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**FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Liz Lubow**

**June 11, 2003 Amy Hagovsky**

**202-228-1122**

**[http://mikulski.senate.gov]{.underline}**

**[Number range CHAPTER]{.mark}SENATOR MIKULSKI AND CONGRESSMAN CUMMINGS
INTRODUCE LEGISLATION TO HONOR GREAT BLACK AMERICANS**

Washington, D.C. -- **Senator Barbara Mikulski** and **Representative
Elijah Cummings** introduced legislation today to help expand and
develop museum exhibits and educational programs honoring Black
Americans who have made a significant contribution to the nation. The
National Great Black Americans Commemoration Act (S.1233) authorizes a
federal share (25%) of the costs of expanding existing facilities and
developing new exhibits for the National Great Blacks in Wax Museum and
Justice Center in Baltimore, Maryland.

"I am so proud to join Congressman Cummings in sponsoring this
legislation," said Senator Mikulski, the lead sponsor in the U.S.
Senate. "Black Americans have a rich history that must be cherished and
remembered. This bill will honor leaders from across the country -- some
who are well known and others who are almost forgotten -- by helping to
preserve their names, faces, and stories for generations to come. It's
time we give these pioneers the recognition they deserve."

\"The National Great Black Americans Commemoration Act of 2003 will
bring long overdue recognition to African Americans who have served our
nation with distinction, but whose names, faces, and records of
achievements are not well known by the public. This legislation will
cement the stories of prominent Americans by giving the nation a window
into their lives, struggles and triumphs," said Congressman Elijah E.
Cummings, the lead cosponsor of this legislation in the House of
Representatives. "I commend Senator Mikulski for her leadership in
introducing companion legislation in the U.S. Senate and thereby
bringing it the bicameral recognition it deserves. This is a great joint
effort."

The museum showcases the lives of great Black Americans who have proudly
served the United States -- from civil servants like Mary McLeod
Bethune, to military heroes like Colin Powell, to Congressional leaders
like Senator Edward Brooke, and civil rights leaders like Rosa Parks

The Great Blacks in Wax Museum, America's first wax museum of Black
history, was founded in the early 1980s by Dr. Elmer Martin and Dr.
Joanne Martin. The museum occupies part of a city block in East
Baltimore, and includes more than 100 was figures. Existing figures
include Colin Powell, Harriet Tubman, and Martin Luther King, Jr.

The State of Maryland and the city of Baltimore have contributed over
\$5 million toward this expansion project, which will occupy an entire
city block in an Empowerment Zone area. The legislation authorizes a
federal share not to exceed 25%, or \$15 million (whichever is less) of
the project cost.

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**Please find below Senator Mikulski's statement which was included in
today's Congressional Record.**

"I rise to introduce the National Great Black Americans Commemoration
Act. I am proud to sponsor this legislation. Black Americans have a rich
history that must be cherished and remembered. This bill will honor
African American leaders from across the country \-- some who are well
known, and others who are almost forgotten \-- by helping to preserve
their names, faces, and stories for generations to come.

"This legislation will provide federal assistance to expand exhibits and
educational programs at the National Great Blacks in Wax Museum and
Justice Learning Center in Baltimore, Maryland. The museum showcases the
lives of great Black Americans who have proudly served the United States
\-- from civil servants like Mary McLeod Bethune, to military heroes
like Colin Powell, to Congressional leaders like Senator Edward Brooke
(R-MA), and civil rights leaders like Rosa Parks. Some are household
names, like Frederick Douglass and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Yet many
more are unfamiliar, like the 22 African Americans who served in
Congress in the 1800s. It's time we give these pioneers the recognition
they deserve.

"Maryland is proud to be home to so many important figures in black
history. From the dark days of slavery through the civil rights
movement, Marylanders have led the way. The brilliant Frederick Douglass
was the voice of the voiceless in the struggle against slavery. The
courageous Harriet Tubman delivered 300 slaves to freedom on the
Underground Railroad. The great Thurgood Marshall argued the Brown v.
Board of Education Case before the Supreme Court, and later became a
Supreme Court Justice himself.

"Maryland is home to contemporary leaders, too: the dynamic Kweisi
Mfume, president of the NAACP, who, like me, came out of the Baltimore
City Council; the passionate Elijah Cummings, Chair of the Congressional
Black Caucus; Clarence Mitchell who was called by many the 101^st^
Senator; Parren Mitchell and Al Wynn, fighting for their constituents;
and all the members of the NAACP, which calls Baltimore home.

"It is fitting that the national Great Blacks in Wax Museum and Justice
Learning Center also calls Baltimore home. The museum and learning
center is a popular and respected black history museum. Approximately
300,000 people a year from around the country and the world visit the
museum. Many are school children, who can see historical figures come to
life in the museum's exhibits. Expansion will allow the museum to teach
even more visitors about the important contributions of Black Americans.
It will also help revitalize a poor neighborhood in East Baltimore.
There will be new jobs. There will be more tourists. There will be new
small businesses. And most important, there will be new inspiration for
our young people.

"The State of Maryland and City of Baltimore have already contributed
over \$5 million toward this expansion project. Private donors are
contributing too. Now it's time for the federal government to do its
part. Let's help make this museum a treasure for the entire nation.

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