    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2007, Book I)]
    [February 12, 2007]
    [Pages 124-127]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks at a Celebration of African American History Month
    February 12, 2007

        Thank you all. Please be seated. Thanks for coming. Welcome to the
    White House. I'm so pleased that you all have joined us for the 81st
    celebration of African American History Month. During this special
    month, we reflect on the many ways African Americans have shaped our
    Nation's history, and we honor outstanding achievements by our fellow
    citizens.
        One of those achievements took place two Sundays ago in Miami,
    Florida--took place at a football game. [Laughter] It might just have
    been a game for some, but for a lot of folks, it was a moment, an
    historic moment. And we congratulate Tony Dungy
    and Lovie Smith for their strong leadership and
    their example they have set. That's an achievement.
        I'm also proud to be here with another football coach who deserves a
    lot of credit, Sylvester Croom, who is the
    head football coach from Mississippi State University. His achievement
    is the first African American coach in the Southeastern football
    league--Southeastern Conference. He was picked because he's a strong
    leader and a fine man. And I thank you for blazing trails.
        I'm proud to be here with Condoleezza Rice, Secretary of State. So last night on this very
    stage, we celebrated Abraham Lincoln, and we welcomed Doris Kearns
    Goodwin, who wrote a book called ``The
    Team of Rivals.'' Abraham Lincoln surrounded himself with fine Cabinet
    officers, all of whom wanted one thing--his job. [Laughter] Not so fast,
    Madam Secretary. [Laughter]
        I appreciate so very much Members of the Congress for joining us:
    First, the chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, Charlie
    Rangel. That's an achievement. [Laughter]
    I'm looking forward to working with this achievement to get some
    things--[laughter]--to get some things done. He's a good man and a smart
    guy. Senator Norm Coleman from Minnesota--
    Senator, thank you for coming.

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        From the U.S. Court of Appeals, DC Circuit, one of the most
    important benches in America, Justice Janice Rogers Brown. Good to see you, Janice; thank you. And Dewey--good move, Dewey. Dewey tried to lead the
    standing ovation. That was--[laughter]--a loyal husband.
        I appreciate Dr. Dorothy Height. Thank
    you for coming, Dr. Height. Roslyn Brock, who is the vice chairman of the board of
    directors of the NAACP. Roslyn, it's great to see you. Thanks for
    coming. Proud you're here. Thanks for taking time.
        I am so pleased that the Jackson High School Black History Tour
    Group from Jackson, Michigan, is with us, and Director Shirley
    Pitts. Thanks for coming. I'm looking forward
    to hearing you. Proud you're here.
        The theme of this year's African American History Month is ``From
    Slavery to Freedom: Africans in the Americas.'' For hundreds of years,
    the people of Africa were brought and--were bought and sold by colonial
    merchants and transported as cargo to this hemisphere. The journey
    endured by millions of Africans is one of the largest migrations of
    history and one of the great crimes of history. For the men, women, and
    children who survived this journey, life in the New World was a life in
    chains. They toiled for the bread that others would eat. They were often
    denied even the comfort of suffering together. And their families were
    broken up when a spouse or child was sold.
        Yet despite these assaults on culture and humanity, the children of
    Africa persevered. They kept faith that the freedom that God intended
    for all would one day be theirs. And across this hemisphere, in
    different places and at different times, that faith would be redeemed.
        In America, their first real hope of freedom came on New Year's Day
    in 1863, when President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation
    Proclamation in a room right upstairs. The heroes of the civil rights
    movement continued the struggle for freedom, and by their courage, they
    changed laws and opened up the promise for millions of our citizens.
        Today, African Americans are seizing opportunities gained at great
    price, and they're making their mark in this wonderful country in
    countless ways. We see their character and achievement in the
    neighborhoods across our Nation, and we see it right here in this room,
    right here in the White House.
        One of those faces is familiar to us: Wesley Autrey. You know, you
    might remember Wesley from the State of the
    Union Address. I remember Wesley was, like, I think, sending a hand
    signal to you, Mr. Chairman. So was I, by
    the way. [Laughter] I love you, man. [Laughter] Yes, not yet, Wesley.
    I've got to tell the story one more time. [Laughter]
        So in case you haven't heard the story, he
    was waiting at a Harlem subway station. He saw the guy fall into the path of a train. He had seconds to act.
    He jumped onto the track, and he pulled the man into a space between the
    rails, and he held him as a train went right over them. And so they
    said, ``You're a hero.'' He said, ``No.'' Yet Wesley--I told him--I
    said, ``You're a hero.'' He told me, ``No.'' I said, ``Wesley, I
    disagree, as do millions of our fellow citizens.'' [Laughter]
        And so we're proud you're here again. We thank you for your courage.
    We thank you for your commitment to a life of a stranger. What a
    wonderful example you've set for young and old, black, white, anybody in
    the United States of America. Welcome back here. Hey, buddy. Yes, sir.
    Thank you, man.
        I want to tell you the story about Bonnie St. John. She grew up in California, which is--most places in
    California are not very close to the snow. [Laughter] But she wanted to
    be a skier. The problem was, at age 5, she lost one of her legs, but she
    never lost her dream. She said she fell down a lot while learning to
    ski, but she also

