[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 160 (2014), Part 3]
[Senate]
[Pages 3489-3490]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                          BLACK HISTORY MONTH

  Mr. DURBIN. Madam President, I rise today in recognition of Black 
History Month.
  First established in 1976 as part of the U.S. Bicentennial, President 
Gerald Ford marked the inaugural Black History Month with a call to 
``honor the too-often neglected accomplishments of black Americans in 
every area of endeavor throughout our history.''

[[Page 3490]]

  The State of Illinois has played a significant role in this ongoing 
struggle for justice. President Abraham Lincoln led our Nation through 
its bloodiest war to save the Union, abolish slavery, and begin the 
work we continue to this day to end discrimination.
  It was Illinois Senator Paul Douglas who raised the Illinois standard 
and joined in lending support for Hubert Humphrey's call for civil 
rights at the 1948 Democratic Convention. Douglas was a stalwart on 
civil rights as a Senator, defying filibusters and the wrath of his 
colleagues to make this principled stand in the 1950s and 1960s.
  It was Illinois Senator Everett Dirksen who worked with Members of 
both parties to help pass the historic Civil Rights Act of 1964 50 
years ago this July. That Dirksen Senate seat would later be filled by 
three of the nine African-American Senators who have served in this 
body--more than any other State in the Nation.
  In 1992, Carol Moseley Braun became the first and only African-
American woman to serve in the Senate. In 2004, I was joined here in 
the Senate by Barack Obama, who would of course go on to become the 
first African-American President in American history. Roland Burris 
assumed his seat when President Obama moved into the White House.
  The Senate has since welcomed Senators Tim Scott of South Carolina, 
Mo Cowan of Massachusetts, and Cory Booker of New Jersey. This 113th 
Congress marks the first time that two African-American Senators served 
concurrently.
  The Senate is changing to better reflect the diversity of this 
Nation, but the pace of that change is painfully slow. Our challenge is 
to shape a nation where America's leaders look like America and where 
the talents of all people are welcomed.
  We proudly celebrate the tremendous work of the courageous men and 
women who have come before us to make this country a better place. 
During this month, as we do throughout the year, America continues to 
fight so that we may all live in a fairer and more equal nation.

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