[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 154 (2008), Part 6]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 8949]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




       HONORING THE CITY OF GREENSBORO'S BICENTENNIAL CELEBRATION

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. BRAD MILLER

                           of north carolina

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, May 13, 2008

  Mr. MILLER of North Carolina. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor 
the City of Greensboro's Bicentennial Celebration.
  Since 1808, the citizens of Greensboro have been pioneers in 
manufacturing, education, and civil rights for North Carolina and our 
Nation. Greensboro has been and remains a leader in economic and 
cultural development within North Carolina.
  Greensboro became the ``Gate City'' at the turn of the last century, 
as North Carolina's rail trade and manufacturing center. Greensboro 
soon became a leader in North Carolina's textile industry. Henry 
Humphreys opened the state's first steam-powered cotton mill, and by 
the 1940s, Greensboro businesses were flourishing. Rayon weaving from 
Burlington Industries, denim from Cone Mills, and overalls from Blue 
Bell became some of the biggest manufacturers in the world for their 
products. In the late 1980s, the Piedmont Triad International Airport 
reestablished Greensboro's place as a travel and transportation hub for 
North Carolina.
  Greensboro has always been at the forefront of education in North 
Carolina. Greensboro College, the first state-chartered college for 
women, opened its doors in 1833. In 1837, Quakers founded the first co-
educational school in the state: Greensboro's ''New Garden Boarding 
School,'' known today as Guilford College. Greensboro Technical 
Community College has provided training and education since 1958. What 
began as Women's College and is now The University of North Carolina at 
Greensboro, and North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State 
University, a historically black land grant institution, are state 
leaders in university research, development, and art. With such a 
strong concentration of academia, Greensboro has naturally developed a 
thriving cultural scene, particularly renowned for theater, music, and 
film. The last few decades have seen an expanded public library system, 
a children's museum, the Greensboro Coliseum Complex, and work in 
historic preservation.
  Greensboro has played a pivotal role in the struggle for racial 
equality. Greensboro was a stop for the Underground Railroad, as 
citizens both black and white helped slaves escape to the North. In 
1873, Greensboro founded the Bennett College for Women to provide 
education to newly emancipated slaves. On February 1, 1960, four North 
Carolina A & T students sat down at the Woolworth's white-only lunch 
counter. Ezell Blair, Jr., now Jibreel Khazan, Franklin McCain, Joseph 
McNeil, and David Richmond remained seated until the store closed, and 
returned the next day. The ``Greensboro Four'' inspired similar civil 
rights protests all over the South. The sit-in protest in Greensboro 
was the moment the civil rights struggle became a movement. Later, 
Greensboro's peaceful public school integration was a model for other 
communities all over the Nation. Today, Greensboro celebrates a diverse 
population, with citizens from Southeast Asian, Eastern European, Latin 
American, and African communities. Honoring the tradition begun with 
the Underground Railroad, Greensboro welcomes refugees from conflicts 
around the world in Sudan, Myanmar, Liberia, and on and on.
  I am proud to honor the Bicentennial Celebrations of the City of 
Greensboro. And honored to represent its people in the United States 
Congress.

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