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[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 184 Introduced in House (IH)]

<DOC>

118th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. RES. 184

  Recognizing and celebrating the significance of Black History Month.

_______________________________________________________________________

                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           February 28, 2023

      Mr. Green of Texas (for himself, Ms. Adams, Mr. Allred, Mr. 
Auchincloss, Ms. Balint, Ms. Barragan, Mrs. Beatty, Mr. Blumenauer, Ms. 
 Blunt Rochester, Ms. Bonamici, Mr. Bowman, Mr. Boyle of Pennsylvania, 
  Ms. Brown, Ms. Budzinski, Ms. Bush, Mr. Carbajal, Mr. Cardenas, Mr. 
 Carson, Mr. Carter of Louisiana, Mr. Casar, Mr. Casten, Mr. Castro of 
Texas, Ms. Clarke of New York, Mr. Cleaver, Mr. Clyburn, Mr. Cohen, Mr. 
   Costa, Ms. Crockett, Mr. Crow, Mr. Davis of Illinois, Ms. Dean of 
 Pennsylvania, Ms. DelBene, Mr. DeSaulnier, Mrs. Dingell, Mr. Doggett, 
 Ms. Eshoo, Mr. Espaillat, Mr. Evans, Mrs. Fletcher, Mrs. Foushee, Mr. 
 Garcia of Illinois, Mr. Vicente Gonzalez of Texas, Mr. Grijalva, Mr. 
  Higgins of New York, Mr. Thompson of California, Mr. Horsford, Ms. 
    Jacobs, Mr. Johnson of Georgia, Ms. Kamlager-Dove, Ms. Kelly of 
Illinois, Mr. Kildee, Ms. Kuster, Mr. Larsen of Washington, Ms. Lee of 
    California, Ms. Lee of Pennsylvania, Mr. Lynch, Ms. Matsui, Ms. 
 McCollum, Mr. McGovern, Ms. Meng, Mr. Mfume, Ms. Moore of Wisconsin, 
    Mr. Morelle, Mr. Moulton, Mr. Nadler, Ms. Norton, Ms. Omar, Mr. 
    Panetta, Mr. Pappas, Mr. Payne, Ms. Pettersen, Ms. Pingree, Ms. 
     Plaskett, Ms. Porter, Ms. Pressley, Mr. Raskin, Ms. Ross, Mr. 
  Ruppersberger, Ms. Sanchez, Ms. Scanlon, Ms. Schakowsky, Mr. David 
 Scott of Georgia, Ms. Sewell, Mr. Smith of Washington, Mr. Soto, Ms. 
  Stansbury, Ms. Stevens, Ms. Strickland, Mr. Takano, Mr. Thompson of 
 Mississippi, Ms. Titus, Ms. Tlaib, Mr. Tonko, Mr. Torres of New York, 
  Mrs. Trahan, Mr. Trone, Mr. Vargas, Mr. Veasey, Ms. Velazquez, Ms. 
  Wasserman Schultz, Ms. Waters, Mrs. Watson Coleman, Ms. Williams of 
Georgia, Ms. Wilson of Florida, and Mr. Jackson of Illinois) submitted 
   the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on 
                      Oversight and Accountability

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION

 
  Recognizing and celebrating the significance of Black History Month.

