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[Congressional Bills 110th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 198 Introduced in House (IH)]

110th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. RES. 198

          Recognizing the significance of Black History Month.

_______________________________________________________________________

                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           February 27, 2007

   Mr. Al Green of Texas (for himself, Ms. Kilpatrick, Mr. Lewis of 
Georgia, Mr. Clyburn, Mr. Davis of Illinois, Ms. Lee, Mr. Butterfield, 
  Ms. Jackson-Lee of Texas, Ms. Moore of Wisconsin, Mr. Cummings, Mr. 
 Davis of Alabama, Mr. Cleaver, Mr. Fattah, Mr. Meeks of New York, Ms. 
   Eddie Bernice Johnson of Texas, Ms. Corrine Brown of Florida, Ms. 
Carson, Ms. Clarke, Mr. Clay, Mr. Conyers, Mr. Payne, Mr. Rangel, Mrs. 
Christensen, Ms. Waters, Mr. Rush, Mr. Scott of Virginia, Mr. Ellison, 
  Mr. Thompson of Mississippi, Ms. Norton, Ms. Watson, Mr. Wynn, Mr. 
   Towns, Mrs. Jones of Ohio, Mr. Watt, Mr. Hastings of Florida, Mr. 
  Johnson of Georgia, Mr. Bishop of Georgia, Mr. Meek of Florida, Mr. 
Jackson of Illinois, Ms. Millender-McDonald, Mr. Scott of Georgia, Mr. 
  Jefferson, Mr. Ortiz, Mr. Grijalva, Mr. Brady of Pennsylvania, Mr. 
   Honda, Mrs. Capps, Mr. Crowley, Mrs. Napolitano, Mr. Capuano, Ms. 
 Solis, Ms. Wasserman Schultz, Mr. Larson of Connecticut, Mr. Doggett, 
 Mr. Serrano, Mr. Pallone, Mr. Higgins, Mr. Wu, Mr. Israel, Mr. George 
 Miller of California, Ms. Baldwin, Ms. Loretta Sanchez of California, 
 Mr. Bachus, Mr. Hinojosa, Mr. Wilson of South Carolina, Mr. Poe, Mr. 
McCaul of Texas, Mr. Shays, Mr. Sensenbrenner, and Mr. Inglis of South 
Carolina) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the 
              Committee on Oversight and Government Reform

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION

 
          Recognizing the significance of Black History Month.

Whereas the first African Americans were brought forcibly to the shores of 
        America as early as the 17th century;
Whereas African Americans were enslaved in the United States and subsequently 
        faced the injustices of lynch mobs, segregation, and denial of basic, 
        fundamental rights;
Whereas despite this enslavement, early Black Americans made significant 
        contributions to the economic, educational, political, artistic, 
        literary, religious, scientific, and technological advancement of the 
        United States;
Whereas in the face of these injustices, United States citizens of all races 
        distinguished themselves in their commitment to ideals of which the 
        United States was founded and fought for the rights and freedom of 
        African Americans;
Whereas the United States was conceived, as stated in the Declaration of 
        Independence, as a new country dedicated to the proposition that ``all 
        Men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with 
        certain inalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the 
        Pursuit of Happiness'';
Whereas since its founding, the United States has been an imperfect work in 
        making progress towards those noble goals;
Whereas the history of the United States is the story of a people regularly 
        affirming high ideals, striving to reach them but often failing, and 
        then struggling to come to terms with the disappointment of that failure 
        before committing themselves to trying again; and
Whereas the month of February is officially celebrated as Black History Month, 
        which dates back to 1926, when Dr. Carter G. Woodson set aside a special 
        period of time in February to recognize the heritage and achievement of 
        Black Americans: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved,  That the House of Representatives--
            (1) recognizes the significance of Black History Month as 
        an important time to recognize the contributions of Black 
        Americans in the Nation's history, and encourages the continued 
        celebration of this month to provide an opportunity for all 
        people of the United States to learn more about the past and to 
        better understand the experiences that have shaped the Nation; 
        and
            (2) affirms that--
                    (A) the contributions of Black Americans are a 
                significant part of the history, progress, and heritage 
                of the United States; and
                    (B) the ethnic and racial diversity of the United 
                States enriches and strengthens the Nation.
                                 <all>
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