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    learned that the key to success was how fast she got up after the fall.
        And so she went to Harvard, and she
    became a Rhodes scholar. And then she won medals in downhill skiing in
    the Paralympics. She owns her own small business. She's writing an
    inspirational book to encourage others. She is the kind of person that
    you really want to be around and the kind of person that shows that
    individual courage matters in life. And so, Bonnie, thanks for coming.
    God bless.
        So at one time in my life, I was a baseball person. [Laughter]
    Nearly all my life I was a baseball fan. And so I remember a pitcher
    named Jim ``Mudcat'' Grant. Some of you
    baby boomers might remember Mudcat. He pitched for the Minnesota Twins.
    They went to the 1965 World Series, and he won 25 games. He founded
    what's called the Black Aces. This is an organization made up of African
    American pitchers who have won at least 20 games in a single season.
        I view the organization as a way not only to herald success but to
    inspire others. See, it wasn't all that often--let me just say this: At
    certain points in our past, we didn't have a lot of African American
    pitchers. And I want to thank you, Mudcat, for showing courage, character, and perseverance.
    And also, thank you for setting an example.
        With you today happens to be a--I like to call him a former Texas
    Ranger; Chicago Cubs fans remember him as a Chicago Cub. Any baseball
    fan knows he's a Hall of Famer--and that's Fergie Jenkins, a member of the Black Aces, as well as
    Mike Norris, former pitcher for the--[applause].
        Sir--Mudcat, don't sit down yet--
    sit up yet. Mudcat Grant, everybody.
        There happens to be other Black Aces in baseball, one of whom joined
    us--Dontrelle Willis of the Florida
    team. Dontrelle can--he can throw. [Laughter] So I thought I was looking
    at a little, tiny left-hander when I first heard Dontrelle Willis was
    going to be here. No. You might stand up and show everybody that you're
    not a little, tiny left-hander. Dontrelle, welcome.
        Thank you, Mudcat, for bringing
    your friends. And thank you for bringing class to the baseball diamond.
        We've got two folks here who know how to reach for the stars, and
    that would be Robert Curbeam and Joan
    Higginbotham. And I really mean that
    literally. See, these are astronauts who went into space with the crew
    of the space shuttle in early December. Their job was not much of a job,
    just to rewire the International Space Station. [Laughter] It sounds
    complex--[laughter]--and it is. It was one of the most challenging
    missions in NASA's history.
        They did their job and, thankfully, came home. And in doing so, I
    suspect they've earned more frequent flier miles than anybody here.
    [Laughter] I really appreciate the fact that they are furthering
    humanity's path of discovery, and I appreciate the fact that you say
    loud and clear: Our country is unlimited in its opportunities for people
    from all walks of life. We're really proud you're here. Thanks for
    coming.
        Tyrone Flowers is with us. His is an
    interesting story, one that speaks to a good heart, I suspect, a
    gracious and glorious God as well. You see, he was a basketball star,
    and he was headed for college and perhaps a scholarship. He was living
    the dream of a lot of folks. And he got shot, and he's paralyzed.
        The interesting thing about this good man is, a lot of people would have either quit or sought
    revenge. But not him. He took a different path and found a different
    calling. He went to a community college. He earned a bachelor's degree.
    And then he became a lawyer--nothing wrong with that. [Laughter]
    Fourteen years ago, he and his wife founded a
    group called Higher M-Pact. Higher M-Pact has this goal: to help today's
    high-risk urban youth become tomorrow's leaders. That is a noble goal.
    It is a necessary goal, and it's a goal that

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    I suspect is more likely to be achieved because this good man has
    decided to turn a horrific act into an act of love. And we welcome you
    and thank you.
        So as you can see, this is a little different kind of speech. It's
    one where all I had to do was just simply talk about the accomplishments
    and lives of some of our citizens, and their stories speak a lot louder
    and a lot clearer than I could have. This is a--I always tell people,
    the strength of this country lies in the hearts and souls of our
    citizens. The strength of the African American community has always lied
    in the hearts and souls of our citizens, people who refuse to allow
    adversity to diminish the spirit and extinguish the drive to make
    America live up to its promise.
        And that's what we're honoring today, ordinary citizens who do
    unbelievably fine things. I can't think of any better way to celebrate
    African American History Month. And our call and our need is to continue
    to remember, promise belongs to everybody. And our call for this country
    is never to rest until equality is real, opportunity is universal, and
    every citizen can realize his or her dreams in the greatest country on
    the face of the Earth.
        And now it's my honor to introduce the Jackson High School Black
    History Tour Group. Thank you for coming.

    Note: The President spoke at 2:30 p.m. in the East Room at the White
    House. In his remarks, he referred to Anthony K. Dungy, head coach,
    National Football League Indianapolis Colts; Lovie Smith, head coach,
    National Football League Chicago Bears; Doris Kearns Goodwin, member,
    Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Advisory Committee; Dewey Parker, husband
    of Judge Janice Rogers Brown; civil rights leader Dorothy I. Height;
    Mike Norris, former pitcher, Major League Baseball Oakland Athletics;
    and Renee Flowers, wife of Tyrone J. Flowers, founder, Higher M-Pact.
    The National African American History Month proclamation of January 26
    is listed in Appendix D at the end of this volume.