
  I know that my colleagues will join me in giving special recognition 
to what has become a great American institution, the Black Press, on 
its 180th anniversary in this year of 2007, especially during its 
annual celebration of Black Press Week March 14 through March 16. We 
commend the National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA), the trade 
group for more than 200 Black newspapers across the country, for 
organizing an annual observance of Black Press Week. We celebrate the 
thousands of publishers, editors, and staff of the Black Press who have 
documented the stories of Black Americans and continue to make sure the 
world is aware of the African American experience. Finally, we 
appreciate the struggle, the challenge and the success that is the 
unique contribution of the Black Press and the NNPA during this week.

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