[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 157 (2011), Part 2]
[Senate]
[Page 1666]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                         SUBMITTED RESOLUTIONS

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         SENATE RESOLUTION 49--CELEBRATING BLACK HISTORY MONTH

  Mrs. GILLIBRAND (for herself, Mr. Lugar, Mr. Cochran, Mr. Menendez, 
Ms. Mikulski, Ms. Snowe, Mr. Kerry, Mrs. Feinstein, Mr. Nelson of 
Florida, Ms. Landrieu, Mr. Merkley, Mr. Johnson of South Dakota, Mr. 
Durbin, Mr. Lautenberg, Mr. Udall of Colorado, Mr. Wicker, Mr. Franken, 
Ms. Stabenow, Mr. Pryor, Mr. Whitehouse, Mrs. Boxer, Mr. Cardin, Mr. 
Schumer, Mrs. Murray, Mr. Casey, Mr. Begich, Mr. Brown of Ohio, Mr. 
Bennet, Mr. Kirk, Mr. Blumenthal, Mrs. McCaskill, Mrs. Hagan, Mrs. 
Hutchison, and Mr. Coons) submitted the following resolution; which was 
considered and agreed to:

                               S. Res. 49

       Whereas in 1776, the United States of America was imagined, 
     as stated in the Declaration of Independence, as a new Nation 
     dedicated to the proposition that ``all men are created 
     equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain 
     unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and 
     the pursuit of Happiness'';
       Whereas on November 19, 1863, President Abraham Lincoln, in 
     reference to the Declaration of Independence, stated, 
     ``[f]our score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth, 
     upon this continent, a new nation, conceived in liberty, and 
     dedicated to the proposition that all men are created 
     equal'';
       Whereas the history of this Nation includes injustices and 
     the denial of basic, fundamental rights at odds with the 
     words of the Founders of the Nation and the sacrifices 
     commemorated at Gettysburg, and these injustices include 
     nearly 250 years of slavery, 100 years of lynchings, denial 
     of both fundamental human and civil rights, and withholding 
     of the basic rights of citizenship;
       Whereas the vestiges of slavery still exist in the systemic 
     inequalities and injustices in our society;
       Whereas for every Shirley Chisholm, Dorothy Height, 
     Constance Baker Motley, Charles Hamilton Houston, Thurgood 
     Marshall, Lena Horne, James Baldwin, W.E.B. Du Bois, Harriet 
     Tubman, Frederick Douglass, Sojourner Truth, Jackie Robinson, 
     or Ralph Bunche, each of whom lived a life of incandescent 
     greatness, many African Americans lived, toiled, and died in 
     obscurity, never achieving the recognition they deserved;
       Whereas on November 4, 2008, the people of the United 
     States elected an African American man, Barack Obama, as 
     President of the United States, and African-Americans 
     continue to serve our country at the highest levels of our 
     government and military; and
       Whereas William H. Hastie, the first African American to be 
     appointed as a Federal judge, stated, ``[h]istory informs us 
     of past mistakes from which we can learn without repeating 
     them. It also inspires us and gives confidence and hope bred 
     of victories already won'': Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) recognizes the importance of Black History Month as an 
     opportunity to reflect on our Nation's complex history, while 
     remaining hopeful and confident for the path that lies ahead;
       (2) acknowledges the significance of Black History Month as 
     an important opportunity to recognize the tremendous 
     contributions of African Americans to the Nation's history;
       (3) encourages the celebration of Black History Month to 
     provide a continuing opportunity for all people in the United 
     States to learn from our past and to understand the 
     experiences that have shaped our Nation; and
       (4) calls on citizens to remember that, while this Nation 
     began in division, it must now move forward with purpose, 
     united tirelessly as one Nation, indivisible, with liberty 
     and justice for all, and to honor the contribution of all 
     American pioneers who help ensure the legacy of these great 
     United States.

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