Whereas this resolution may be cited as the Original Black History Month 
        Resolution of 2023;
Whereas this resolution has been endorsed by the Association for the Study of 
        African American Life and History;
Whereas the theme for Black History Month 2023 is ``Black Resistance'', which 
        chronicles how African Americans have resisted oppression in all its 
        invidious forms including: enslavement, lynching, mob violence, police 
        brutality, Black codes, convict leasing, Jim Crow laws, lawful 
        segregation, and invidious discrimination;
Whereas slavery was a brutal and inhumane system that treated human beings as 
        property and stripped them of their inalienable human rights of life, 
        liberty, and the pursuit of happiness;
Whereas the history of Black resistance in the United States predates the civil 
        rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s, as it historically spans 
        centuries from colonial slavery through contemporary invidious 
        discrimination;
Whereas this resolution illuminates some of the momentous recondite history of 
        Black resistance that predates the resistance movements of the 20th and 
        21st centuries;
Whereas Black resistance to slavery was a constant presence throughout the 
        history of enslavement in the United States, and it took many forms, 
        including acts of rebellion, escape, suicide, sabotage, litigation, work 
        slowdowns, feigning illness, misplacing or damaging tools, and other 
        forms of noncompliance;
Whereas there is historical evidence of as many as 250 instances of slave 
        revolts involving 10 or more slaves during the history of American 
        slavery;
Whereas the Nat Turner and Gabriel Prosser rebellions were two of the most 
        significant acts of armed resistance to slavery in the United States, 
        inspiring other enslaved people to resist and making clear the 
        determination of enslaved people to fight for their freedom;
Whereas Gabriel Prosser's rebellion against Virginia and the United States in 
        1800 was a landmark event in the history of Black resistance to slavery 
        in the United States and, although he and his followers were hanged, his 
        bravery and leadership continue to inspire generations of activists and 
        advocates;
Whereas the Stono Rebellion, the New York City Conspiracy, and the German Coast 
        Uprising are other instances of significant slave uprisings in the 
        United States and its predecessor colonies;
Whereas in the fight for freedom, liberty, justice, and equality the righteous 
        resistance of many Black freedom fighters has been depreciated, 
        downplayed, deprecated, disparaged, denigrated, disrespected, and 
        demonized;
Whereas the story of Claudette Colvin who refused to give up her seat on a 
        segregated bus months before the famous incident where Rosa Parks 
        refused to do the same has been deprecated, downplayed, and 
        disrespected;
Whereas Bayard Rustin, a lifelong civil rights advocate and lead organizer of 
        the March on Washington, was nearly written out of history merely 
        because of his sexual orientation;
Whereas religion was a form of resistance to slavery as it allowed the enslaved 
        to assert their humanity, dignity, and independence;
Whereas spiritual songs were often used as a form of resistance by building 
        community and maintaining good spirits, as a means of healing, and even 
        to communicate secret messages;
Whereas the song ``Steal Away'' was used by Nat Turner to call people to him to 
        discuss plans for his rebellion, and the same song was also sung by 
        slaves who planned on escaping soon;
Whereas a song, ``Get on the Gospel Train'', provided courage for slaves to 
        escape, citing room for many people, a train available to everyone, and 
        a promise that also alluded to the fact that both Blacks and Whites 
        provided assistance to fugitive slaves as they traveled the Underground 
        Railroad;
Whereas the song ``Sweet Chariot'' was said to be a personal favorite of Harriet 
        Tubman's as it indicated to slaves that they would be escaping soon;
Whereas the song ``Follow the Drinking Gourd'' was used to remind slaves of the 
        clues they would need to find their way north;
Whereas those slaves who resisted their enslavement by running away were not 
        only recaptured, punished, and returned to their torment, but also 
        exposed in newspaper ads, which assured enslavers that all was well;
Whereas the following is a selection of ads on captured suspected fugitive 
        slaves run in the Montgomery Advertiser from 1849 to 1865;
Whereas John, 23, ran away from Levi Williams, and had a $25 reward offered for 
        John's return;
Whereas George, 20, was captured in Mobile County after he had escaped from 
        owner James Edward Wilson in Memphis, Tennessee;
Whereas Hannah, arrested in Pickens County, was a 75-year-old woman who was said 
        to belong to John Smith of Lowndes County, Mississippi;
Whereas Frank, whose age was described only as a boy, was an at-large runaway 
        with a $15 reward for his capture;
Whereas Lucinda, 20, was jailed in Mobile County, Alabama, belonged to Mrs. 
        Elizabeth Hinsley of Sumter County, Alabama, and had multiple scars on 
        her right arm;
Whereas Black resistance to slavery was confronted with harsh court decisions 
        that stripped Blacks of their human rights;
Whereas in the 1857 Dred Scott v. Sandford decision, the Supreme Court ruled 
        that having lived in a free State and territory did not entitle an 
        enslaved person, Dred Scott, to his freedom;
Whereas the Court further ruled in Dred Scott v. Sandford that people of African 
        descent ``are not included, and were not intended to be included, under 
        the word `citizens' in the Constitution, and can therefore claim none of 
        the rights and privileges which that instrument provides for and secures 
        to citizens of the United States'';
Whereas in Dred Scott v. Sandford, Chief Justice Roger Taney declared, in the 
        Supreme Court's infamous majority opinion, that Dred Scott, a Black 
        slave, ``had no rights a white man was bound to respect'';
Whereas the Supreme Court in the 1896 case Plessy v. Ferguson embraced legal 
        segregation, which advanced constitutional justification for laws that 
        allowed for separate and supposedly equal public facilities for White 
        and Black Americans;
Whereas the Underground Railroad, led by figures such as Harriet Tubman and 
        Frederick Douglass, played a vital role in resistance by helping 
        enslaved people escape to freedom;
Whereas, during the Civil War, Black soldiers made up approximately 10 percent 
        of the Union Army, with approximately 180,000 Black soldiers enlisting 
        to fight for their freedom and the abolition of slavery;
Whereas despite facing discrimination and being paid less than White soldiers, 
        Black soldiers played a crucial role in the Union's victory in the Civil 
        War by risking and in too many instances sacrificing their lives in the 
        fight for the freedom of their fellow man;
Whereas the Black soldiers' participation in the Civil War was not only 
        significant in terms of numbers, but also in terms of the impact their 
        participation had on the fight for racial equality and civil rights, as 
        it challenged the notion that Black Americans were not capable of 
        fighting for their own freedom;
Whereas the Civil War, as well as the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments, emanated 
        from Black resistance to slavery in the United States;
Whereas the abolition of slavery did not end White supremacy;
Whereas the period between the end of the Civil War and the civil rights 
        movement was marked by continued discrimination and oppression of 
        African Americans, despite the abolition of slavery;
Whereas the history of Black resistance in the United States has demonstrated 
        that the fight for racial justice and equality is ongoing and 
        multifaceted, and that despite the massive strides that have been made 
        in the name of justice, there are still many areas where progress is 
        needed;
Whereas Black activists in the United States have inspired many other 
        marginalized communities around the world to fight for their rights and 
        equality;
Whereas the birthdays of Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass inspired the 
        creation of Negro History Week, the precursor to Black History Month; 
        and
Whereas the month of February is officially celebrated as Black History Month, 
        which dates to 1926 when Dr. Carter G. Woodson set aside the second week 
        in February as Negro History Week to recognize the heritage and 
        achievement of Black Americans: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This resolution may be cited as the ``Original Black History Month 
Resolution of 2023''.

SEC. 2. RECOGNIZING AND CELEBRATING THE SIGNIFICANCE OF BLACK HISTORY 
              MONTH.

    The House of Representatives recognizes the importance of 
commemorating Black History Month as it acknowledges the achievements 
of Black Americans throughout the Nation's history and encourages the 
continuation of its celebration to raise the awareness of this 
community's accomplishments for all Americans.
                                 <all>
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